Martin Landau biography

Synopsis

Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Martin Landau worked briefly as a cartoonist before becoming an actor. He has starred in a number of successful films, including Crimes and Misdemeanors and Ed Wood, but is perhaps most famous for his role as Rollin Hand on television series Mission: Impossible.

Profile

Actor. Born June 20, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. Landau's first career was as an assistant cartoonist for the New York Daily News. But after studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, he turned his full attention to acting making his Broadway debut in 1957.

Though he appeared in several successful films, including 1959's North by Northwest and 1965's The Greatest Story Ever Told, it wasn't until 1966, when he landed the role of Rollin Hand in TV's Mission: Impossible that Landau became a bona fide star. He stayed with the show for three seasons, after which he joined the cast of another classic series, Space: 1999.

In 1994, Landau won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Bela Legosi in Tim Burton's critically acclaimed Ed Wood. Other notable films include Tucker: The Man and His Dream and Crimes and Misdemeanors. He recently reappeared on television in ABC's detective drama The Evidence and as a caricature of infamous Hollywood producer Robert Evans in HBO's Entourage.

Landau was married to actress Barbara Bain from 1957 to 1993; they have two daughters.