Baboon

The ultimate deadpan clown who made chaos look effortless.

Leslie Nielsen built his entire legendary second career on absurdist comedic timing, delivering outrageous jokes with a completely straight face — the defining trait of the baboon's elastic, expressive, crowd-delighting personality. From 'Airplane!' to the 'Naked Gun' series, he was the warm, affectionate center of every scene, turning pratfalls and wordplay into high art with an improviser's instinct. Off-screen he was famously fond of whoopee cushion pranks on set, cementing his identity as a lifelong, warm-hearted comedian who never stopped delighting in making people laugh.