Tributes to Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau who dies at 89

'Talented, sweet, generous' actor known for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood passes away

Tributes have been paid to Oscar-winning Jewish actor Martin Landau after his death at the age of 89.

Landau died of “unexpected complications” on Saturday during a brief spell in a Los Angeles hospital, his publicist Dick Guttman said.

He was born in New York into a Jewish family, and according to the Jewish Journal, ‘during World War II, his Austrian-born father scrambled to rescue relatives from the Nazis.’

He won the best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of horror actor Bela Lugosi in the 1994 Tim Burton film Ed Wood, which also starred Johnny Depp.

Actress Patricia Arquette paid tribute to Landau as a “talented, sweet, generous” actor.

“Working with Martin Landau on Ed Wood was a joy,” she added.

Actor Ralph Macchio said he was a “simply wonderful” performer whose Oscar-nominated performance in Woody Allen’s Crimes And Misdemeanours is among his favourites.

Landau also starred in the British series Space: 1999 alongside his then wife, Barbara Bain.

He won his first Oscar nomination for his role in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1988 film Tucker: The Man And His Dream.

Mr Guttman announced his death in a statement on Sunday.

“We are overcome with sadness to report the death of iconic actor Martin Landau on July 15th, 2017, at 1.30pm at UCLA Medical Centre, where he succumbed to unexpected complications during a short hospitalisation,” he said.

“He had just celebrated his 89th birthday.”