The Merchandise Guide
Annual 1976

Actor Martin Landau, who plays the part of Commander John Koenig, is no stranger to the more fantastic side of television fiction. He made his name, so to speak, in the long-running and highly successful series 'Mission: Impossible', where he played Rollin Hand, a master of disguise employed on the team dedicated to the performance of undercover operations so tricky that they'd been officially classed as unworkable.    As it happens, Martin Landau worked in that series alongside Barbara Bain--his wife--who co- starts with him in this 'Space: 1999' series.	American astrophysicist. Ex pilot.    Ex astronaut. Born 1959. As school-    boy, fascinated by man's first    approaches to Moon. Showed early    interest in science (See educational    record, E50/K/3C) and became    involved in US space program age 21.       Was responsible for planning and    control of many outstanding space    missions (Records file G16/K/30).    Asked to help on original design for    Moonbase Alpha, involved himself    deeper and deeper in project and    finally persuaded to become    Commander. Almost immediately after    take-over, Breakaway took Moon out    of Earth's orbit, leaving Koenig in    supreme control.
But this versatile actor--a New Yorker born in Brooklyn-- started out in life with a very different career in mind. He trained as an artist, eventually landing a job as a cartoonist/ illustrator on the New York Daily News. He still sketches, especially in the long periods of waiting between 'takes'--those patches of boredom familiar to any actor,	when scenes are being arranged, and direction is being worked out.    Martin took to acting because of the dull routine of a staff artist's life. "I could see myself at the same drawing-board, turning out the same stuff year after year. I made the clean break and took to the stage--not an easy decision, but one that I felt was necessary."	Professional training brought out the undoubted talent that he possessed, and he worked in the gruelling 'nurseries' of 'little theatre' productions and off- Broadway shows. He joined Lee Strasberg's world-famous Actors' Studio, and landed small parts in various TV shows. But it was a Broadway show that went on tour that gave him his first big break in
		films. The tour ended in Los Angeles, and he got a part in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, 'North by North-West'. After that, one film followed another--'Pork Chop Hill', 'The Gazebo', 'Cleopatra' . . .    Then, after a further series of TV parts, came the 'Mission: Impossible' series. And the rest is history. The Moon, together with Commander John Koenig, may have vanished from sight of our Earth. Martin Landau remains, right there in the public eye!

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