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It wasn't Samurai Jack on the channel tonight. April Fools

Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 1

 
Legendary Comic Don Rickles Dies at 90

http://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...s-at-90/ar-BBzuEB9?li=AA2qN5v&ocid=spartandhp

Legendary comic Don Rickles, a rapid-fire insulting machine who for six decades earned quite a living making fun of people of all creeds and colors and everyone from poor slobs to Frank Sinatra, has died. He was 90.

Rickles died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles of kidney failure, publicist Paul Schrifin announced.

Sarcastically nicknamed "Mr. Warmth," Rickles had mock disdain for stars, major public figures and all those who paid to see him, tweaking TV audiences and Las Vegas showroom crowds with his acerbic brand of takedown comedy. A good guy and devoted husband away from the stage, Rickles the performer heartlessly laid into everyone he encountered - and they loved it.

After toiling in relative obscurity for years as a more conventional stand-up comedian, Rickles unwittingly discovered his biggest laughs came when he turned the table on his hecklers. His career then skyrocketed after he insulted the hot-tempered Sinatra, who normally did not take kindly to such treatment.

When the superstar singer and actor walked into a Hollywood club in 1957 where Rickles was performing, the comedian greeted the "Chairman of the Board" from the stage: "Make yourself at home Frank. Hit somebody." Sinatra roared - with laughter.

With Sinatra's endorsement, Rickles began his comedic assault on people famous and not so famous - Jews, Asians, African Americans, the Irish, Puerto Ricans, red-headed women, short guys, you name it - with tremendous results. He referred to stupid people as "hockey pucks," and in 1959, he signed for his first Las Vegas appearance, in the lounge of the Hotel Sahara.

In 1985, when Sinatra was asked to perform at Ronald Reagan's second Inaugural Ball, he insisted that Rickles accompany him for a comedy routine. Rickles, naturally, did not spare the president ("Am I going too fast for you, Ronnie?" he asked) and considered that performance among the highlights of his career.

Rickles was still going strong in June 2012 when, during the American Film Institute's tribute to actress Shirley MacLaine, he joked that he "shouldn't make fun of the blacks. President Obama is a personal friend of mine. He was over to the house yesterday, but the mop broke."

Rickles honed his reputation in numerous appearances on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts that ran on NBC from the mid-1970s to the mid-80s. The specials provided a perfect venue for Rickles to unleash his caustic brand of humor on such visiting dignitaries as Sinatra, Reagan, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis Jr. and Mr. T.

Johnny Carson provided Rickles a late-night stage by making him one of The Tonight Show's most-frequent guests. On one memorable moment in 1968, Rickles cozied up to a half-naked Carson during a sketch with two Japanese female masseuses and said, "I'm so lonely, Johnny!" Carson threw him in a bathtub. More recently, he was a regular guest on Late Show With David Letterman, in which the CBS host treated Rickles like royalty.

Rickles intermittently played in movies, highlighted by Kelly's Heroes (1970), where he co-starred with Clint Eastwood as Sgt. Crapgame, an Army black-marketer who had no compunction about cutting favorable deals with the Nazis.

He also played opposite beach bunny Annette Funicello in such movies as Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), appeared as a Vegas slime-ball in Martin Scorsese's Casino (1975) and voiced the cranky Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story films.

Donald Jay Rickles was born in the New York borough of Queens on May 8, 1926. Following high school, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, then studied acting and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

At age 32, Rickles landed a small part in Robert Wise's submarine drama Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), starring Clark Gable. Two years later, he was cast in The Rat Race with Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds.
Not surprisingly, Rickles found there weren't many leading roles for a paunchy 5-foot-6 balding man. So, he worked up a nightclub act. After his Sinatra encounter, he perfected his bite and would land gigs in all the Vegas hotels: the Riviera, the Golden Nugget, the Desert Inn and the Sahara.

Rickles would come onstage accompanied by the old Spanish bullfight song "La Virgen de la Macarena," a subtle signal that someone was about to be metaphorically gored.
Flush with his casino successes, Rickles cut two best-selling comedy albums in the '60s: Hello, Dummy! and Don Rickles Speaks.

Success as a star of his own TV series eluded him. He played Naval Petty Officer Otto Sharkey in NBC's CPO Sharkey, which ran from 1976-78, and a used car salesman and father of Richard Lewis in Daddy Dearest, quickly canceled by Fox in 1993. He had two series titled The Don Rickles Show; each ran a handful of episodes. For one season in the '80s, he hosted ABC's Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders with singer Steve Lawrence.

Rickles' TV guest appearances include episodes of The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Burke's Law, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., I Dream of Jeannie, I Spy, Get Smart (alongside his buddy, Don Adams), Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Sanford and Son, The Bernie Mac Show and Hot in Cleveland.

In 1965, Rickles married Barbara Sklar, who survives him. The couple, who often vacationed with deadpan comic Bob Newhart and his wife, Virginia, had two children, Mindy and Larry. His son, who produced the HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, died in December 2011 at age 41.
 
John Simm to return as the Master in Doctor Who

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/9ecdaaa1-10e1-45a7-a266-bdd7a1adcdf2

John Simm will return as the Master to battle the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), new companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) in the forthcoming series of Doctor Who.

John Simm says: ?I can confirm that it?s true, thanks to the power of time travel I?m back. It?s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can?t wait for you all to see what the Master gets up to in the next series. ?

Steven Moffat, writer and executive producer, says: "Nothing stays secret for long on Doctor Who but you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly what the Master is up to and how he makes his return to face the Doctor. It?s been a huge pleasure to have fan favourites John Simm and Michelle Gomez face to face in the same role! It?s not often you get to see a solo personality clash."

John Simm was last seen as the Master on New Year?s Day 2010. Viewers will have to wait to see exactly when and how the Master will return to the new series, which starts on Saturday 15 April at 7:20pm on BBC One.
As previously announced, Doctor Who series 10 will also star Michelle Gomez as Missy ? a later regeneration of the Master. Other returning foes include the Daleks, the Ice Warriors and ? returning for the first time in over 50 years ? the Mondasian Cybermen. An exciting line up of new faces and adversaries will debut across the series, including adorable-but-deadly Emojibots and David Suchet as the Landlord.
 
'Jewel in the Crown' actor Tim Pigott-Smith dies at 70

http://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...s-at-70/ar-BBzxGxn?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

LONDON ? Tim Pigott-Smith, a versatile British actor who recently played Prince Charles on stage and screen, has died at the age of 70.

The actor's agent, John Grant, says Pigott-Smith died Friday. Grant called him "one of the great actors of his generation ... a gentleman and a true friend."

Pigott-Smith was already a veteran of stage and screen when he came to international attention as a sadistic police officer in British-controlled India in the 1980s miniseries "The Jewel in the Crown."

The show became a global sensation, and Pigott-Smith said it "changed my life."

Born in Rugby, central England in 1946, Pigott-Smith trained at the Bristol Old Vic theater school and built up a diverse career on stage, television and film. He became a regular on British TV screens in everything from "Doctor Who" to "Downton Abbey," and had roles in movies including "V for Vendetta," ''Gangs Of New York" and the James Bond thriller "Quantum Of Solace."

He is due to appear onscreen with Judi Dench in Stephen Frears' historical drama "Victoria and Abdul," due for release in Britain in September.

He recently won Olivier and Tony award nominations for the London and New York runs of the play "King Charles III," which imagines disastrous events after the current heir to the British throne becomes king. He reprised the role for a TV adaptation.

Pigott-Smith is survived by his wife Pamela Miles and their son Tom.
 
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Roger Moore, James Bond Star, Dies at 89

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/cel...s-at-89/ar-BBBs2T0?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Roger Moore, the handsome English actor who appeared in seven films as James Bond and as Simon Templar on ?The Saint? TV series, has died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer. He was 89.

His family issued an announcement on Twitter: ?It is the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father,*Sir Roger Moore, passed away today.*We are all devastated.?

Moore appeared in more official Bond pics than his friend Sean Connery over a longer period of time, and while Connery?s fans were fiercely loyal, polls showed that many others favored Moore?s lighter, more humorous take on 007.

In 1972, Moore was asked to join Her Majesty?s Secret Service. He took on the mantle of 007 for 1973?s ?Live and Let Die,? which would lead to six more turns as England?s top spy. In addition to reviving the franchise at the B.O. after waning prospects at the end of Connery?s run, the new James Bond relied on more humor in stories that cranked up the camp.

Moore as Bond began to shake off the Connery comparisons and pick up speed after 1977?s ?The Spy Who Loved Me? launched the series into super-blockbuster status, raking in $185.4 million worldwide. Next up, the outer space-traveling ?Moonraker? (1979) cumed $202 million and 1981?s ?For Your Eyes Only? took $194 million.

?Octopussy? (1983) marked a downward turn in the franchise?s fortunes, with B.O. of $183.7 million, and 1985?s ?A View to a Kill? saw the actor ready to surrender his license to kill, taking in a little over $150 million.

The young actor came to the U.S. in 1953. MGM signed him to a contract and he received supporting work on several pictures.*He played a tennis pro in 1954?s ?The Last Time I Saw Paris,? with Elizabeth Taylor. The role was one of several in the ?50s that hinged on his tall, athletic good looks. He would often play royalty or military characters.

Moore had his first taste of smallscreen stardom from 1956-58 as the lead, Sir Winfred, in ITV?s ?Ivanhoe.? While still drawing film roles, he would continue to star in TV programs, following ?Ivanhoe? with short-lived ABC Western ?The Alaskans? and replacing James Garner in ?Maverick? in 1960-61 (Moore played British cousin Beau Maverick). By the time he arrived on ?Maverick,? its popularity was waning, but Moore won over the cast and crew with his good humor and charm, on-set qualities for which the actor would be known throughout his career.

In 1962, Moore began playing one of the roles that would define his celebrity, dashing thief Simon Templar, who would steal from rich villains each week on ?The Saint.? The show ran 118 episodes, transitioning from B&W to color and finally wrapping in 1969. The British skein initially ran in syndication in the States but was part of NBC?s primetime schedule from 1967-69.

Stories would feature exotic locales, beautiful women and plenty of action, elements shared with the bigscreen tales about a certain British spy of the era. Ironically, it was the ?Saint? contract that prevented Moore from competing for the role of 007 when Sean Connery was cast in 1962?s ?Dr. No.?

Moore returned to the bigscreen with a pair of forgettable thrillers in ?69 and ?70. Despite having sworn off TV, he was subsequently lured back for ?The Persuaders.? The show, which featured Moore and Tony Curtis as millionaire playboy crime-fighters, ran only one season; it was successful in Europe but failed in its run on ABC in the U.S.

During his 13 years as 007, Moore landed feature roles in other actioners, but none that would compete with the Bond franchise. Movies from that period include 1978?s ?The Wild Geese,? with Richard Burton and Richard Harris, and 1980?s ?ffolkes? with James Mason and David Hedison, who played CIA agent Felix Leiter in ?Live and Let Die.?

The actor took great fun in skewering his slick image offscreen and on-, including appearances in ?Cannonball Run? and TV?s ?The Muppet Show,? in which he struck out with Miss Piggy; in the 2002 comedy ?Boat Trip,? he played a flamboyant homosexual with some Bond-like elements, and in 2004 he lent his voice to animated short ?The Fly Who Loved Me.?

He also occasionally appeared both on the big- and smallscreen. He appeared in the Spice Girls feature ?Spice World,? provided a voice for ?The Saint? feature in 1997, appeared in an episode of ?Alias? in 2003 and had a role in the 2013 telepic version of ?The Saint? starring Eliza Dushku.

Moore did quite a bit of voicework in the 2000s in pics including ?Here Comes Peter Cottontail,? ?Agent Crush,? ?Gnomes and Trolls: The Forest Trial,? ?De vilde svaner? and 2010?s ?Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,? whose title was an allusion to Bond girl Pussy Galore of ?Goldfinger?; his ?Cats and Dogs? character was Tab Lazenby.

He*became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1991 and had been an active advocate for children?s causes. In 1999, he was honored by the British government with the title Commander of the British Empire.

Moore was born in Stockwell, South London. Despite health problems, Moore excelled at school and took an early interest in art and drawing. His grammar school education was interrupted by the start of WWII; he and his mother spent most of the war in Amersham, 25 miles outside of London.

In 1943, Moore decided to leave school and pursue work in animation at Publicity Pictures Prods., where he was a junior trainee in cartooning. But mishandling of some celluloid brought a swift conclusion to that career path.

Moore began his long acting career during the summer of 1944, when a friend recommended that he seek work as an extra on the film ?Caesar and Cleopatra,? which brought Moore a walk-on role and the attention of co-director Brian Desmond Hurst, who was impressed with the looks of the tall, thin young man and secured him extra parts in two subsequent pics.*With the support of Hurst, Moore auditioned for and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1945, Moore was called up for national service and, after basic training, was recommended for the Intelligence Corps. ?The only reason they commissioned me was I looked good in a uniform,? Moore joked of his military career.

The actor?s autobiography, ?My Word Is My Bond,? was published in 2008; his other books include memoir ?One Lucky Bastard? and ?Bond on Bond.? In recent*years he toured with a popular one-man show, ?An Evening With Roger Moore.?

Moore was married to skater Doorn Van Steyn, singer Dorothy Squires, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli and finally to Danish-Swedish multimillionaire Kristina ?Kiki? Tholstrup.*He is survived by Tholstrup; a daughter, actress Deborah Moore; and two sons, Geoffrey Moore, an actor, and Christian Moore, a film producer.
 
Rick Moranis Will Return to Acting for the First Time in 20 Years

http://nerdist.com/rick-moranis-returns-acting-mckenzie-brothers-canadian-benefit/

Thanks to movies like Spaceballs and the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids franchise, Rick Moranis was one of comedy?s biggest film stars of the ?80s and ?90s, but we haven?t heard much from the actor since then. He hasn?t appeared in a live-action film since 1997, when he decided to step away from acting and focus on his family. In the last 20 years, the only movie work Moranis has done is a few voice roles in animations, but now he?s making a (small) comeback (via The Hollywood Reporter).

On SCTV, Saturday Night Live, and the movie Strange Brew, Moranis and Dave Thomas (not the Wendy?s guy) hosted a parody talk show called Great White North as*Bob and Doug McKenzie, a pair of brothers who were walking Canadian stereotypes. Now, Thomas? nephew Jake has suffered a spinal cord injury that?s left him paralyzed from the waist down, so Thomas has organized a benefit concert in Toronto on July 18. It?s for this special occasion that Moranis will reunite with his fellow McKenzie brother to act once again.

The event is set to be filled to the brim with Canadian comedy legends: Martin Short is hosting (and he?ll make an appearance as Jiminy Glick as well), and also attending are Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Paul Shaffer, and others.

 
Deadpool 2 now filming

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Stephen Furst Dies: ?Animal House?, ?St. Elsewhere? Actor Was 63

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...-was-63/ar-BBCOEzI?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Actor*Stephen Furst, best known for his performance as the hapless Flounder in Animal House and put-upon rookie doc Eliott Axelrod on St. Elsewhere, died yesterday due to complications from diabetes.

His death was announced by his sons Nathan and Griffith Furst, who asked that fans ?celebrate *his life by watching one of his movies or use one of his bits to make someone else laugh ? really, really hard.? See their entire statement.

Furst had a couple of small credits before landing the part of Kent ?Flounder? Dorfman in 1978?s Animal House. He went on to reprise the role in TV?s short-lived Delta House in 1979.
Guest credits on series like The Jeffersons, Chips and Newhart preceded his second most-memorable role, as Dr. Axelrod on the groundbreaking St. Elsewhere, a performance by turns comic and dramatic as he was forever subjected to the ire of William Daniels? tyrannical Dr. Mark Craig.

He later played Vir Cotto in the 1994-98 Babylon 5, and was the voice of Booster in TV?s Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, among numerous other roles. He was also a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association.
 
Michael Nyqvist, ?Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? Star, Dies at 56

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...s-at-56/ar-BBDmNPW?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the original ?The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? films alongside Noomi Rapace, died on Tuesday following a battle with lung cancer, his representative confirmed. He was 56.

?On behalf of Michael Nyqvist?s representatives and family, it is with deep sadness that I can confirm that our beloved Michael, one of Sweden?s most respected and accomplished actors, has passed away quietly surrounded by family after a year long battle with lung cancer,? said his rep in a statement. ?Michael?s joy and passion were infectious to those who knew and loved him. His charm and charisma were undeniable, and his love for the arts was felt by all who had the pleasure of working with him.?

Though best known for his role in the Swedish ?The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? trilogy, Nyqvist also broke into American film. He played the villain alongside Tom Cruise in ?Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol? and starred as Viggo Tarasov in ?John Wick? with Keanu Reeves.

Nyqvist first garnered international attention as Mikael Blomkvist in ?Millennium,? a six-part television series based on Stieg Larsson?s books following Lisbeth Salander. The series aired on Swedish television in six parts, and was expanded on three theatrically released films in 2009: ?The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,? ?The Girl Who Played With Fire,? and ?The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet?s Nest.?

The Swedish series? success helped spawn an American film adaptation, which was released in 2011. Daniel Craig took over Nyqvist?s role as Blomkvist, and Rooney Mara starred as Lisbeth Salander.

Nyqvist found his first big breakthrough in 2000 with Lukas Moodysson?s ?Together.? The dramedy starred Nyqvist as a misguided husband with anger issues, and earned him his first Guldbagge Award nomination for best actor.

He also appeared in ?Colonia? (2015), starring Emma Watson and Daniel Br?hl, and in Donovan Marsh?s 2017 action-thriller ?Hunter Killer? with Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
His additional Swedish film credits include ?As It Is in Heaven? (2004), ?Suddenly? (2006), ?The Black Pimpernel? (2007), and ?The Guy in the Grave Next Door? (2002), for which Nyqvist won a Guldbagge Award for best actor for his role as Benny the farmer. He also appeared in American films ?Frank and Lola,? ?Disconnect,? and ?Europa Report.?

Nyqvist was an author as well, publishing autobiographical memoir ?Just After Dreaming? (?N?r barnet lagt sig? in Swedish) in 2010. The novel was a compilation of memories from his childhood, and details his life from his adoption as a baby to tracking down his biological parents at age 30.

He is survived by his wife, Catharina, and their children, Ellen and Arthur.
 
Joan Lee, Wife of Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee, Dies at 93

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/cel...end-stan-lee-dies-at-93/ar-BBDVAOk?li=BBmkt5R

Joan Lee, the wife of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 93.

"I can confirm the sad news that Joan Lee passed away this morning quietly and surrounded by her family," a*spokesperson for Stan Lee and his family said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "The family ask that you please give them time to grieve and respect their privacy during this difficult time."

Joan Lee suffered a stroke earlier in the week and was hospitalized, according to sources.

The former British hat model and Lee were married on Dec. 5, 1947, and were by all accounts hopelessly devoted to each other. They had two children: J.C. (Joan Celia), who was born in 1950, and Jan, who died three days after her birth in 1953.

Last year, Lee recounted how he met his wife in a story for The Hollywood Reporter that celebrated his 75th anniversary in comics. After a childhood sweetheart wed another woman, Joan Clayton impulsively married an American soldier during World War II and moved to New York, where she was extremely unhappy. Meanwhile, a cousin of Lee's wanted to set up the struggling writer with a hat model. Lee tells what happened next:
"When I was young, there was one girl I drew; one body and face and hair. It was my idea of what a girl should be. The perfect woman. And when I got out of the Army, somebody, a cousin of mine, knew a model, a hat model at a place called Laden Hats. He said, 'Stan, there's this really pretty girl named Betty. I think you'd like her. She might like you. Why don't you go over and ask her to lunch.' Blah, blah, blah.

"So I went up to this place. Betty didn't answer the door. But Joan answered, and she was the head model. I took one look at her - and she was the girl I had been drawing all my life. And then I heard the English accent. And I'm a nut for English accents! She said, 'May I help you?' And I took a look at her, and I think I said something crazy like, 'I love you.' I don't remember exactly. But anyway, I took her to lunch. I never met Betty, the other girl. I think I proposed to [Joan] at lunch."

In those days, the quickest way to get divorced was to move to Nevada and stay for six weeks to establish residency. Soon after Joan arrived in Reno, Stan received a letter from her addressed to "Jack," and that worried him.
"Now I'm not the smartest guy in world," recalled Lee. "I know my name isn't 'Jack.' And so why did she write 'Dear*Jack?' Maybe I better go to Reno and see what's going on. I got there and she was waiting for me. And there's three guys with her. They all look like John Wayne. Big Western guys! Rugged! And I get off the plane fresh from New York with my little pork pie hat and a little scarf and my gloves. And she's with me. I thought, 'I don't have a chance.' Luckily, I had a chance."

A judge granted Joan her divorce and about an hour later, he married her and Lee in a room next door.

The couple returned to New York, where Lee worked at Marvel Comics forerunner Timely/Atlas Comics, a job he initially landed because his cousin Martin Goodman owned the company. Comics were a middling enterprise until Lee and Jack Kirby co-created The Fantastic Four in 1961 (followed by the Hulk, Avengers, Iron Man, X-Men and other characters) and turned the company, renamed Marvel Comics, into a pop culture powerhouse.

In some versions of the origin of the Fantastic Four, Lee credits Joan with inspiring him. He was depressed about his career (Lee had dreams of becoming a serious novelist) and the state of comics (the industry in the 1950s was dominated by stories of war, science fiction and romance, genres he didn't like) and contemplated leaving the business.

"Before you quit," Joan told him, "why don't you write one comic you are proud of?" And thus was born the Fantastic Four.

In 1981, the Lees moved from New York City to California so Stan could work on developing Marvel TV and film projects. Joan did voice work on two 1990s animated Marvel shows, Fantastic Four (as Miss Forbes) and Spider-Man (as Madame Web). She also made a cameo in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse. *

Joan Lee also wrote a 1987 novel, The Pleasure Palace, about a man striving to build the most luxurious ocean liner ever while romancing several women at once. According to her daughter, she had three more unpublished but finished novels at home).
 
 
BBC Reveals First Female 'Doctor Who' Lead

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/bb...ho-lead/ar-BBEvU90?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

The BBC on Sunday revealed Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor for hit series Doctor Who.*

She will be the first female lead for the*sci-fi series on the U.K. public broadcaster. Current lead Peter Capaldi*will leave his role after this year's Christmas special.

The BBC had on Friday announced that it would unveil the new Doctor after the men's Wimbledon final, taking fans by surprise. Among the various names thrown out by bookies as contenders for the Doctor Who lead role have been the likes of Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Death in Paradise actor Kris Marshall and even Tilda Swinton.

Capaldi first stepped into the Tardis in 2013 and is set to leave at the same time as showrunner Steven Moffat exits the show.

Earlier this year,*Pearl Mackie was tapped to play the first openly gay companion to the space-hopping doc.
 
Martin Landau, Oscar winner for 'Ed Wood,' dies at 89

http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/cel...s-at-89/ar-BBEyVCI?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau, most closely associated with scene-stealing character turns in such films as ?North by Northwest,? ?Crimes and Misdemeanors? and ?Ed Wood? as well as the classic TV series ?Mission: Impossible,? died Saturday in Los Angeles, according to his publicist. He had been hospitalized at UCLA where he experienced complications. He was 89.

The lanky, offbeat-looking veteran of the Actors Studio, for he which he was currently West Coast co-artistic director, had many ups and downs in his career. *His greatest successes (three Oscar nominations and one win) came later in life when he returned to character roles like the one that first won him notice, as James Mason?s sinister gay henchman in Alfred Hitchcock?s ?North by Northwest.?

He was Emmy-nominated five times, and most of his leading man roles came on television, most notably as Rollin Hand, a master of disguise on ?Mission: Impossible.? He later spent a couple of years starring in syndicated sci-fi series ?Space: 1999,? on which, as with ?Mission: Impossible,? he co-starred with then-wife Barbara Bain.

After a dry spell, his career roared back to life in the late 1980s when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in ?Tucker: The Man and His Dream,? which brought Landau the first of three supporting noms. It was, he reminded one journalist, the first time this ?Jewish kid from Brooklyn? took a role that called for him to play Jewish.

An even more impressive turn as a successful Jewish ophthalmologist haunted by a secret in Woody Allen?s drama ?Crimes and Misdemeanors? brought him an Oscar nomination for the second year in a row.
In 1994 came the part of a lifetime for a character actor, the dying, once-famous screen ghoul Bela Lugosi, in Tim Burton?s whacked-out ?Ed Wood.? Landau won the supporting actor Oscar.

Landau made his first bigscreen impression in Alfred Hitchcock?s action suspenser ?North by Northwest,? playing the villain who does Mason?s dirty work. The role led to a major supporting role in the epic ?Cleopatra,? on which Landau spent a year, only to find most of his role as General Rufio on the cutting-room floor. ?What could I do?? he later lamented. ?They couldn?t cut Richard Burton or Elizabeth Taylor.?
During the 1960s he had character roles in ?The Greatest Story Ever Told,? ?Nevada Smith? and ?The Hallelujah Trail.?

Landau had been doing television work since the 1950s but got busy in TV in the mid-?60s, with several guest appearances on sci-fier ?The Outer Limits? and spy skein ?The Man From U.N.C.L.E.? He was producer Gene Roddenberry?s first choice for the role of Spock on ?Star Trek,? but the role wound up going to Leonard Nimoy after Landau opted for ?Mission: Impossible.? (Nimoy would later take a recurring role on ?Mission: Impossible.?)
On the enormously successful ?Mission: Impossible,? Landau and Bain played well off one another and with the rest of the regular ensemble, which included Peter Graves. Landau stayed with the series for three years, through 1969, drawing Emmy nominations three years in a row. He said his reason for leaving (and Bain?s as well) was artistic differences over the general direction of the show, though others claim salary demands were the real problem.

However, roles in ?A Town Called Hell,? ?Operation Snafu? and another villain role in ?They Call Me Mister Tibbs? didn?t result in major acclaim.

Television came to the rescue again with the two-year run of ?Space: 1999? in the mid-?70s. Numerous TV movie turns reached a nadir with ?The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan?s Island? in 1981.
He and Bain divorced, and Landau spent the ?80s in roles in mostly obscure films. He also worked as an acting teacher.

After the successes of ?Tucker,? ?Crimes and Misdemeanors? and ?Ed Wood,? Landau had a steady stream of mostly supporting work on the bigscreen from the mid-?90s through the late 2000s.

He brought poignancy to his role as a judge in ?City Hall? and played Gepetto in ?The Adventures of Pinocchio.? He contributed a memorable turn to ?The X-Files? movie in 1998, worked for Burton again in ?Sleepy Hollow? and took roles in ?Rounders,? ?The Majestic? and ?Hollywood Homicide.?

He had a series of roles in small films including 2006?s ?David and Fatima? and starred in 2008?s ?Harrison Montgomery.?

There was also higher-profile work: Landau starred with Judy Parfitt in 2004 Holocaust drama ?The Aryan Couple.? He also had a role in ?City of Ember? and did voicework for the 2009 animated feature ?9? and 2012?s ?Frankenweenie.?

Landau provided voices for the 1997 Oscar-winning documentary ?The Long Way Home? and appeared as himself in the docus ?Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen?s,? ?Cannes: Through the Eyes of the Hunter? and ?Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There? (2003) as well as a 2011 ?American Masters? documentary on Woody Allen.

He kept his hand in on the smallscreen as well, starring in the miniseries ?Bonanno: A Godfather?s Story? and appearing as a series regular on the brief ABC series ?The Evidence.? He recurring notably on ?Without a Trace? as Anthony LaPaglia?s father with Alzheimer?s and on ?Entourage? as a washed-up producer, drawing Emmy nominations in 2004 and 2005 for the former and in 2007 for the latter. Most recently he appeared in ?The Last Poker Game? with Paul Sorvino, which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, and in ?Remember? for director Atom Egoyan.

Also in the 2000s, Landau worked as an acting coach in a venture with director Mark Rydell and screenwriter-playwriter Lyle Kessler.

The Brooklynite started out as a cartoonist, spending four years with the New York Daily News from 1948-51, then turned his attentions to acting. He claimed that he and Steve McQueen were the only two among 2,000 applicants whose auditions gained them admittance to the Actors Studio (of which Landau later became an officer).

Landau did some stage work, most notably touring with the Paddy Chayefsky play ?Middle of the Night? in 1956-57. He married one of the understudies, Bain, whom he met in Curt Conway?s acting classes.
His film debut came in a small role in ?Pork Chop Hill? in 1959, followed by a larger role in ?The Gazebo.? Then he drew attention for his role in ?North by Northwest.?

He is survived by two daughters, writer-producer-casting director Susan Landau Finch and thesp Juliet Landau of ?Buffy the Vampire Slayer? fame, a sister and a granddaughter.
 
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