 ProductLink |
|
 Oscar-winning character actor Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before he became a staff cartoonist and illustrator. In his five years on the paper, he served as the illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" column. He also worked for cartoonist Gus Edson on "The Gumps" comic strip. Landau's major ambition was to act and, in 1951, he made his stage debut in "Detective Story" at the Peaks Island Playhouse in Peaks Island, Maine. He made his off-Broadway debut that year in "First Love".Landau was one of 2,000 applicants who auditioned for Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in 1955; only he and Steve McQueen were accepted. Landau was a friend of James Dean and McQueen, in a conversation with Landau, mentioned that he knew Dean and had met Landau. When Landau asked where they had met, McQueen informed him he had seen Landau riding on the back of Dean's motorcycle into the New York City garage where he worked as a mechanic.Landau acted during the mid-1950s in the television anthologies Playhouse 90 (1956), Studio One (1948), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948), Kraft Theatre (1947), Goodyear Playhouse (1951), and Omnibus (1952). He began making a name for himself after replacing star Franchot Tone in the 1956 off-Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," a famous production that helped put off-Broadway on the New York theatrical map.In 1957, he made a well-received Broadway debut in the play "Middle of the Night." As part of the touring company with star Edward G. Robinson, he made it to the West Coast. He made his movie debut in Pork Chop Hill (1959), but scored on film as the heavy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North by Northwest (1959), in which he was shot on top of Mount Rushmore while sadistically stepping on the fingers of Cary Grant, who was holding on for dear life to the cliff face. He also appeared in the blockbuster Cleopatra (1963), the most expensive film ever made up to that time, which nearly scuttled 20th Century-Fox and engendered one of the great public scandals, the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton love affair that overshadowed the film itself. Despite the difficulties with the film, Landau's memorable portrayal in the key role of Rufio was highly favored by the audience and instantly catapulted his popularity.In 1963, Landau played memorable roles in two episodes of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits (1963), The Bellero Shield (1964), and The Man Who Was Never Born (1963). He was Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Mr. Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series (1966), but the role went to Leonard Nimoy, who later replaced Landau on Mission: Impossible (1966), the show that really made Landau famous. Landau originally was not meant to be a regular on the series, which co-starred his wife Barbara Bain, whom he had married in 1957. His character, Rollin Hand, was supposed to make occasional, recurring appearances, on Mission: Impossible (1966), but when the producers had problems with star Steven Hill, Landau was used to take up the slack. Landau's characterization was so well-received and so popular with the audience, he was made a regular. Landau received Emmy nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for each of the three seasons he appeared. In 1968, he won the Golden Globe award as Best Male TV Star.Eventually, he quit the series in 1969 after a salary dispute when the new star, Peter Graves, was given a contract that paid him more than Landau, whose own contract stated he would have parity with any other actor on the show who made more than he did. The producers refused to budge and he and Bain, who had become the first actress in the history of television to be awarded three consecutive Emmy Awards (1967-69) while on the show, left the series, ostensibly to pursue careers in the movies. The move actually held back their careers, and Mission: Impossible (1966) went on for another four years with other actors.Landau appeared in support of Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970), the less-successful sequel to the Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night (1967), but it did not generate more work of a similar caliber. He starred in the television movie Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972) on CBS, playing a prisoner of war returning to the United States from Vietnam. The following year, he shot a pilot for NBC for a proposed show, "Savage." Though it was directed by emerging wunderkind Steven Spielberg, NBC did not pick up the show. Needing work, Landau and Bain moved to England to play the leading roles in the syndicated science-fiction series Space: 1999 (1975).Landau's and Bain's careers stalled after Space: 1999 (1975) went out of production, and they were reduced to taking parts in the television movie The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). It was the nadir of both their careers, and Bain's acting days and their marriage were soon over. Landau, one of the most talented character actors in Hollywood, and one not without recognition, had bottomed out career-wise. In 1983, he was stuck in low-budget sci-fi and horror movies such as The Being (1981), a role far beneath his talent.His career renaissance got off to a slow start with a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill (1983), starring Dabney Coleman. On Broadway, he took over the title role in the revival of "Dracula" and went on the road with the national touring company. Finally, his career renaissance began to gather momentum when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in a critical supporting role in his Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), for which Landau was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. He won his second Golden Globe for the role. The next year, he received his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his superb turn as the adulterous husband in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). He followed this up by playing famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in the TNT movie Max and Helen (1990). However, the summit of his post-Mission: Impossible (1966) career was about to be scaled. He portrayed Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's biopic Ed Wood (1994) and won glowing reviews. For his performance, he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Martin Landau, the superb character actor, finally had been recognized with his profession's ultimate award. His performance, which also won him his third Golden Globe, garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar and Golden Globe, including top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Landau continued to play a wide variety of roles in motion pictures and on television, turning in a superb performance in a supporting role in The Majestic (2001). He received his fourth Emmy nomination in 2004 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Without a Trace (2002).Martin Landau was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.Martin Landau died in Los Angeles, California on July 15, 2017.
Bio:
Oscar-winning character actor Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before he became a staff cartoonist and illustrator. In his five years on the paper, he served as the illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" column. He also worked for cartoonist Gus Edson on "The Gumps" comic strip. Landau's major ambition was to act and, in 1951, he made his stage debut in "Detective Story" at the Peaks Island Playhouse in Peaks Island, Maine. He made his off-Broadway debut that year in "First Love".Landau was one of 2,000 applicants who auditioned for Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in 1955; only he and Steve McQueen were accepted. Landau was a friend of James Dean and McQueen, in a conversation with Landau, mentioned that he knew Dean and had met Landau. When Landau asked where they had met, McQueen informed him he had seen Landau riding on the back of Dean's motorcycle into the New York City garage where he worked as a mechanic.Landau acted during the mid-1950s in the television anthologies Playhouse 90 (1956), Studio One (1948), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948), Kraft Theatre (1947), Goodyear Playhouse (1951), and Omnibus (1952). He began making a name for himself after replacing star Franchot Tone in the 1956 off-Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," a famous production that helped put off-Broadway on the New York theatrical map.In 1957, he made a well-received Broadway debut in the play "Middle of the Night." As part of the touring company with star Edward G. Robinson, he made it to the West Coast. He made his movie debut in Pork Chop Hill (1959), but scored on film as the heavy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North by Northwest (1959), in which he was shot on top of Mount Rushmore while sadistically stepping on the fingers of Cary Grant, who was holding on for dear life to the cliff face. He also appeared in the blockbuster Cleopatra (1963), the most expensive film ever made up to that time, which nearly scuttled 20th Century-Fox and engendered one of the great public scandals, the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton love affair that overshadowed the film itself. Despite the difficulties with the film, Landau's memorable portrayal in the key role of Rufio was highly favored by the audience and instantly catapulted his popularity.In 1963, Landau played memorable roles in two episodes of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits (1963), The Bellero Shield (1964), and The Man Who Was Never Born (1963). He was Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Mr. Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series (1966), but the role went to Leonard Nimoy, who later replaced Landau on Mission: Impossible (1966), the show that really made Landau famous. Landau originally was not meant to be a regular on the series, which co-starred his wife Barbara Bain, whom he had married in 1957. His character, Rollin Hand, was supposed to make occasional, recurring appearances, on Mission: Impossible (1966), but when the producers had problems with star Steven Hill, Landau was used to take up the slack. Landau's characterization was so well-received and so popular with the audience, he was made a regular. Landau received Emmy nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for each of the three seasons he appeared. In 1968, he won the Golden Globe award as Best Male TV Star.Eventually, he quit the series in 1969 after a salary dispute when the new star, Peter Graves, was given a contract that paid him more than Landau, whose own contract stated he would have parity with any other actor on the show who made more than he did. The producers refused to budge and he and Bain, who had become the first actress in the history of television to be awarded three consecutive Emmy Awards (1967-69) while on the show, left the series, ostensibly to pursue careers in the movies. The move actually held back their careers, and Mission: Impossible (1966) went on for another four years with other actors.Landau appeared in support of Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970), the less-successful sequel to the Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night (1967), but it did not generate more work of a similar caliber. He starred in the television movie Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972) on CBS, playing a prisoner of war returning to the United States from Vietnam. The following year, he shot a pilot for NBC for a proposed show, "Savage." Though it was directed by emerging wunderkind Steven Spielberg, NBC did not pick up the show. Needing work, Landau and Bain moved to England to play the leading roles in the syndicated science-fiction series Space: 1999 (1975).Landau's and Bain's careers stalled after Space: 1999 (1975) went out of production, and they were reduced to taking parts in the television movie The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). It was the nadir of both their careers, and Bain's acting days and their marriage were soon over. Landau, one of the most talented character actors in Hollywood, and one not without recognition, had bottomed out career-wise. In 1983, he was stuck in low-budget sci-fi and horror movies such as The Being (1981), a role far beneath his talent.His career renaissance got off to a slow start with a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill (1983), starring Dabney Coleman. On Broadway, he took over the title role in the revival of "Dracula" and went on the road with the national touring company. Finally, his career renaissance began to gather momentum when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in a critical supporting role in his Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), for which Landau was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. He won his second Golden Globe for the role. The next year, he received his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his superb turn as the adulterous husband in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). He followed this up by playing famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in the TNT movie Max and Helen (1990). However, the summit of his post-Mission: Impossible (1966) career was about to be scaled. He portrayed Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's biopic Ed Wood (1994) and won glowing reviews. For his performance, he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Martin Landau, the superb character actor, finally had been recognized with his profession's ultimate award. His performance, which also won him his third Golden Globe, garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar and Golden Globe, including top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Landau continued to play a wide variety of roles in motion pictures and on television, turning in a superb performance in a supporting role in The Majestic (2001). He received his fourth Emmy nomination in 2004 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Without a Trace (2002).Martin Landau was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.Martin Landau died in Los Angeles, California on July 15, 2017.
Tivia:
Friends with James Dean, when Landau first met Steve McQueen and McQueen said he knew him. He asked where they had met. McQueen informed him he had seen Landau riding into the New York City garage where he worked as a mechanic, on the back of Dean's motorcycle.Of the 2,000 performers who auditioned for Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio (1955), only two were accepted: Steve McQueen and Landau. He later starred with McQueen in Nevada Smith (1966).While at the Actors Studio, he became close to Marilyn Monroe.Received two of his three Academy Award nominations for portraying real-life people.Had turned down the role of Carl Grissom in Batman (1989). The role eventually went to Jack Palance, with whom Landau had co-starred in Alone in the Dark (1982).Made guest appearances on both The Twilight Zone (1959) and The Twilight Zone (1985).Best remembered by the public for his role as Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible (1966).From 1948-1953, he made a living as a newspaper artist and staff cartoonist for the New York Daily News, as an illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" newspaper column and as an assistant cartoonist to Gus Edson for "The Gumps" comic strip.Father, with Barbara Bain, of daughters Susan Landau Finch and Juliet Landau.Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) fans have argued about whether or not Landau was offered the role of Spock. (It became a widespread idea largely because Leonard Nimoy replaced him on Mission: Impossible (1966).) However, in one book Landau wrote and on PBS's Pioneers of Television (2008), Landau confirmed the offer.Following his death, he was interred next to his parents in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, Long Island, New York.He never retired from acting until his death.He appeared in one film nominated for Best Picture Academy Award: Cleopatra (1963).His family resided in a rented apartment on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York when he was growing up.Wedding reception with Barbara Bain was at the Boulevard Tavern on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, Queens, New York.Attended and graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York City (1946).Several sources have his year of birth incorrectly listed as 1931. It's not clear where the year stems from, but it's likely a confusion with Barbara Bain, Leonard Nimoy or (fellow first-named TV/film actor) Martin Milner (all of whom were born in that year). For exact evidence, the March 1930 census of Brooklyn, lists Martin aged 1 3/4, indicating 1928 is the actual year.Landau's parents were Majer Joel ("Morris") Landau (1888-1970) and Selma Buchman (1889-1958) were immigrants from Austria. They also had two daughters, Elinor and Constance. Father was a machinist for a sewing machine company.One day while working as a staff cartoonist on the New York Daily News, he just quit then a little later showed up at the stage door of an off-Broadway theatre asking for work, and was taken on.Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival (1992).He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 17, 2001.After he began working at the New York Daily News, he got his first apartment at 75-15 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.Spoke with a pronounced lisp as evidenced in his appearance on Gunsmoke.Introduced James Dean to his first girlfriend Barbara Glenn Gordon.Father-in-law of Roy Finch.Was godfather to Gretchen Becker's son, Dylan Becker.Was good friend's with James Dean.He appeared at the Beverly Hills (CA) International Film Festival (2005).Bore a slight resemblance to Peter Graves, who starred in Mission: Impossible (1966) with him. |
| Name: |
Martin Landau |
Type: |
Actor,Producer,Additional Crew (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Actor,Producer,Additional Crew |
| Products for sale: |
Actor,Producer,Additional Crew |
| Model rank: |
599 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:27:11 |
| Height: |
6' 1' (1.85 m) |
| Biography: |
Oscar-winning character actor Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before he became a staff cartoonist and illustrator. In his five yea |
| Trivia: |
Friends with James Dean, when Landau first met Steve McQueen and McQueen said he knew him. He asked where they had met. McQueen informed him he had seen Landau riding into the New York City garage where he worked as a mechanic, on the back of Dean's motorcycle.Of the 2,000 performers who auditioned for Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio (1955), only two were accepted: Steve McQueen and Landau. He later starred with McQueen in Nevada Smith (1966).While at the Actors Studio, he became close to Marilyn Monroe.Received two of his three Academy Award nominations for portraying real-life people.Had turned down the role of Carl Grissom in Batman (1989). The role eventually went to Jack Palance, with whom Landau had co-starred in Alone in the Dark (1982).Made guest appearances on both The Twilight Zone (1959) and The Twilight Zone (1985).Best remembered by the public for his role as Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible (1966).From 1948-1953, he made a living as a newspaper artist and staff cartoonist for the New York Daily News, as an illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" newspaper column and as an assistant cartoonist to Gus Edson for "The Gumps" comic strip.Father, with Barbara Bain, of daughters Susan Landau Finch and Juliet Landau.Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) fans have argued about whether or not Landau was offered the role of Spock. (It became a widespread idea largely because Leonard Nimoy replaced him on Mission: Impossible (1966).) However, in one book Landau wrote and on PBS's Pioneers of Television (2008), Landau confirmed the offer.Following his death, he was interred next to his parents in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, Long Island, New York.He never retired from acting until his death.He appeared in one film nominated for Best Picture Academy Award: Cleopatra (1963).His family resided in a rented apartment on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York when he was growing up.Wedding reception with Barbara Bain was at the Boulevard Tavern on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, Queens, New York.Attended and graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York City (1946).Several sources have his year of birth incorrectly listed as 1931. It's not clear where the year stems from, but it's likely a confusion with Barbara Bain, Leonard Nimoy or (fellow first-named TV/film actor) Martin Milner (all of whom were born in that year). For exact evidence, the March 1930 census of Brooklyn, lists Martin aged 1 3/4, indicating 1928 is the actual year.Landau's parents were Majer Joel ("Morris") Landau (1888-1970) and Selma Buchman (1889-1958) were immigrants from Austria. They also had two daughters, Elinor and Constance. Father was a machinist for a sewing machine company.One day while working as a staff cartoonist on the New York Daily News, he just quit then a little later showed up at the stage door of an off-Broadway theatre asking for work, and was taken on.Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival (1992).He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 17, 2001.After he began working at the New York Daily News, he got his first apartment at 75-15 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.Spoke with a pronounced lisp as evidenced in his appearance on Gunsmoke.Introduced James Dean to his first girlfriend Barbara Glenn Gordon.Father-in-law of Roy Finch.Was godfather to Gretchen Becker's son, Dylan Becker.Was good friend's with James Dean.He appeared at the Beverly Hills (CA) International Film Festival (2005).Bore a slight resemblance to Peter Graves, who starred in Mission: Impossible (1966) with him. |
| Trademarks: |
His large glasses (worn in later years)
Distinctive gravelly voice
Unique Brooklyn accent
Towering height and slender frame |
| Quotes: |
The bottom line is a good actor can play many things.
<br />
<hr>
What I do best, what I've always done best, is act.
<br />
<hr>
Let's say I'm playing a heavy. Most of the time I'm only using a sliver of what I am, a little piece. Sometimes the more you embellish that, the worse it can be. The part's just not there.
<br />
<hr>
[when asked about his experiences while making No Place to Hide (1992)] WHY would you want to know about THAT film!?
<br />
<hr>
[talking about making Without Warning (1980)] Greydon Clark [the film's director] is a godsend. He believed in me--not just in ME, I mean, but in a lot of us aging near-burnouts who'd had our day in the fickle major leagues--and he offered roles that were neither demeaning, like I'd seen happen to Lon Chaney Jr. with some of those low-budget guys, nor otherwise false. Just working-actor stuff, meaty bits of business that allowed us to slice the ham as thick as we wanted. In fact, Francis Ford Coppola told me that he had sought me out for Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) in light of that over-the-top stuff I had done for Greydon Clark. It served notice that I still had the chops. |
| Job title: |
Actor,Producer,Additional Crew |
| Others works: |
(2/03) Stage: Appeared (as "Hans") in "Sixteen Wounded" by Eliam Kraiem, Long Wharf Theater Stage II, New Haven, CT.
(2002) Wrote the foreword for the biography "Tim Burton" (J. Smith, J.C. Matthews, eds.).
(1950s) Stage: D |
| Spouse: |
Barbara Bain (January 31, 1957 - 1993) (divorced, 2 children) |
| Children: |
Susan Landau FinchJuliet Landau |
| Parents: |
Morris Landau
Selma Landau |
|
