Martin Landau
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| Martin Landau | |||||||||||||||
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 Martin Landau (left) with Patrick Swayze |
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| Born | June 20, 1931 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1950s-present | ||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Bain (1957–1993) | ||||||||||||||
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Martin Landau (born June 20, 1931) is an Academy Award-winning 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 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in Ed Wood. He had already received two previous Oscar nominations.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] 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.[1][2] At the age of seventeen, he began working as a cartoonist for the New York Daily News,[3] but influenced by Charlie Chaplin and the escapism of the cinema, he pursued becoming an actor. 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.
[edit] Career
In 1959, Landau made his first major film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest at the age of 28. A few years later, after turning down the role of Spock in Star Trek, 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 didn't 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, and the two left the series after the third season. Salary is the most-often cited reason for their departure, however the exact reasons are disputed.[citation needed]
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 due to 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 TV 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 didn't get to mention the man whom he had been honoured for playing.[citation needed] 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.[4] Upon winning the Academy Award, a reporter for the L.A. 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 nomination for his performance in this role.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Landau has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6841 Hollywood Blvd.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| 1976 | A Special Magnum for Tony Saitta | Dr. George Tracer | |
| 1979 | Meteor | Maj. Gen. 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 | ||
| 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 | Adm. Pendleton | |
| 1992 | Mistress | Jack Roth | |
| 1993 | No Place to Hide | Frank McCoy | |
| Sliver | Alex Parsons | ||
| Eye of the Stranger | Mayor Howard Bains | ||
| 1994 | The Color of Evening | Max Loeb | |
| Intersection | Neal | ||
| Ed Wood | Bela Lugosi | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Nominated - BAFTA Award |
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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 | 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 | ||
| 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 | Harrison Montgomery | Harrison Montgomery | awaiting release |
| City of Ember | Sul | post-production | |
| David and Fatima | Rabbi Schmulic | post-production | |
| Ivory | Leon Spencer | post-production | |
| 9 | voice only | post-production | |
| 2009 | Lovely, Still | Robert Malone | post-production |
[edit] Selected TV
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone | Dan Hotaling | "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | Andro | "The Man Who Was Never Born" |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | "The Bellero Shield" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Major Ivan Juchenko | "The Jeopardy Room" | |
| 1966-1969 | Mission: Impossible | Rollin Han | Golden Globe Nominated - Emmy Award, 1967, 1968, 1969 |
| 1973 | Columbo | Dexter and Norman Paris | "Double Shock" |
| 1975-1977 | Space: 1999 | Cmdr. John Koenig | 48 episodes, TV Series |
| 1981 | The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | J.J. Pierson | |
| 1985 | The Beacon (The Twilight Zone) | William Cooper-Janes | "The Beacon/One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty" |
| 1990 | By Dawn's Early Light | President | |
| 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 | 3 episodes Nominated - Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1994 for Ed Wood |
Succeeded by Kevin Spacey for The Usual Suspects |
| Preceded by Sean Connery The Untouchables |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 1989 for Tucker: The Man and His Dream |
Succeeded by Denzel Washington Glory |
| Preceded by Tommy Lee Jones The Fugitive |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 1995 for Ed Wood |
Succeeded by Brad Pitt Twelve Monkeys |
| Preceded by None |
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture 1994 for Ed Wood |
Succeeded by Ed Harris Apollo 13 |
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
[edit] External links
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