Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before becoming a staff cartoonist and illustrator. He served as the illustrator for Billy Rose's "Pitching Horseshoes" column and 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. He acted during the mid-1950s in television anthologies such as Playhouse 90, Studio One, The Philco Television Playhouse, Kraft Theatre, Goodyear Playhouse, and Omnibus.
He began making a name for himself after replacing star Franchot Tone in the 1956 off-Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". He made a well-received Broadway debut in the play "Middle of the Night" in 1957 and made his movie debut in Pork Chop Hill (1959).
Landau 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. He also appeared in the blockbuster Cleopatra (1963),the most expensive film ever made up to that time.
In 1963, Landau played memorable roles in two episodes of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits. He was Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Mr. Spock on Star Trek, but the role went to Leonard Nimoy. Landau originally was not meant to be a regular on the series, but his character, Rollin Hand, was so well-received and popular with the audience that 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 on Mission: Impossible (1966). He won the Golden Globe award as Best Male TV Star in 1968. Eventually, he quit the series in 1969 after a salary dispute.
Landau appeared in support of Sidney Poitier in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) and starred in the television movie Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972) on CBS. He shot a pilot for NBC for a proposed show, "Savage", but it was not picked up.
Landau's and his wife Barbara Bain's careers stalled after Space: 1999 (1975) went out of production. 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's career renaissance got off to a slow start with a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill (1983),starring Dabney Coleman. He took over the title role in the revival of "Dracula" and went on the road with the national touring company.
He won his second Golden Globe for his role in Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). 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).
Landau 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. He 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).
Landau was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.
