Martin Landau, Legendary 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Ed Wood' Actor, Remembered | THR News - video Dailymotion

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Martin Landau, who won an Oscar for 'Ed Wood' and also starred in the 'Mission Impossible' TV series, died Saturday due to complications during a brief hospitalization at UCLA Medical Center at age 89.

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00:00Martin Landau, the all-purpose actor who showcased his versatility as a master of disguise on the Mission Impossible TV series

00:06and as a broken-down Bela Lugosi in his Oscar-winning performance in Ed Wood, has died.

00:12He was 89.

00:14His rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter Landau died Saturday of unexpected complications

00:19after a brief stay at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

00:22Many in Hollywood paid tribute to the actor on social media.

00:26The mourners included William Shatner, Jason O'Mara, David Harbour, and many more.

00:31Landau was born in Brooklyn and at the age of 17 landed a job as a cartoonist for the New York Daily News,

00:37but he turned down a promotion and quit five years later to pursue acting.

00:42He went on to join the actor's studio with Lee Strasberg and found success on New York stages.

00:47Alfred Hitchcock caught his performance on opening night in a road production of Middle of the Night

00:51and cast him in the role that would first shoot him to fame,

00:54a homosexual henchman in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic North by Northwest.

01:01Landau was also successful in television, earning an Emmy nomination for each of his three seasons

01:06on CBS's Mission Impossible.

01:08After leaving the show because of a contract dispute,

01:11Landau was picked by Francis Ford Coppola to play Abe Carrots in Tucker, The Man in His Dream.

01:17He would go on to play Judah Rosenthal in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors

01:21and win an Oscar for his larger-than-life portrayal of horror movie legend Lugosi

01:26in the biopic Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton.

01:29Landau also starred on the 1970s science fiction series Space 1999,

01:34opposite his Mission Impossible co-star Barbara Bain,

01:37his wife from 1957 until their divorce in 1993.

01:41Landau turned down the role of Mr. Spock on the NBC series Star Trek,

01:46which went to Leonard Nimoy, who later effectively replaced Landau on Mission Impossible

01:50after Trek was cancelled.

01:52Landau was also an admired acting teacher who taught the craft to the likes of Jack Nicholson.

01:58And in the 1950s, he was best friends with James Dean,

02:02and for several months, the boyfriend of Marilyn Monroe.

02:05Other notable film credits include Pork Chop Hill, City Hall,

02:09The X-Files Fight the Future, Rounders, EdTV,

02:12The Majestic, Lovely Still, and Mysteria.

02:16On television, he also starred in some Twilight Zone episodes,

02:19played the title role in the 1999 Showtime telefilm Bonanno,

02:23A Godfather Story, and could be found on The Untouchables,

02:26Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Wanted Dead or Alive,

02:30Wagon Train, I Spy, and The Man from UNCLE.

02:33More recently, Landau earned Emmy noms for playing the father of Anthony LaPaglia's character

02:38on CBS's Without a Trace,

02:40and guest starring as an out-of-touch movie producer on HBO's Entourage.

02:45Let us know your favorite memory of the late iconic actor in the comments.

02:49For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Paul Costabile.

Martin Landau, Legendary 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Ed Wood' Actor, Remembered | THR News

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