Martin Landau, 1928-2017

Martin Landau (r.) with Johnny Depp in a scene from Ed Wood (1994)

Actor Martin Landau, whose career spanned over 50 years, from the stage in the 1950s to working with Tim Burton in recent years, has died at the age of 89. Landau eventually won an Academy Award in the Burton-directed Ed Wood, playing Bela Lugosi. Lugosi was supposed to star in director Wood's Plan Nine From Outer Space, but rather unceremoniously died early in the production.

As for Landau, one of his first notable roles is probably in North by Northwest, where he plays one of James Mason's henchmen. Landau worked in TV with notable roles being on Mission: Impossible and later the cult series Space: 1999 where he worked opposite then-wife Barbara Bain in those daft 1970s "futuristic" uniforms.

In addition to Ed Wood, Landau was Oscar-nominated twice in the late 80s for Tucker and Crimes and Misdemeanors. I didn't realize that he was also an acting teacher, and a well-respected one at that.