Everything that has happened to me is of value to me. As painful as certain things are, and have been, and were, there's a use for those things in my life and in my work.

Early life
Landau was born in Brooklyn New York the son of Selma and Morris Landau. His family was Jewish and his father an Austrian-born machinist scrambled to rescue relatives from the Nazis. Actors he has coached include Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston.

He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture and his first nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Tucker: The Man and His Dream and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). He continues to perform in film and television and heads the Hollywood branch of the Actors Studio. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959).