When I talked about the next Special Features article that I wanted to have done, I wasn’t expecting this to be the one. I had the other article all written and ready, I feel like this one should be done first and I will get the other one up soon.
It was a huge shocker as two film legends have left us. Director George A. Romero, 77, and actor Martin Landau, 89, have both passed on. While these two never crossed paths, it is important that both are in this tribute because they gave so much to film.
What got me into George A. Romero was through his film Night Of The Living Dead. I was in high school at the time and I hadn’t seen it before. It was on a local station that was airing the film on a Saturday matinee type of show. I turned it on and was instantly hooked. The film was fantastic and I had to see more. I went on to some of his other films like Dawn Of The Dead and Day Of The Dead. Now I’m not one that is a zombie fan but, if it were not for him I wouldn’t have seen Night Of The Living Dead and the movie probably wouldn’t of been in my top five favorite horror films.
Martin Landau was someone that I never really knew about all that much. He was well respected in the acting industry and even headed the Actors Studio organization. I remember the first time I saw him was in Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest as James Mason’s henchman. He also starred in the Mission Impossible television series in the 1960’s. What I remembered him best for though was his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood biopic. Landau gave it his all for the role and he was rewarded with an Academy Award win for best supporting actor.
These two film legends in the film industry may be gone but, they’re not forgotten. While we will mourn the loss of them, we also need to celebrate their lives and work. If you have time watch some of their works and you will see why they are highly respected in their line of work.
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