39 Facts About Martin Landau

Martin James Landau was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist.

Martin Landau's career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

Martin Landau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood.

Martin Landau headed the Hollywood branch of the Actors Studio until his death in July 2017.

Martin Landau was born on June 20,1928, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Selma and Morris Martin Landau.

Martin Landau's father was an Austrian-born machinist who tried to rescue relatives from the Nazis.

Martin Landau quit the Daily News when he was 22 to concentrate on theater acting.

Martin Landau attended the Actors Studio, becoming good friends with James Dean.

Martin Landau made his first major film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest as Leonard, the right-hand man of a criminal portrayed by James Mason.

Martin Landau had featured roles in two 1960s epics, Cleopatra and The Greatest Story Ever Told, and played a ruthless killer in the Western action adventure prequel Nevada Smith starring Steve McQueen.

Martin Landau played the supporting role of master of disguise Rollin Hand in the first three seasons of the US television series Mission: Impossible, from 1966 to 1969.

Martin Landau became a full-time cast member in the second season, although the studio agreed to Landau's request, to contract him only on a year-by-year basis rather than the then-standard five years.

Martin Landau was replaced by Leonard Nimoy, playing a very similar role but not exactly the same character, for the next two seasons of the series after Landau and Bain left the show.

In 1973, Martin Landau guest-starred in the Columbo episode Double Shock alongside Peter Falk.

Martin Landau plays twin brothers involved in the murder of their rich uncle.

Martin Landau was critical of the scripts and storylines, especially during the series' second season, but praised the cast and crew.

Martin Landau later wrote forewords to Space: 1999 co-star Barry Morse's theatrical memoir Remember with Advantages and Jim Smith's critical biography of Tim Burton.

Martin Landau appeared in low-budget genre pictures, such as the science fiction films Without Warning and The Being or the horror film Alone in the Dark.

Martin Landau appeared in roles in, among others, the TV film The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, which co-starred Bain in their final on-screen appearance together.

Martin Landau said he was grateful to the film's director, Francis Ford Coppola, for the opportunity to play a role he enjoyed: "I've spent a lot of time playing roles that didn't really challenge me," he said.

In 1989, Martin Landau appeared in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors The film is split into two stories: one humorous, one dark in nature.

Martin Landau starred in the darker storyline as Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist who tries to prevent his mistress, played by Anjelica Huston, from revealing their affair to his wife.

One of the reasons for this must be that Martin Landau came from my neighborhood in Brooklyn, right near where I lived, only a few blocks away.

Martin Landau won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ed Wood, a biopic in which Landau plays actor Bela Lugosi.

Martin Landau researched the role of Lugosi by watching many old Lugosi movies and studying Lugosi's Hungarian accent, which contributed to Lugosi's decline in acting.

Martin Landau received a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Saturn Award for the role, as well as accolades from a number of critics' groups.

Martin Landau played Geppetto in The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Martin Landau provided the voice of Scorpion for the first two seasons of the 1990s Spider-Man television series.

Martin Landau left the series after two seasons when he won the Academy Award and lacked time for the series; Richard Moll was recast as Scorpion.

Martin Landau played the part of Jacob, son of Isaac, in the TV miniseries Joseph, alongside Ben Kingsley as Potiphar and Paul Mercurio as Joseph.

Martin Landau played a supporting role in The Majestic, starring Jim Carrey.

The film received mostly negative reviews, although one reviewer wrote that "the lone outpost of authenticity is manned by Martin Landau, who gives a heartfelt performance," as an aging father who believes that his missing son has returned from World War II.

Martin Landau appeared in the television film Have a Little Faith based on Mitch Albom's book of the same name, in which he played Rabbi Albert Lewis.

In 2012, Martin Landau voiced Mr Rzykruski in the Tim Burton animated Disney film Frankenweenie.

In 2015, Martin Landau starred alongside Christopher Plummer in the film Remember.

In recognition of his services to the motion picture industry, Martin Landau has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6841 Hollywood Boulevard.

Martin Landau married actress and former co-star Barbara Bain on January 31,1957.

On July 15,2017, Martin Landau died at age 89 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles; he had been briefly hospitalized.

Martin Landau is buried at the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.