Martin Landau is the Oscar-winning thespian who enjoyed one of the greatest late career renaissances in cinema history, hitting his stride in his 60’s and remaining active until his death in 2017. Let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, Landau first came to the attention of movie audiences with a villainous role in Alfred Hitchcock‘s “North by Northwest” (1959). He became a television star playing Rollin Hand on “Mission: Impossible,” for which he received three consecutive Emmy nominations as Best Drama Actor (1967-1968) and a Golden Globe victory in 1968.
After decades of bit roles in B-movies and guest spots on TV (including playing a bad guy on “Columbo”), Landau enjoyed a major career comeback thanks to Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” (1988), for which he won the Golden Globe and earned his first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. He returned to the Academy Awards race the very next year for playing a murderous ophthalmologist in Woody Allen‘s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989).
Just five years later, he hit the jackpot for playing Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton‘s “Ed Wood” (1994). The biopic about Hollywood’s worst director (Johnny Depp) and his relationship with the washed-up horror legend brought Landau Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG victories in Best Supporting Actor, plus a BAFTA bid.
On the TV side, Landau earned additional nominations for his guest turns in the drama series “Without a Trace” (2004, 2005) and for a recurring spot as producer Bob Ryan on “Entourage” (2007), a role he reprised in the 2015 movie adaptation.
Tour our photo gallery of Landau’s 12 greatest films, including some of the titles listed above, as well as “Cleopatra” (1963), “Rounders” (1998), “The Majestic” (2001) and more.
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12. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by George Stevens. Screenplay by James Lee Barrett and George Stevens. Starring Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Charlton Heston, Jose Ferrer, Telly Savalas, Martin Landau, David McCallum, Donald Pleasence, Michael Anderson Jr., Roddy McDowell, Joanna Dunham, Joseph Schildkraut, Ed Wynn.
The biblical epics of yore hit a wall with “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” George Stevens’s lumbering and ambitious retelling of the life of Christ (Max von Sydow), from his birth in the manger to his death on the cross and resurrection. By the time it’s all over, you’ll feel as though you’ve spent your entire life watching this interminable slog, which features a slew of cameo appearances from prominent movie stars (including Angela Lansbury, Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters and even John Wayne as a Roman soldier!). Landau has a prominent role as Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest who conspired to kill the Son of God. Some truly spectacular filmmaking can’t make up for a long-winded screenplay.
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11. THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE (1998)
Image Credit: Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Rob Bowman. Screenplay by Chris Carter, story by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, based on the television series created by Chris Carter. Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Blythe Danner, Armin Mueller-Stahl.
One’s enjoyment of “The X-Files: Fight the Future” may depend entirely on your affinity for the TV series, which was at the height of its popularity by the time this hit cinemas. The film, scripted by creator Chris Carter, translates the show’s style and themes effectively to the big screen, which should be good enough for fans. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as Agents Mulder and Scully, who seek out the truth about a massive government conspiracy concerning an alien colonization of Earth. Landau is exceptionally good as Mulder’s friend, Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil, a conspiracy theorist whose ideas about the coverup might not be as kooky as they sound.
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10. MISTRESS (1992)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Directed by Barry Primus. Written by Barry Primus and J.F. Lawton. Starring Danny Aiello, Robert De Niro, Martin Landau, Eli Wallach, Robert Wuhl, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jean Smart, Tuesday Knight, Jace Alexander, Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Walken.
They say you’ve gotta do whatever it takes to succeed in Hollywood, and that’s certainly the message of “Mistress,” a lightweight comedy about the lengths some people will go to in order to make it. Robert Wuhl plays a down-on-his-luck screenwriter whose old script is read by a producer (Landau) desperate for a hit. They find the backing of three shady investor (Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach), each of whom wants their respective mistresses (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jean Smart, Tuesday Knight) to play the female lead. Though it lacks the satirical edge and insightfulness of better showbiz satires, there’s more than a few laughs to make this one watchable.
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9. CITY HALL (1996)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Directed by Harold Becker. Written by Kenneth Lipper, Paul Schrader, Nicholas Pileggi and Bo Goldman. Starring Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello, David Paymer, Martin Landau, Richard Schiff, Harry Bugin.
Harold Becker’s “City Hall” contains moments of brilliance, but they’re all in service of a plot with too many strands that never completely tie together. Still, there’s great pleasure in watching the star-studded cast chew the scenery with each other. Al Pacino stars as the ambitious New York City mayor whose deputy (John Cusack) is investigating the accidental killing of a young boy during a shoot-out between a cop and a mobster. Landau costars as the judge who mysteriously let the criminal out on probation years ago, raising questions about the city’s deeper motives. Too many subplots weigh down the powerful central story, which still has unfortunate resonance to today.
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8. CLEOPATRA (1963)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Randal MacDougall and Sidney Buchman, based on the book ‘The Life and Times of Cleopatra’ by C.M. Franzero and Histories by Plutarch, Suetonius, and Appian. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau, Hume Cronyn, George Cole.
Landau gave one of his earliest screen performances in this lumbering epic, though he was far from the main focus. Massive budget overruns, director firings and re-hirings, and a scandalous affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton set the tabloids ablaze before “Cleopatra” was ever seen. Critics scorned this biopic about the famous Queen of Egypt (Taylor), which nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox despite audiences turning out in droves to see what all the fuss was about. Yet is it really a bad movie? Well, it’s certainly not a perfect one, but it’s large scale, flamboyant style, and operatic performances (including Landau as Antony’s loyal soldier) make it ever-watchable. An Oscar winner for cinematography, art direction, costumes, and special effects.
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7. FRANKENWEENIE (2012)
Image Credit: Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Tim Burton. Screenplay by John August, based on a short film written by Lenny Ripps and Burton. Starring Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder.
Tim Burton returned to his roots with this black-and-white, stop-motion adaptation of one of his earliest short films. “Frankenweenie” centers on a young boy named Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) who brings his beloved dog Sparky back to life after he passes away suddenly. But Victor can’t keep his creation a secret for too long. Landau lends his distinctive voice to the role of Mr. Rzykruski, Victor’s eccentric, Eastern European science teacher. Burton stuffs the movie with loving references to the classic Universal monster movies that undoubtedly inspired him, from the gothic production design to the expressionistic, shadowy cinematography. An Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature.
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6. ROUNDERS (1998)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Dahl. Written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman. Starring Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, Martin Landau.
John Dahl’s “Rounders” views the seedy world of underground poker as if it were all a great lark, and in that way it avoids dealing with the tragic pitfalls of compulsive gambling. Still, it’s a hell of a good time. Matt Damon stars as a talented card player desperate to leave that life behind for a career in law. He’s pulled back in by his ex-con buddy (Edward Norton), and pretty soon they need to enter a high-stakes game so they can pay off some nasty loan sharks. The supporting cast is packed with A-list character actors hamming it up, including Landau as Damon’s law school mentor, John Malkovich as a Russian mobster and John Turturro as a gambler who continues to win by playing it safe.
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5. THE MAJESTIC (2001)
Image Credit: Ralph Jr Nelson/Castle Rock/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Frank Darabont. Written by Michael Sloane. Starring Jim Carrey, Bob Balaban, Brent Briscoe, Jeffrey DeMunn, Amanda Detmer, Allen Garfield, Hal Holbrook, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau, Ron Rifkin, David Ogden Stires, James Whitmore.
“The Majestic” is unashamedly saccharine and sentimental, akin to the kinds of films Frank Capra excelled at in the 1930s. Set in 1951, it stars Jim Carrey as a hotshot Hollywood screenwriter whose career is derailed thanks to the blacklist. Drunk and distraught, he crashes his car and wakes up in Small Town, USA, with no memory of who he is. A local man (Landau in a deeply empathetic performance) mistakes him for his son, thought to be killed in WWII, and the townspeople — who have lost more than 60 of their young boys to the global conflict — embrace him as a symbol of hope. Released shortly after 9/11, the film harkens back to a simpler era, when American values were as sweet and fulfilling as apple pie.
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4. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Ernest Lehman. Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Martin Landau.
Landau’s first notable film role came in Alfred Hitchcock’s gloriously entertaining adventure saga. Cary Grant stars as a New York ad man caught up in a convoluted web of spies and intrigue. When he’s mistaken for a government agent, he races around the country trying to save his hide while romancing a mysterious blonde (Eva Marie Saint). James Mason chews the scenery as the bad guy, while Landau brings an undercurrent of closeted homosexuality to the role of Mason’s henchman, Leonard. Ernest Lehman’s Oscar-nominated script provides the director with some of his best set pieces, including a crop duster cornfield chase and a perilous climb down Mount Rushmore.
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3. TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM (1988)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Written by Arnold Schulman and David Seidler. Starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako, Dean Stockwell.
After decades spent adrift in B-movies and TV guest spots, Landau enjoyed a major comeback thanks to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” It tells the true story of rebel car maker Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges), who in the 1940s tried and failed to take on the auto industry with his revolutionary designs. Landau plays Abe Karatz, a New York financier who leant monetary and emotional support to the maverick manufacturer. The role brought him a Golden Globe victory and his first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Though he lost to Kevin Kline (“A Fish Called Wanda”), he won back the good graces of Hollywood, leading to one of the great late-career renaissances in cinema history.
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2. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989)
Image Credit: Brian Hamill/Orion/Rollins-Joffe/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Caroline Aaron, Alan Alda, Woody Allen, Claire Bloom, Mia Farrow, Joanna Gleason, Anjelica Huston, Martin Landau, Jenny Nichols, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterson.
With “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” Woody Allen showcases his talents for comedy and drama with parallel stories of morality. Landau stars as a prominent ophthalmologist who decides to have his volatile mistress (Anjelica Huston) murdered before she can reveal their affair to his wife. Meanwhile, a struggling documentarian (Allen) sacrifices artistic integrity to make a movie about his arrogant brother-in-law (Alan Alda), a successful TV producer. At the same time, he finds himself falling in love with his producer (Mia Farrow). Allen earned writing and directing Oscar bids for the film, which raises several tough questions and offers few easy answers. Landau competed in Best Supporting Actor, losing to Denzel Washington (“Glory”).
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1. ED WOOD (1994)
Image Credit: Touchstone/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Tim Burton. Screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, based on the book ‘Nightmare of Ecstasy’ by Rudolph Grey. Starring Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray.
Who would’ve thought that a biopic about the worst director of all time could be such a masterpiece? Johnny Depp stars as Edward D. Wood Jr., the miraculously untalented auteur behind such z-list classics as “Plan 9 for Outer Space” and “Glen or Glenda” (in which Wood, a famous transvestite, plays both title roles). Landau gives the performance of a lifetime (and won a Supporting Actor Oscar to prove it) as washed-up, drug-addicted horror icon Bela Lugosi, who becomes a friend and muse to Wood. It’s this strangely touching father-son relationship that’s at the heart of Tim Burton’s film, which turns out to be a loving tribute to Wood’s passion and enthusiasm, and to the oddball group of misfits who populated his “greatest” works.
