The son of Selma and Morris Landau, an Austrian-born machinist who scrambled to rescue relatives from the Nazis. At the age of 17, he began working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, assisting Gus Edson on The Gumps comic strip during the 1940s and 1950s.
Influenced by Charlie Chaplin and the escapism of the cinema, he pursued an acting career. He attended the Actors Studio in the same class with Steve McQueen and in 1957, Landau made his Broadway debut in Middle of the Night.
In 1959, Landau made his first major film appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest at the age of 28. Landau took the role of master of disguise Rollin Hand in Mission: Impossible, becoming one of the show's better-known stars.
In the mid-1970s, Landau and Bain, teamed with Barry Morse, returned to television in the British science fiction series, Space: 1999, produced first by Gerry Anderson in partnership with Sylvia Anderson and then by Fred Freiberger.
In the late 1980s, Landau staged a major career comeback by winning an Academy Award nomination for his role in Tucker: The Man and His Dream. He later received a second nomination for Crimes and Misdemeanors and won the 1994 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his uncanny portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood.
In 2006, Landau made a guest appearance on the TV series Entourage, playing a washed-up, but determined and sympathetic, Hollywood producer attempting to relive his glory days. Landau received a 2007 Emmy Award nomination for his performance in this role.
In 2009, Landau, working with director Mark Rydell and Screenwriter Lyle Kessler have teamed up to produce an educational seminar, The Total Picture Seminar. It is a unique two-day event covering the disciplines of acting, directing and writing for film. The three have worked together as a team for many decades at the Actors Studio teaching and coaching professional actors, writers, and directors. They are now bringing their industry experience and personal success, as well as a lifetime of teaching experience to a wider audience.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Landau has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6841 Hollywood Blvd.