(Susan King’s article appeared in the LA Times, 3/12; via Pam Green.)
When he was a young actor in New York in the 1950s, Martin Landau hung around with his good friend James Dean and competed for roles with the likes of Sydney Pollack and John Cassavetes.
"I would meet them in offices and waiting rooms before readings," the tall, lean actor said in Beverly Hills. During the hour-and-a-half chat, the 87-year-old Landau discussed acting with such passion it was akin to having a personal "Inside the Actors Studio" encounter.
Then there were the "British guys" as Landau jokingly described them — Canadian actors such as Christopher Plummer, John Colicos and William "Billy" Shatner. "We knew each other but not well," said Landau, a supporting actor Oscar winner for his uncanny turn as Bela Lugosi in 1994's "Ed Wood."