David Landau (born David Magee; March 9, 1879Some sources cite 1878 – September 20, 1935) was an American stage and film actor who appeared in 33 films from 1931 to 1935. He appeared on Broadway in 12 plays from 1919 to 1929.Profile, Internet Broadway Database; accessed August 26, 2017.
Early life and start of film career Landau was born in Philadelphia, the son of Robert Magee, who emigrated from County Londonderry, Ireland and listed his occupation as a gardener on the 1880 census. His mother, Maryann, was Pennsylvania-born of Irish and English descent. Landau studied law at the University of Pennsylvania. To improve his diction, he took a class in dramatics and later abandoned his law studies. He performed on Broadway and in many other stage productions, including beginning at the Burbank and Belasco theatres in Los Angeles in 1931. For at least three years, he performed in Street Scene, beginning in New York and then in other cities, including London. He made his film debut in 1931.
Personal life and death Landau's first wife was legally concluded by a court to have been actress Frances Landau (born Sarah Frances Newhall), whom he married on April 14, 1903, in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. In his will, he questioned whether Frances had obtained a legal divorce from her previous husband, Edwin T. Emory, in 1900, before she had married him in 1903. Landau directed in his will that if Frances could prove her legal divorce from her previous husband, she should receive "the smallest legal amount" possible. His will left his estate ($3,803) to Delight Howell, "the best friend I ever had … in payment for her loyalty in spite of adversity". According to the 1930 U.S. census, he was living with her in New York at that time. Howell is listed as "Lodger". Frances Landau claimed that Howell had taken advantage of her husband to make him believe that he and Frances had never been legally married. His funeral announcement in the Los Angeles Times referred to him as "[the] beloved husband of Delight Landau"; his obituary in The New York Times cited "Mrs. Delight Landau, his widow, survives".
In 1934, Landau suffered a stroke from which he never recovered. He died of a heart attack at his home on September 20, 1935. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Partial filmography
Bondwomen (1915) - David Power I Take This Woman (1931) - Circus Boss Street Scene (1931) - Mr. Frank Maurrant Arrowsmith (1931) - State Veterinarian This Reckless Age (1932) - Matthew Daggett Union Depot (1932) - Kendall Taxi! (1932) - Buck Gerard Polly of the Circus (1932) - Beef It's Tough to Be Famous (1932) - Chief Petty Officer Steve Stevens Amateur Daddy (1932) - Sam Pelgram The Roadhouse Murder (1932) - Kraft The Purchase Price (1932) - Bull McDowell Horse Feathers (1932) - Jennings 70,000 Witnesses (1932) - Dan McKenna The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) - Tom Blake Heritage of the Desert (1932) - Judson Holderness False Faces (1932) - McCullough Air Mail (1932) - 'Pop' I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) - The Warden Under-Cover Man (1932) - Inspector Conklin They Just Had to Get Married (1932) - Montrose Lawyer Man (1932) - John Gilmurry She Done Him Wrong (1933) - Dan Flynn The Crime of the Century (1933) - Police Lt. Frank Martin Gabriel Over the White House (1933) - John Bronson The Nuisance (1933) - Kelley No Marriage Ties (1933) - Mr. Zimmer, Editor of 'The Reflector' One Man's Journey (1933) - McGinnis Bedside (1934) - Smith As the Earth Turns (1934) - Mark Shaw Wharf Angel (1934) - Moore The Man With Two Faces (1934) - Curtis Death on the Diamond (1934) - 'Pop' Clark Judge Priest (1934) - Bob Gillis (final film role)
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