The personal side of a comedy legend through Leslie Nielsen's spouse and partners

The personal side of a comedy legend through Leslie Nielsen's spouse and partners

Who was Leslie Nielsen's spouse? The Canadian-American actor and comedian was married to Barbaree Earl and had three earlier marriages. Beyond his iconic deadpan roles and humour, these relationships reveal a more personal side of the comedy legend.

Leslie Nielsen at the The Palm Downtown and at Rivercentre
Leslie Nielsen attends The Palm Downtown event (L) and during "So The World May Hear" Awards Gala (R). Photo: Justin Kahn, M. Caulfield (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Leslie Nielsen was married to Barbaree Earl from 2001 until his death in 2010.
  • In 1950, Leslie married his first wife, Monica Boyar, and they were together for six years.
  • Nielsen’s longest marriage was to his second wife, Alisande Ullman; they were together for 15 years and had two children.
  • The actor married his third wife, Brooks Oliver, in 1981, but they divorced two years later.
  • He reportedly dated Kandi Rhodes in the mid-70s.

Profile summary

Full name

Leslie William Nielsen

Gender

Male

Date of birth

11 February 1926

Date of death

28 November 2010

Age at death

84 years old

Zodiac sign

Aquarius

Place of birth

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Nationality

Canadian-American

Ethnicity

White

Religion

Christianity

Sexuality

Straight

Height in feet

6'2"

Height in centimetres

188

Weight in pounds

159

Weight in kilograms

72

Hair colour

Brown

Eye colour

Grey and white

Father

Ingvard Eversen Nielsen

Mother

Mabel Elizabeth

Siblings

2

Marital status

Married

Wife

Barbaree Earl

Children

2

School

Neighbourhood Playhouse School of the Theatre

Profession

Actor, comedian

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Barbaree Earl (2001–2010)

At the time of his death, Nielsen was married to his fourth wife, Barbaree Earl. They wed in 2001 and divided their time between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Leslie Nielsen and his wife Barbaree Earl Nielsen at ArcLight Cinemas
Leslie Nielsen and his wife Barbaree Earl Nielsen attend the "Stan Helsing" Los Angeles Premiere. Photo: Noel Vasquez (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Although they had no children together, Barbaree embraced the role of stepmother to Nielsen's daughters from a previous marriage. The couple remained together until Nielsen’s passing on 28 November 2010 at the age of 84 from pneumonia-related complications.

Monica Boyar (1950–1956)

Singer Monica Boyar singing and actor Leslie Nielsen at the Miami Convention Center
Monica Boyar performing on stage (L) and Leslie Nielsen attends the 93rd Annual American Booksellers Association Convention (R). Photo: Mario Geo, Ron Galella (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Actor Leslie Nielsen married his first wife, Monica Boyar, on 28 December 1950, as he was beginning his acting career. Their marriage lasted six years, and the couple had no children.

Monica, a Dominican-American fashion designer, actress, and nightclub singer, was renowned for her calypso and Afro-Cuban music of the 1940s and 1950s. She died on 2 October 2013 at 92 due to complications from a stroke.

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Alisande Ullman (September 1958–July 1974)

Leslie Nielsen at home with his wife, Alisande Ullman, and daughters Maura and Thea
Actor Leslie poses for a portrait at their house with his wife, Alisande Ullman, and daughters Maura and Thea. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

After divorcing his first wife, The Naked Gun star married Alisande Ullman on 10 September 1958. It was one of his longest marriages, lasting about 15 years before ending in 1974.

The couple had two daughters, Maura Nielsen Kaplan and Thea Nielsen Disney, both of whom pursued careers in film. Maura is an actress with several credits listed on her IMDb profile, while Thea, a former actress, appeared in Wrongfully Accused, Family Plan, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

The family occasionally appeared together on television game shows in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including It Takes Two and It's Your Bet.

Brooks Oliver (1981–1983)

Brooks Oliver and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen and Brooks Oliver. Photo: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

In 1981, the Canadian-American comedian married his third wife, Brooks Oliver. Their marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce two years later, in 1983. Nielsen later shared a humorous story about the breakup in interviews, jokingly attributing it to infidelity. He recalled:

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Alleged relationship with Kandi Rhodes

Comedian Leslie Nielsen at DeSales University
Leslie Nielsen attends the 9th annual Student Film Festival. Photo: Lisa Lake
Source: Getty Images

Leslie Nielsen reportedly dated Kandi Rhodes in the mid-1970s, following the end of his second marriage. The pair were seen together at several public events, including a 1974 Hollywood dinner for film stunt performers.

Leslie Nielsen and Kandi Rhodes' relationship gained wider attention when they appeared as a couple on the popular game show Tattletales in 1976, giving audiences a glimpse of their partnership.

FAQs

  1. Who was Leslie Nielsen? He was a Canadian comedian and actor.
  2. Who was Leslie Nielsen's wife? At the time of his death, he was married to Barbaree Earl.
  3. Did Leslie Nielsen date Kandi? The actor reportedly dated Kandi Rhodes in the mid-1970s.
  4. How many times was Leslie Nielsen married? He was married four times, three of which ended in divorce.
  5. Who was Leslie Nielsen's first wife? Leslie's first wife was Monica Boyar, whom he married in 1950 at the start of his acting career.
  6. Whom did Leslie Nielsen have children with? The actor had two daughters, Maura Nielsen Kaplan and Thea Nielsen Disney, with his second wife, Alisande Ullman.
  7. How long did Leslie Nielsen's third marriage last? Nielsen's third marriage to Brooks Oliver lasted two years, from 1981 to 1983.

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Leslie Nielsen's spouse at the time of his death in 2010 was Barbaree Earl. They shared nearly a decade of marriage after tying the knot in 2001. He had previously been married three times and had two daughters with his second wife, Alisande Ullman.

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Keith Urban has also been linked to several high-profile relationships, both before and after his marriage, including Niki Taylor and Amanda Wyatt. Read on to learn more about his romantic history.

Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Isaac Wangethi avatar

Isaac Wangethi (Lifestyle writer) Isaac Wangethi has been a content writer at Legit since September 2021. He has gained valuable experience working on various projects, such as celebrity biographies, lifestyle, news and many more. Isaac won the Writer of the Year Award on Legit in 2023. He earned a Bsc. of Science in Information Technology in 2017 from the University of Nairobi and a Higher Diploma in Computer Software Engineering from Gretsa University in 2021. In 2023, Isaac finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. In March 2024, he completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: Wangethin@gmail.com