“Doing nothing is very hard to do...you never know when you're finished.”

(1926–2010)

Pneumonia steals another comedian from us.

He's possibly Victoria Composite High School's most famous graduate.

Actor Leslie Nielson has died at the age of 84.

He passed away in a Florida hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia.

In September 2003 Grant MacEwan opened the Leslie Nielson School of Communications.

Before making his way into acting he worked briefly as a disc jockey in Calgary.

Nielson is probably best remembered for his roles in "Airplane!", "Police Squad!" and the "Naked Gun" movies.

In 1988 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2001 was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. And in 2002 Nielson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Actor Leslie Nielsen dead at 84
29 Nov, 2010 05:07 PM

Leslie Nielsen, a serious actor who became a comic star with his career-changing roles in "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" comedies, died Sunday in Fort Lauderdale. He was 84.

Nielson died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home, surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends, his agent John S. Kelly said in a statement.

In "Airplane!," the 1980 send-up of just about every disaster movie plot imaginable, Nielsen as Dr. Rumack was "an essentially serious actor taking essentially preposterous material very straight," wrote Los Angeles Times Arts Editor Charles Chaplin in his review.

Just how preposterous was it?

As the crew and passengers became ill, Nielsen said they needed to get the sick to a hospital.

"A hospital? What is it?" a flight attendant asked.

Nielsen: "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."

And when Nielsen was told, "Surely you can't be serious," he answered: "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

Nielsen followed up "Airplane!" with another goofy role delivered with deadpan conviction as Detective Frank Drebin in the "Police Squad!" television show and "Naked Gun" movies.