Martin Landau

There aren’t many former New York Daily News cartoonists out there who can say they were one of only two hopefuls accepted into Lee Strasberg’s Actor’s Studio, with the notable exception of Martin Landau. Born June 20, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, Landau’s career has spanned over five decades in film, television and the stage and although he had many choice roles throughout his early acting career, Landau didn’t truly reach the pinnacle until he was well into his 50’s.

Landau’s first screen role was in 1956 in an episode of “Armstrong Circle Theatre” called “Terror at My Heels.” He continued to work in T.V., appearing in shows like “Gunsmoke,” “Maverick ” and “Rawhide,” until his first film role in the 1959 film “Pork Chop Hill.” The film, which starred Gregory Peck, is regarded as one of the true classics of the war film genre. Later in that same year, Landau would appear in another highly regarded film, however, this time he would be working with the master of suspense in the film classic, “North by Northwest.” Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and a devious James Mason, the film is textbook Hitchcock in every regard. In the film, Landau portrayed Mason’s sinister henchman, Leonard, with frightening determination.

In 1963, Landau appeared in the infamous big budget remake of “Cleopatra.” The film was poorly received both critically and financially but that did not deter Landau from historical or biblical, epics and in 1965 was featured in “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” A year earlier, Landau portrayed Nelson Orion in the CBS television movie, “The Ghost of Sierra de Cobra” (or “The Haunted”). Written and directed by “Psycho” screenwriter Joseph Stefano, the film is a lost gem of the horror genre but no less worthy of being sought out by a modern audience.

In 1966, Martin Landau landed the role of Rollin Hand on the hit television show, “Mission: Impossible.” His role on the series lasted until 1969, the show would continue for another four years. 1966 also saw Landau appear in the grand Steve McQueen western, “Nevada Smith.” The film featured a stunning cast from Karl Malden to Suzanne Pleshette and even featured an appearance by future “Batman” Commissioner Gordon, Pat Hingle. Landau more than held his own among the pool of talent as Jesse Coe.

In 1971 Martin Landau was featured the obscure western, “A Town Called Hell.” The film, which was a co-production between Spain and England, featured a terrific performance by Landau as well as Robert Shaw, of “Jaws” fame, and Luis Bunuel favorite, Fernando Rey. The next year, Landau played the title character in the television film, “Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol.” The film almost plays out like a Vietnam era update of William Wyler’s classic World War II film, “The Best Years of Our Lives” as Landau’s Bristol returns in search of his old hometown after a harrowing experience as a POW.

1973 saw Landau in another star turn in the made for T.V. movie, “Savage.” The film was director Steven-Where-Is-He-Now-Spielberg’s final made for T.V. movie before his big star turn the following year with his theatrical feature film debut, “The Sugarland Express.” Not to be left in the dust, Landau would gain cult fame in 1975 with his role as Commander John Koenig in the sci-fi television series, “Space: 1999.” Post-Star Trek but pre-Star Wars, the series treaded the fine line between psychologically intense and flat-out silly and lasted only two seasons before taking off into the oblivion of cancellation.

“Meteor,” released in 1979, re-teamed Landau with Karl Malden, and featured an impressive number of high profile and talented actors such as Sean Connery, Natalie Wood and Henry Fonda as the president of the United States. Unfortunately, all the talent on screen was for naught as the film turned out to be an ill-conceived mess that has since been largely forgotten.

The eighties saw Landau in myriad forgettable roles in even more forgettable films ranging from the truly awful (“Without Warning”) to the truly ludicrous (“Cyclone”). That is, until Francis Ford Coppola cast Landau in his 1988 film, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” The film chronicled Preston Tucker’s dream of creating an automobile and a factory to manufacture his dream car as well as his eventual downfall; told in a romanticized style reminiscent of the 1940’s era of moviemaking in Hollywood. Landau’s performance as Abe Karatz earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and looked to be a turning point in Landau’s career.

Hot off the heels of his Oscar nomination, Landau was cast in Woody Allen’s 1989 film, “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Landau’s performance as an adulterous Ophthalmologist was, arguably, one of the best seen in an Allen film. In 1990, Landau portrayed Simon Wiesenthal in the made for television adaptation of Wiesenthal’s novel, “Max and Helen.” Landau’s performance was quite strong in a film that was fairly predictable. Landau’s film choices during the early part of the nineties didn’t get much better. He seemed to fall into the same slump that plagued his career during the eighties.

It seemed unlikely that Landau would ever land another major role in a successful film again. Landau’s luck in Hollywood seemed to have run dry, until Tim Burton cast Landau in his “Ed Wood” in a role that would eventually become Landau’s most memorable and praised in his long career. Covered in heavy make-up, Landau’s performance as Bela Lugosi was full of heartbreak, joy, sadness and wit. Although the film wasn’t a runaway smash at the box office, Landau’s role did receive wide acclaim and would earn him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Flush with the recent success and attention from his “Ed Wood” role, Martin Landau began to receive more and more supporting roles in several high profile films such as “City Hall (1996),” “Rounders (1998),” “The X-Files (1998)” and Ron Howard’s prelude to reality T.V., “Edtv (1999).” Landau closed out the 20th Century by making a cameo appearance in another Tim Burton film, “Sleepy Hollow” as Peter Van Garrett, during the film’s prologue sequence.

After nearly five decades in show business, Landau has more than proven that given the right opportunity and a great screenplay to work with, such as Frank Darabont’s 2001 Jim Carrey drama, “The Majestic,” he has the presence and power to move us and deliver a truly memorable performance.

Joe Cortez, 2004

LINKS:
Internet Movie Database Filmography