X-OBITUARY: Martin Landau RIP

Paige Schector marks the passing of Martin Landau, aka Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil from The X-Files: Fight the Future, who has died aged 89...

Academy Award winner Martin Landau, who became part of The X-Files family in the first feature film, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 89 years old. He entered the mainstream as one of the villains in the landmark Hitchcock film, North by Northwest, and won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Ed Wood in 1995. 

But he’s indelibly tied to The X-Files through 1998’s Fight the Future. I spoke with him at length about the role of Dr. Alvin Kurtzeil at the Chiller Convention in New Jersey, where he admitted that the part was tailor-made for him. Landau said executive producer Chris Carter’s character outline only said Kurtzeil needed to seem sane and insane. “I created a character out of nothing, so it was great fun.”

Landau was nominated for two other Oscars – for Tucker: The Man and His Dream in 1989 and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1990. He also took home Golden Globes for Ed Wood, Tucker and Mission Impossible. He was well known in the sci-fi/fantasy genre for Space 1999, 1979’s Meteor and guest spots on The Twilight Zone.

On a personal note, what I’ll remember most about Landau was his graciousness. He was the most gentlemanly gentleman I’ve ever met. He listened to intently to things I said, squeezed my hand warmly when he received compliments and did so with an open heart and light touch of humor.

Rest in Peace. We hope you find whatever truth is out there.