One of the most talented and prolific actors of Hollywood, Martin Landau has passed away due to unexpected complications from an undisclosed illness on Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was 89 years old and breathed his last at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
His long Hollywood career has several ups and downs and was scattered with several romances, including a high profile affair with the iconic, Marilyn Monroe. He delivered acclaimed performances in movies by top directors including Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Tim Burton. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award and is popularly known for his role in the spy series ‘Mission: Impossible’ in the 1960s, in which he starred alongside then-wife, Barbara Bain. He was nominated for Oscars as best supporting actor for his role in Coppola’s 1988 Tucker: The Man and His Dream and for his role in Woody Allen’s 1989 Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Martin Landau is also remembered as the actor who rejected the iconic role of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. It is now widely know that Landau was Gene Roddenberry’s first pick to portray pointy-eared Vulcan Mr. Spock. But upon his rejection, the role went to Leonard Nimoy. Co-incidentally, Landau was also replaced by Nimoy in the Mission Impossible series after the former walked away over a salary dispute.
Over his long spanning Hollywood career, Landau worked in over 200 films and TV shows. He leaves behind a legacy of unforgettable roles and two daughters from his ex-wife, actress Juliet Rose Landau, and Susan Landau Finch.
RIP Martin Landau.
Photo credits – Shutterstock
