Martin Landau (1928-2017) was an American actor known for his long and versatile career. Although he gained prominence on TV with *Mission: Impossible*, his film career was remarkable.

His most memorable roles include the spy Leonard in Alfred Hitchcock's *North by Northwest* (1959) and businessman Abe Karatz in Francis Ford Coppola's *Tucker: The Man and His Dream* (1988).

Landau experienced a remarkable late-career resurgence, culminating in an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a faded but still dignified Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's *Ed Wood* (1994). He was renowned for his ability to embody complex characters, often tormented or ambiguous, with profound intensity and a touch of melancholy.