Martin Landau (born June 20,
1931 ) is an American
film and television actor.
He is perhaps best known for his roles in the
television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1969) and
Space: 1999 (1975–1977). He
received a
Golden Globe Award in
1969 for his performance in the former, playing the role of mission
specialist Rollin Hand. In 1968 and 1969 he received
Emmy award nominations for best actor in a
dramatic series for his
Mission: Impossible work. In 1994
he won several awards, including the Best Supporting Actor
Oscar for his performance as actor
Bela Lugosi in
Ed
Wood. He had already received two previous Oscar
nominations.
Early life
Landau was
born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn
, New
York
, the son of Selma (née Buchanan) and Morris Landau, an
Austrian
-born machinist. At
the age of 17, he began working as a
cartoonist for the
Daily News, assisting
Gus Edson on
The
Gumps comic strip during the 1940s and 1950s.
Influenced by
Charlie Chaplin and
the escapism of the cinema, he pursued an acting career.
He
attended the Actors
Studio
in the same class with Steve McQueen and in 1957, Landau made
his Broadway debut in Middle of
the Night. Encouraged by his mentor
Lee Strasberg, Landau also taught acting.
Actors he has coached include
Jack
Nicholson and
Anjelica
Huston.
Career
Martin Landau as Rollin Hand on
Mission: Impossible, feigning drug dependency
In 1959, Landau made his first major film appearance in
Alfred Hitchcock's
North by Northwest at the age of 28.
There is a legend that he turned down the role of
Spock in
Star Trek but
Star
Trek story editor D.C. Fontana has verified that it is false.
Landau took the role of master of disguise
Rollin Hand in
Mission: Impossible, becoming one
of the show's best-known stars. According to
The Complete
Mission: Impossible Dossier, by Patrick J. White (Avon Books,
1991), Landau initially declined to be contracted to the show as he
did not want it to interfere with his film career; instead, for the
first season he was credited in "special guest appearances by" him.
He became a "full-time" cast member with the second season,
although the studio agreed to only contract him on a year-by-year
basis rather than the then-standard five years. The role of Rollin
Hand required Landau to perform a wide range of accents and
characters from dictators to thugs, and several episodes saw Landau
playing dual roles - not only Hand's impersonation, but also the
"original" person (such as in the first episode of the series). He
co-starred in the series with his then-wife,
Barbara Bain.
In the
mid-1970s, Landau and Bain, teamed with Barry Morse, returned to television in the
British
science
fiction series, Space: 1999,
produced first by Gerry Anderson in
partnership with Sylvia Anderson and
then by Fred Freiberger.
Although it remains a cult classic for its high production design
values, the series was critically derided during its run and was
cancelled after two seasons. Landau himself became very critical of
the show's scripts and storylines, especially during its second
season, but praised the cast and crew. He wrote forewords for
Barry Morse's 2006 theatrical memoir
Remember With Advantages and for
Jim Smith's critical biography of
Tim Burton.
After
Space: 1999, Landau
appeared in supporting roles in a number of films and television
shows of varying quality, including
The Harlem
Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, which again co-starred
Bain. This was the last time the two acted together on screen, as
of December 2007.
In the late 1980s, Landau staged a major career comeback by winning
an
Academy Award nomination for his
role in
Tucker: The
Man and His Dream. He later received a second nomination
for
Crimes and
Misdemeanors and won the 1994
Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his uncanny portrayal of
Bela Lugosi in
Ed
Wood. Upon accepting the award, he was visibly frustrated
by the orchestra's attempt to cut short his speech. When the music
level rose, he pounded his fist on the podium and yelled "No!" He
later stated that he had intended to thank Lugosi and dedicate the
award to him and his frustration was that he did not get to mention
the man whom he had been honoured for playing. Landau received a
Screen Actors Guild Award,
a
Golden Globe, and a
Saturn Award for the role, as well as awards
from several critics groups. Upon winning the Academy Award, a
reporter for the
Los Angeles
Times stated that "the award goes to Martin Landau; its
shadow goes to Bela Lugosi." Landau admitted, on the
Ed Wood DVD, to having been very
impressed by the comment.
In 2006, Landau made a guest appearance on the TV series
Entourage, playing a
washed-up, but determined and sympathetic, Hollywood producer
attempting to relive his glory days. Landau received a 2007
Emmy Award nomination for his performance
in this role.
In 2009, Landau, working with director
Mark
Rydell and Screenwriter/Playwright
Lyle
Kessler have teamed up to produce an educational seminar,
The Total Picture Seminar.
It is a unique two-day event covering the disciplines of acting,
directing and writing for film.
The three have worked together as a team for
many decades at the Actors
Studio teaching and coaching professional actors, writers,
and directors. They are now bringing their industry
experience and personal success, as well as a lifetime of teaching
experience to a wider audience.
For his
contribution to the motion picture industry, Landau has a star on
the Hollywood Walk
of Fame
at 6841 Hollywood Blvd.
Personal life
Landau has two daughters, Susan and
Juliet, from his marriage to
Barbara Bain. Landau and Bain married on
January 31, 1957 and divorced in 1993. He lives in West Hollywood,
California.
Filmography
Selected television
References
- Martin Landau biography.
Space1999.net
- Martin Landau biography. Film
Reference.com.
- Pfefferman, Naomi. The ‘Majestic’ Martin Landau. Jewish
Journal.com. 21
December 2001.
- Lindsey, Robert. "Martin Landau Rolls Up in a New Vehicle".
The New York Times. 7 August 1988.
- Awards for Ed Wood. IMDB.com.
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