Leslie Nielsen

[faceless]

Leslie Nielsen visits DeSales University
by Colin McEvoy
March 27, 2009

Leslie Nielsen, the actor and comedian whose television and film career has spanned 50 years, visited with the students of DeSales University this afternoon.

"I'd like to make a brief announcement: the dialogue from this evening will be in Italian," Nielsen said, donning a faux Italian accent, at the start of a question-and-answer session."...I don't speak Italian, so this will be very difficult for me."

The star of such films as "The Naked Gun" and "Airplane" will be introducing the university's ninth annual student film festival this evening. But first, he spoke to about 200 students and audience members about everything from his upbringing and his early career (which included a role in the 1956 classic "Forbidden Planet") to his favorite comedic roles ("The Naked Gun") and the state of comedy today.

"It's remarkable today what's happening with comedy because there's so much of it, and there's so many talented people," he said. "I think I'm getting out just in time."

Nielsen discussed other artists he admired, like Carol Burnett and Charlie Chaplin. He spoke about a facial expression the silent film comedian made in 1931 film "City Lights" after the Tramp's blind girlfriend accidentally splashed his face with water from a fountain.

"(Comedy) is a delicate presentation, and it will only work if you have those characteristics in what you're presenting," he said. Not all of his answers were so serious, however. When asked if he ever performed stand-up comedy, he said, "Yes, but I got away." When asked what advice he would give to actors, he said, "Always sit down whenever you can."