Surely, you can’t be serious?
When I first learned that Leslie Nielsen had died, my first reaction was disbelief. “Surely, you can’t be serious?” I said to a friend. “I am serious and don’t call him Shirley!” he replied. You have to laugh or you’ll cry…
Although best know for his comedic roles in the Airplane and The Naked Gun movies, Leslie Nielsen (1926 – 2010) was one of the most versatile actors of our time. He began in television in 1948, and appeared in diverse roles in many popular series (e.g., Columbo, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, MASH, Who’s the Boss, Hawaii Five-O). His movie career began in 1956 and included roles in westerns and dramas long before his debut as the deadpan Dr. Alan Rumack in 1980. Nielsen’s off-screen work is also to be lauded. He has provided his expert narration skills to television series (Pumper Pups, 2000; Katie and Orbie, 1994) and movies (The Nutcracker and the Mouseking, 2004; The Railway Dragon, 1988). He is also the narrator of his hilariously fictitious autobiography, Leslie Nielsen: The Naked Truth (unabridged, 1995, abridged, 2010). In production at his death, was The Waterman Movie, an animation film in which he was voicing the main character, Ready Espanosa, a world famous explorer gone missing. We will never get a Naked Gun: 4th of July, but there is hope that The Waterman Movie will give us one more chance to enjoy the legendary work of Leslie Nielsen.
Sources: Internet Movie Database, Wikipedia
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As an important device in the world of audio engineering and voice-over (VO), the VU Meter serves as the inspiration for monitoring and measuring the voice-over industry over time via the "VO Meter" blog. Subscribe to the “VO Meter” via RSS feeds or receive email updates and be treated to a bit of voice-over history and trivia with each entry.
Blog Author: Kevin Readdean, Voice Talent, KevinsVoice.com
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Perhaps he passed away because he, er, “had the fish.” And remember, Kevin, “We’re all counting on you.”