Martin Landau
| Martin Landau | |
|---|---|
 Landau at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival |
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| Born | June 20, 1928 , U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Spouse | Barbara Bain (m. 1957–1993) |
Martin Landau (born June 20, 1928)[1][2] is an American actor.
Landau began his career in the 1950s; his early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible for which he received Emmy Award nominations, and Space:1999. He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture and his first nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Tucker: The Man and His Dream, and was also Oscar nominated for his role in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). His performance in the supporting role of Béla Lugosi in Ed Wood (1994) earned him the Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe. He continues to perform in film and television and heads the Hollywood branch of the Actors Studio.
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Early life
Landau was born into a Jewish-American family in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Selma (née Buchanan) and Morris Landau,[3] an Austrian-born machinist who scrambled to rescue relatives from the Nazis.[4] 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.[5]
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
In 1959, Landau made his first major film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest at the age of 31. Landau took the role of master of disguise Rollin Hand in Mission: Impossible, becoming one of the show's better-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 person Hand is impersonating. 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!"[6] 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 portrayed.[7] 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.[8] When Landau won the Academy Award, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times said 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
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Pork Chop Hill | Lt. Marshall | |
| North by Northwest | Leonard | ||
| The Gazebo | The Duke aka A. Wellington Broos | ||
| 1962 | Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock | Dade Coleman | |
| 1963 | Decision at Midnight | ||
| Cleopatra | Rufio | ||
| 1964 | "The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre" | Nelson Orion | |
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Chief Walks-Stooped-Over | |
| The Greatest Story Ever Told | Caiaphas | ||
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Jesse Coe | |
| 1970 | Operation Snafu | Joe Mellone | |
| They Call Me Mister Tibbs! | Logan Sharpe | ||
| 1970 | A Town Called Hell | The Colonel | |
| 1972 | Black Gunn | Capelli | |
| 1972 | Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol | Johnny Bristol | |
| 1976 | A Special Magnum for Tony Saitta | Dr. George Tracer | |
| 1979 | Meteor | Major General Adlon | |
| 1980 | Without Warning | Fred 'Sarge' Dobbs | |
| The Last Word | Captain Garrity | ||
| The Return | Niles Buchanan | ||
| 1982 | Alone in the Dark | Byron 'Preacher' Sutcliff | |
| The Fall of the House of Usher | Roderick Usher | ||
| 1983 | Trial by Terror | ||
| The Being | Garson Jones | ||
| 1984 | Access Code | ||
| Terror in the Aisles | archival footage | ||
| 1985 | Treasure Island | Old Captain | |
| 1987 | W.A.R.: Women Against Rape | Judge Shaw | |
| Cyclone | Bosarian | ||
| Sweet Revenge | Cicero | ||
| Empire State | Chuck | ||
| Delta Fever | Bud | ||
| Run If You Can | Malvani | ||
| 1988 | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | Abe Karatz / Voice of Walter Winchell | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1989 | Paint It Black | Daniel Lambert | |
| Crimes and Misdemeanors | Judah Rosenthal | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1990 | Real Bullets | Sallini | |
| 1991 | Firehead | Admiral Pendleton | |
| 1992 | Mistress | Jack Roth | |
| 1993 | No Place to Hide | Frank McCoy | |
| Sliver | Alex Parsons | ||
| 12:01 | Dr. Thadius Moxley | ||
| Eye of the Stranger | Mayor Howard Bains | ||
| 1994 | The Color of Evening | Max Loeb | |
| Intersection | Neal | ||
| Ed Wood | Béla Lugosi | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
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| Time Is Money | Mac | ||
| 1995 | Joseph | Jacob | |
| 1996 | The Elevator | Roy Tilden | |
| City Hall | Judge Walter Stern | ||
| The Adventures of Pinocchio | Mister Geppetto | ||
| 1997 | B*A*P*S | Mr. Donald Blakemore | |
| Legend of the Spirit Dog | Storyteller | voice | |
| 1998 | The X Files | Alvin Kurtzweil, MD | |
| Rounders | Abe Petrovsky | ||
| 1999 | Edtv | Al | |
| Carlo's Wake | Carlo Torello | ||
| The Joyriders | Gordon Trout | ||
| The New Adventures of Pinocchio | Geppetto | ||
| Sleepy Hollow | Peter Van Garrett | uncredited | |
| 2000 | Ready to Rumble | Sal Bandini | |
| Shiner | Frank Spedding | ||
| In the Beginning | Abraham | ||
| Very Mean Men | Mr. White | ||
| 2001 | The Majestic | Harry Trimble | |
| 2003 | Hollywood Homicide | Jerry Duran | |
| Wake | Older Sebastian Riven | ||
| The Commission | Sen. Richard Russell | ||
| 2004 | The Aryan Couple | Joseph Krauzenberg | |
| 2006 | Love Made Easy | Don Farinelli Sr | |
| An Existential Affair | Doctor | ||
| 2008 | David & Fatima | Rabbi Schmulic | |
| City of Ember | Sul | ||
| Billy: The Early Years | Older Charles Templeton | ||
| Harrison Montgomery | Harrison Montgomery | ||
| Lovely, Still | Robert Malone | ||
| Ivory | Leon Spencer | ||
| 2009 | 9 | 2 | voice |
| The Company Men | August | post-production |
Selected television
| year | film | role | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Harbourmaster | First Mate | "Sanctuary" |
| 1959 | The Lawless Years | Silva | "Lucky Silva" |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone | Dan Hotaling | "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" |
| 1959 | Johnny Staccato | Jerry Lindstrom | "Murder for Credit" |
| 1961 | The Law and Mr. Jones | The episode entitled "Lincoln" | |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | Andro | "The Man Who Was Never Born" |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Richard Bellero | "The Bellero Shield" |
| The Twilight Zone | Major Ivan Juchenko | "The Jeopardy Room" | |
| 1965 | The Big Valley | Mariano Montoya | "The Way to Kill a Killer" |
| 1966–1969 | Mission: Impossible | Rollin Hand | Golden Globe Nominated - Emmy Award, 1967, 1968, 1969 |
| 1969 | Get Smart | As Himself | |
| 1973 | Columbo | Dexter and Norman Paris | "Columbo: Double Shock" |
| 1975–1977 | Space: 1999 | Commander John Koenig, leader of Moonbase Alpha | 48 episodes, TV Series |
| 1981 | The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | J.J. Pierson | |
| 1985 | The New Twilight Zone | William Cooper-Janes | "The Beacon/One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty" |
| 1990 | By Dawn's Early Light | The President of the United States | |
| 1993 | 12:01 | Dr. Thadius Moxley | |
| 1999 | Bonanno: A Godfather's Story | Joseph Bonanno, age 94 | |
| 2000 | In the Beginning | Abraham | |
| 2004–2005 | Without a Trace | Frank Malone | 4 episodes Nominated - Nominated - Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, 2004, 2005 |
| 2006 | The Evidence | Dr. Sol Gold | 8 episodes |
| Entourage | Bob Ryan | 4 episodes Nominated - Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
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| 2008 | Entourage | Bob Ryan | 1 episode |
| 2009 | In Plain Sight | Joseph Thomas/Joseph Tancredi | Training Video, special guest appearance |
References
- ↑ Martin Landau biography. Space1999.net
- ↑ http://www.veromi.net/Summary.asp?fn=martin&mn=&ln=landau&dobmm=&dobdd=&doby=&city=&state=CA&age=&vw=&Search=&Input=&x=17&y=21 Second reference is the correct Martin Landau - from public records.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ TotalFilm video
- ↑ OscarWorld.net
- ↑ Awards for Ed Wood. IMDB.com.
External links
- Martin Landau at the Internet Movie Database
- The Total Picture Seminar - A Seminar with Martin Landau, Mark Rydell, and Lyle Kessler covering filmmaking.
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