Actor Leslie Nielsen was the son of a Mountie and raised in NWT

Tulita, NWT - Actor Leslie Neilsen, star of Naked Gun and Airplane, known for his deadpan comedy, was born in Regina, Sask. and raised in Tulita (formally Fort Norman). Nielsen's appearance on the TV series Due South as Sgt. Buck Frobisher is not far from his family roots. His father was a Mountie, and said to have been a strict disciplinarian. Nielsen's acting career began at a young age when he was forced to fib to his father in order to avoid severe punishment. Tulita, which began as a trading post in 1810, is on the northern bank of the Mackenzie River at its junction with the Great Bear River. The name means' where the waters meet.' Tourism focuses on fishing and canoeing. Nielsen went to high school in Edmonton, Alberta, studied at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto, and worked as an engineer, disc jockey and announcer at a Calgary radio station.

Where: Accessible by air from Norman Wells, the small (pop 527) community is 624 km northwest of Yellowknife. In the winter it's connected to the Mackenzie Highway system by a road made of ice.

In the News: Leslie Nielsen (Youtube video) passed away in Florida on Nov. 28, 2010 due to complications of pneumonia. Leslie's older brother Eric Nielsen was a member of Parliment for the Yukon, and the the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada 1984 to 1986. Eric passed away Sept. 4, 2008.

Canada’s Coolest:

Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!

The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives

Here are some of my favorites...

The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.

The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.

The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.

And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...

More from Canada’s Coolest

'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:

• Golf Course Features
• Haunted Hotels
• Hotel Special Services

Send your suggestions to [email protected]

Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics: