On another sad day in Hollywood, two legends passed away this weekend. First, we honor Academy Award winner Martin Landau who passed away on Saturday at the age of 89. Landau’s publicist, Dick Guttman, stated that the actor died due to “unexpected complications during a short hospitalization.”
Landau made his first major film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic, North by Northwest. He also appeared on a number of television shows throughout his early career before landing the role of Rollin Hand in the mid 1960’s Mission: Impossible TV show. Hand was an actor and makeup artist who was dubbed “The Man of a Million Faces” in the show. In 1968, he won a Golden Globe for his role on the show.
Landau also assembled an extensive career in films over his career. He netted three Oscar nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The first came in 1989 for Tucker: The Man and his Dream. His second came the following year for Crimes and Misdemeanors. Third time was the charm as he finally won the Oscar for his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. For the film, Landau underwent an amazing transformation as he legitimately looked and sounded like the legendary actor he portrayed. Ed Wood remains an underrated Burton classic and Landau’s performance is possibly one of the best of all time.
All respects go to the friends and family of Martin Landau.
