Our sincere condolences to his family.
Monday, 17 July 2017
MARTIN LANDAU R.I.P.
A sad time for British TV Sci-fi fans over the weekend, no I don't mean the controversial choice for who was chosen to play the 13th Doctor (Good luck to Josie Whittaker, by the way, I think she'll need it ), I'm talking about the sad passing of actor, Martin Landau, our very own Comr. John Koenig from Space 1999.
A regular face in Mission Impossible during the sixties, I particularly liked his character, Rollin Hand. RIP Martin.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough Martin was first offered the role of Spock in Star Trek, which he turned down, and as we know Leonard Nimoy took it on. When Martin left Mission Impossible, Nimoy replaced him.
DeleteThat's an interesting fact, Scoop. I didn't know Martin was offered, and declined, the role of Spock. Yep, tis odd how Martin and Leonard's careers seemed to have ran along parallel paths in places :)
DeleteAn excellent actor, often saddled with less than excellent roles. Apart from his genre work, I loved him in "Tucker" -and who can forget his version of Bela Lugosi?
ReplyDeleteDidn't he win an Oscar for that,lewis ?
DeleteA very sad day indeed Scoop. Even though I never watched Space 1999 I always enjoyed seeing Martin on the big and little screen. He was great as Kurtzwell in the X-Files movie, what nearly 20 years ago now. As a tribute I will watch as least one episode of Space 1999 this summer. RIP Mr. Landau.
ReplyDeleteD'ya'no, they were talking about him on R4 earlier and I thought it was the same chap, but they never mentioned S-1999? It is sad.
ReplyDeleteH
1999 is briefly mentioned on the BBC news web site, although not at all on the Sky news site from what I can see. They all tend to talk about his Oscar win and Mission Impossible.
ReplyDeleteSocial media, on the other hand is packed full of 1999 related tributes...
ReplyDeleteSpace 1999 must have been Martin's single biggest body of work next to the Mission Impossible series.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Woodsy, and his only starring role as far as I'm aware.
DeleteI wonder if Martin and Gerry Anderson got on?
DeleteAs as I'm aware, apart from the usual business tensions, he was very much behind the series, and spent time promoting it. A very different story with Gerry and Robert Vaughn during the filming of The Protectors.They didn't get on at all.
DeleteBlimey! I'll have to watch an episode of the Protectors on You Tube Scoop. I get it mixed up with the Persuaders.
DeleteDon't you know your cult TV Woodsy?
DeleteGerry produced The Protectors after UFO, although it wasn't created by him. It was a pretty successful series too, and would have made it to a third series if main sponsor Faberge hadn't pulled the plug.
The Persuaders! starred Roger Moore and Tony Curtis. Although it was fairly successful in Europe it was put up against Mission Impossible in America and failed to get the ratings.
Soz, no. Not like you Scoop! I don't think I ever saw the Protectors to be honest. I did like Robert Vaughn though and remember him well in Mission Impossible and also the Magnificent Seven along with James Cobern and Yul the Brynner.
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