Martin Landau as Rollin Hand in Mission:Impossible
On July 15th, Martin Landau, one of the most prolific actors of his generation passed away at the age of 89. Mr. Landau's career spanned six decades appearing in such movies as Ed Wood and North by Northwest. Landau won an Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. Mr. Landau may be best known for his role as Rollin Hand on the Mission: Impossible TV series on which he appeared on from 1966-1969.
The 1960's may have been Martin Landau's best decade as an actor as he starred in many classic TV shows during the golden age of television including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West, The Rifleman, The Untouchables, The Detectives, The Outer Limits. The only 1960's TV show that he didn't star in was Star Trek.
Martin Landau was the first choice of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, to portray Mr. Spock on Star Trek. Mr. Landau turned it down. In a documentary, "The Pioneers of Television" he explained that he thought playing the emotionless Mr. Spock was the "antithesis of why I became an actor" and that Leonard Nimoy was a much better choice for the role. In an interesting turn of events Leonard Nimoy would replace Mr. Landau in Mission: Impossible when he left the series in 1969.
Thank you Mr. Landau for your great contributions to the entertainment industry. You paved a road that many are walking down today. You will never be forgotten.
Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR
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