Martin Landau, film and TV icon, dead at 89

Martin Landau, a celebrated actor with dozens of  movie and TV credits to his name, including the “Mission: Impossible”  television series, has died at age 89, Fox News has confirmed.

Landau died around 1:30 PT on Saturday following “unexpected complications” while he was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center.

The prolific actor’s most notable credits included  the “Mission: Impossible” television series, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic  film “North by Northwest,” and his role in “Ed Wood,” for which he won  an Oscar.

Landau got his start as a newspaper cartoonist at the New York Daily News, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  He was 17 when he began at the news outlet, and quit five years later  to pursue an acting career after turning down a promotion.

He was also “an admired acting teacher,” to students like Jack Nicholson.

The beloved actor got his start on-screen in the 1950s. TMZ reported he appeared in almost 200 films and television shows and “worked until his death.”

Landau quit "Mission: Impossible" after three seasons  in 1969 due to a contract dispute, according to THR. He finally became  an Academy Award winner for his role in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" in 1994  after previously losing out to Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington.

The legendary actor dated Marilyn Monroe for several months and was best friends with James Dean in the 1950s.

Full Story on FoxNews.com


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