Oscar winner Martin Landau dies aged 89 http://www.smh.com.au/ent...xcmni.html

Were it not for a stunning performance in the film Ed Wood in 1994, which won him an Oscar, actor Martin Landau might have had to settle with a couple of, admittedly memorable, genre hits, Mission: Impossible and Space: 1999, as his epitaph. His performance in Ed Wood, playing horror movie legend Bela Lugosi, and directed by the brilliant Tim Burton, catapulted Landau to the peak of his profession.

He was 66 years old at the time. The Brooklyn, New York-born actor, who began his working life as a cartoonist for The New York Daily News before switching to acting, has died in Los Angeles, his publicist has confirmed. He was 89 years old. Landau was just 22 when he gave up a life in the newspaper business to pursue drama, enrolling in the Actor's Studio, the drama school founded by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford and Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow, which focuses on Konstantin Stanislavski "method" acting. It was 1955 and the school accepted only two students from thousands of applicants that year; the other was Steve McQueen.

As an emerging name in the film business, he landed on his feet. His first film role was in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest and that was followed with roles in Cleopatra and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Hitchcock had spotted him on stage and cast him in North By Northwest off the back of it. Landau later recalled playing that part - the murderous Leonard - as "a homosexual, very subtly, because he wanted to get rid of Eva Marie Saint with such a vengeance." Saint played the duplicitous Eve Kendall in the film.

In 1966, Landau and his wife, the actress Barbara Bain, were both signed to star in the television series Mission: Impossible. Landau played Rollin Hand, an escape artist and master of disguise, billed as the "man of million faces"; Bain played fashion model Cinnamon Carter, who was also an undercover agent. The pair would again work together in the British science fiction series Space: 1999; he played the commander of Moonbase Alpha, John Koenig, while Bain played the base's chief medical office, Dr Helena Russell.

Though the series lasted only two years, it was one of the most expensive British series ever produced at the time and is remembered for its bold production design and uniforms designed by famed designer Rudi Gernreich. The couple made a third television appearance together, in the television movie, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, in 1981. At that point, having transitioned from film to television in an era where a return trip was unlikely if not impossible, Landau might have simply faded into obscurity.

But few actors have a second act quite like Landau's: he scored an Oscar nomination for his performance in Tucker: The Man and His Dream in 1988. And then a year later another Oscar nomination, this time for Crimes and Misdemeanours. (Landau and Bain divorced the same year.)

And then in 1994, an Oscar win for his work in Ed Wood; Landau also received a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role. Burton, who had directed him in Ed Wood, developed a loyalty to Landau, later offering him roles in 1999's Sleepy Hollow and 2012's Frankenweenie.

His most recent work included the role of Frank Malone in Without a Trace, Bob Ryan in the series (and subsequent feature film) Entourage, a guest role as The Great Raymondo in The Simpsons and playing J. Howard Marshall II in the telemovie The Anna Nicole Story.

According to Landau's publicist, he was briefly hospitalised and died of "unexpected complications". He is survived by his former wife, the actress Barbara Bain, and two daughters, the writer and producer Susan Landau Finch, and actress and director Juliet Rose Landau.

I loved him in Ed Wood (1994) as Bela Lugosi it's a 5 out of 5 RIP My fav scene from this classic Tim Burton film......

My first favorite show ever was Space 1999. R.I.P

He had a great face.

He should have won for Crimes and Misdeameners.

kpowers said:

My first favorite show ever was Space 1999. R.I.P

Yep. I loved that show. Was just watching some reruns on Hulu. Brought back some memories.

As far as Martin landau? Was a fan of him, as well.

RIP

[Edited 7/17/17 23:58pm]

JoeyC said:

kpowers said:

My first favorite show ever was Space 1999. R.I.P

Yep. I loved that show. Was just watching some reruns on Hulu. Brought back some memories.

As far as Martin landau? Was a fan of him, as well.

RIP

[Edited 7/17/17 23:58pm]

The very first DVD I ever bought

kpowers said:

JoeyC said:

Yep. I loved that show. Was just watching some reruns on Hulu. Brought back some memories.

As far as Martin landau? Was a fan of him, as well.

RIP

[Edited 7/17/17 23:58pm]

The very first DVD I ever bought

Whoa. Nice. I love those old TV shows.


Also, i wish i would have kept my toys from back then. I did have a Eagle one spaceship and a few other Space1999 toys. I also had a bunch of Star Wars stuff. Me and my brother each had a signed Darth Vader poster. When Star Wars first came out, they had a guy dressed up as Darth Vader, signing posters(in San Francisco). I wonder if it was really him(Dave Prowse). I need to do some research on that.

Mission Impossible

https://www.youtube.com/w...alss3sDJdg

RIP

2freaky4church1 said:

He should have won for Crimes and Misdeameners.

Ace said:

2freaky4church1 said:

He should have won for Crimes and Misdeameners.

Co-sign

2freaky4church1 said:

He had a great face.

He should have won for Crimes and Misdeameners.

One of the few times I agree with you

DiminutiveRocker said:

Ace said:

Co-sign