For the next twenty years, leaned into the parody genre. He starred in Spy Hard (1996) and Wrongfully Accused (1998). He even parodied his earlier dramatic role in Scary Movie 3 and 4 , playing the President of the United States with the same deadpan authority as Dr. Rumack.
As Drebin, Nielsen perfected the art of the "oblivious bumbler." Whether he was accidentally dismantling a historic building or officiating a baseball game in a full umpire rig, Nielsen played it straight. The joke wasn't that Drebin was funny; the joke was that Drebin thought he was in a gritty police procedural. The Secret to the Deadpan Leslie Nielsen
. By delivering absurd lines with the same grave sincerity he used in dramas, Nielsen invented a brand of deadpan comedy that defined the rest of his life. 🎬 Career Highlights For the next twenty years, leaned into the parody genre