Martin Landau was a talented and successful American actor and acting coach. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 20, 1928. He became famous for his regular appearances on television series ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Space: 1999′. However, it was his movie roles that really shot him to fame and for which he is best-known. Sadly, Landau passed away on July 15, 2017, at the age of 89. He died in Los Angeles, California, when experienced unexpected complications following a brief stay in a hospital. He leaves behind a legacy of amazing movies and here we remember five of Martin Landau’s top movie roles.
1. Ed Wood
In this 1994 movie, Martin Landau played the supporting role of Bela Lugosi, with whom Ed Wood is in a relationship. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Academy Award. This biographical period comedy drama was directed by Tim Burton. Starring alongside Landau were Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, and Bill Murray.
2. North by Northwest
‘North by Northwest’ was one of Martin Landau’s earlier films at the beginning of his movie career. It is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller that was written by Ernest Leman and released in 1959. In this movie, Landau played the supporting role of Leonard. Other stars included Carey Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Jason Mason, and Jessie Royce Landis. This is now often considered one of the greatest movies of all time and tells the tale of the mistaken identity of a man who is wrongly accused of trying to obtain government secrets and is pursued across the United States by agents.
3. Crimes and Misdemeanors
‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’, released in 1989, earned Landau his second Oscar nomination. This existential comedy drama was co-written and directed by Woody Allen, who also starred in the movie. Other members of the cast included Mia Farrow, Carolina Aaron, Alan Alda, and Claire Bloom. In this movie, Landau plays the role of Judah Rosenthal.
4. Rounders
In ‘Rounders’, Landau takes the role of Abe Petrovsky. This movie is about high-stakes underground poker games and was directed by John Dahl. When this drama film was first released in 1998, it had only modest success at the box office. However, as the popularity of poker games grew, this movie became a cult hit. Other actors who took leading roles in this movie included Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, and Gretchen Mol.
5. Tucker: The Man and His Dream
In ‘Tucker: The Man and His Dream’, Landau played the role of Abe Karatz. This 1988 movie is a biographical comedy-drama that recounts the efforts of Preston Tucker to first produce and then market his car, the 1948 Tucker Seda. It was directed by famous director Francis Ford Coppola and starred Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen. For his role, Landau received his first Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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