Juliet Landau
Encyclopedia
Juliet Rose Landau is an American actress best known for her role as Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff show Angel
, the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award
nomination. She is also known for co-starring as Loretta King Hadler
in Tim Burton
's Ed Wood
.
She has appeared in a diverse range of roles. She is active in film, television and theater.
and Barbara Bain
. Her older sister is film producer Susan Landau Finch, born Susan Meredeth Landau, and the sisters spent their early childhood in a Tudor style house in West Los Angeles. Her family is of Jewish faith. She was a professional ballerina
. Her mentor was the late actress, Susan Peretz
.
– a film which also featured her father, Martin – as Loretta King and starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg
in New Line Cinema's Theodore Rex
. She played the role of Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, appearing on Buffy and its spinoff show Angel
over the course of six seasons. Steve Vinberg of The New York Times
hailed, "The wildly gifted Juliet Landau plays Drusilla like an acid-addled cross between Ophelia
and Cassandra
."
Lead roles in independent films include: The Yellow Wallpaper
, Darkness Visible, Hack, Toolbox Murders
, Repossessed, Carlo's Wake, Life Among the Cannibals, Ravager, Direct Hit, Citizens and a co-starring turn in Henry Jaglom
's Going Shopping.
TV guest appearances include: Millennium
, La Femme Nikita, Strong Medicine
and a starring role in the Lifetime
movie Fatal Reunion. She just completed a project for HBO directed by Jake Scott
. She used her skill with dialects by lending her voice to various characters on the popular animated series Justice League Unlimited
and Ben 10
as well as the animated movie Green Lantern: First Flight
. She has also provided her voice for both BioShock
video games.
Landau has received outstanding reviews for her work in the theater. Lead roles include Awake and Sing at The Pittsburgh Public Theater
, the world premiere of Failure of Nerve, Uncommon Women and Others, The Pushcart Peddlers, Billy Irish, We're Talking Today Here, the musical How To Steal An Election, the West Coast premiere of Irish Coffee and the world premiere of Murray Shisgal's musical The Songs Of War. She played Natasha in a reading of The Three Sisters that Al Pacino
put together at The Actors Studio.
Her first work as director was Take Flight, a short documentary film about Gary Oldman
. It is about Oldman's creative process. He has said, "Juliet Landau is an exceptional talent! I entrusted Juliet to make a documentary film about me and I am thrilled with the results! Take Flight is a special film that shows me in a very different light. I will work with Juliet again without hesitation." She has written the short film, It's Raining Cats and Cats and adapted Andrew Prine
's play Cissy into a short as well. She will helm these projects. She portrayed Claire in the British horror film Haunted Echoes, who was directed by Harry Bromley Davenport
.
In 2009 Juliet Landau co-wrote two issues of the Angel
comic book series for IDW Publishing
, in collaboration with Brian Lynch. The issues (#24 and #25 of the series, appearing in August and September 2009) feature Drusilla, the character she played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
. In addition to writing, she contributed numerous ideas and references for both the cover and interior art of the issues. She has stated that she would like to write more comics set in the Buffyverse.
and as recently as of 2008 was being mentored by Mike Medavoy
.
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
, the latter appearance earning her a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
nomination. She is also known for co-starring as Loretta King Hadler
Loretta King Hadler
Loretta King Hadler was an American actress, best known for the brevity of her career and her relationship with director Ed Wood.-Career:...
in Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's Ed Wood
Ed Wood (film)
Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau...
.
She has appeared in a diverse range of roles. She is active in film, television and theater.
Early life
Landau was born in Los Angeles to actor parents Martin LandauMartin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
and Barbara Bain
Barbara Bain
Millicent Fogel , known professionally as Barbara Bain, is an American actress.-Early life:Bain was born in Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She moved to New York City, where she was a dancer and high fashion model. Bain studied with...
. Her older sister is film producer Susan Landau Finch, born Susan Meredeth Landau, and the sisters spent their early childhood in a Tudor style house in West Los Angeles. Her family is of Jewish faith. She was a professional ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
. Her mentor was the late actress, Susan Peretz
Susan Peretz
Susan Peretz was an American actress, best known for her performances in film and on television. Among others, she appeared in Dog Day Afternoon, Melvin and Howard, Swing Shift, and Oh, God! You Devil....
.
Career
Landau co-starred in Ed WoodEd Wood (film)
Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau...
– a film which also featured her father, Martin – as Loretta King and starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
in New Line Cinema's Theodore Rex
Theodore Rex
Theodore Rex, also known as T. Rex, is a 1996 buddy cop/science fiction/family film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Though originally intended for theatrical release, the film went direct-to-video, and consequently became the most expensive direct-to-video film ever made at the time of its release.The...
. She played the role of Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, appearing on Buffy and its spinoff show Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
over the course of six seasons. Steve Vinberg of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
hailed, "The wildly gifted Juliet Landau plays Drusilla like an acid-addled cross between Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
and Cassandra
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
."
Lead roles in independent films include: The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper (film)
The Yellow Wallpaper is a 2011 gothic thriller film based on the short story of the same name written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.- Plot :...
, Darkness Visible, Hack, Toolbox Murders
Toolbox Murders
Toolbox Murders is a remake of the 1978 film The Toolbox Murders. In spring of 2003, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist director Tobe Hooper announced he had plans to direct the remake. Hooper announced his cast as Angela Bettis from the cult hit May, and Juliet Landau, from the Buffy the...
, Repossessed, Carlo's Wake, Life Among the Cannibals, Ravager, Direct Hit, Citizens and a co-starring turn in Henry Jaglom
Henry Jaglom
- Life and career :Born January 26, 1941 in London, England to Simon and Marie Jaglom, Henry Jaglom trained with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, where he acted, wrote and directed off-Broadway theater and cabaret before settling in Hollywood in the late 1960s...
's Going Shopping.
TV guest appearances include: Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
, La Femme Nikita, Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
and a starring role in the Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
movie Fatal Reunion. She just completed a project for HBO directed by Jake Scott
Jake Scott (director)
Jake Scott is a British film director who works primarily in the field of music videos. Most of his works were produced under the Ridley Scott Associates banner or RSA's music video subdivision Black Dog Films...
. She used her skill with dialects by lending her voice to various characters on the popular animated series Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
and Ben 10
Ben 10
The Omnitrix was originally created by a Galvan named Azmuth. The Omnitrix was intended to allow beings to experience life as other species in order to bring understanding and foster peace in the universe....
as well as the animated movie Green Lantern: First Flight
Green Lantern: First Flight
# "Main Title" # "The Ring Chooses Hal" # "Hal Meets / The Flight of The Lanterns" # "Labella's Club" # "Going After Cuch" # "The Way I Heard It" # "Bugs in the Baggage" # "Teleport Pursuit"...
. She has also provided her voice for both BioShock
Bioshock
BioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
video games.
Landau has received outstanding reviews for her work in the theater. Lead roles include Awake and Sing at The Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
, the world premiere of Failure of Nerve, Uncommon Women and Others, The Pushcart Peddlers, Billy Irish, We're Talking Today Here, the musical How To Steal An Election, the West Coast premiere of Irish Coffee and the world premiere of Murray Shisgal's musical The Songs Of War. She played Natasha in a reading of The Three Sisters that Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
put together at The Actors Studio.
Her first work as director was Take Flight, a short documentary film about Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
. It is about Oldman's creative process. He has said, "Juliet Landau is an exceptional talent! I entrusted Juliet to make a documentary film about me and I am thrilled with the results! Take Flight is a special film that shows me in a very different light. I will work with Juliet again without hesitation." She has written the short film, It's Raining Cats and Cats and adapted Andrew Prine
Andrew Prine
Andrew Lewis Prine is an American film, stage, and television actor.-Early life and career:Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Andrew Jackson High School in Miami, Prine made his acting debut three years later in an episode of CBS U.S. Steel Hour...
's play Cissy into a short as well. She will helm these projects. She portrayed Claire in the British horror film Haunted Echoes, who was directed by Harry Bromley Davenport
Harry Bromley Davenport
Harry Bromley Davenport is an English director, producer as well as in the beginning of his career a film screenwriter...
.
In 2009 Juliet Landau co-wrote two issues of the Angel
Angel: After the Fall
Angel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
comic book series for IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, in collaboration with Brian Lynch. The issues (#24 and #25 of the series, appearing in August and September 2009) feature Drusilla, the character she played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. In addition to writing, she contributed numerous ideas and references for both the cover and interior art of the issues. She has stated that she would like to write more comics set in the Buffyverse.
Personal life
Landau is a member of The Actors StudioActors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
and as recently as of 2008 was being mentored by Mike Medavoy
Mike Medavoy
Morris Mike Medavoy is an American film producer and executive, co-founder of Orion Pictures , former chairman of TriStar Pictures, former head of production for United Artists and current chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures.-Early life and career:Medavoy was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 to...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose Parker Lewis Can't Lose Parker Lewis Can't Lose is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on FOX from September 1990 to June 1993. During the last season, the series sported the simpler title Parker Lewis. The series was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and was strongly influenced by the feature film Ferris... |
Lucinda | Episode: "Dance of Romance" |
| 1999 | Millennium Millennium (TV series) Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington... |
Jeanie Bronstein | Episode: "Forcing the End" |
| La Femme Nikita | Sarah Gerrard | Episode: "Before I Sleep" | |
| Jan Baylin | |||
| 1997-2003 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Drusilla | 18 episodes |
| 2000-2004 | Angel Angel (TV series) Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999... |
7 episodes (flashbacks) | |
| 2003 | Strong Medicine Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and... |
Lorraine | Episode: "Seize the Day" |
| 2005 | Fatal Reunion | Lisa Calders | (TV movie) |
| 2005-2006 | Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the... |
Tala, Plastique, Bernadeth, Rama Kushna | (7 Episodes) Voice Role |
| 2008 | Ben 10: Alien Force Ben 10: Alien Force When it recalibrated it gained a more watch-like shape, a green wristband, became smaller and sleeker, and the face dial became black and green. The inside of the hourglass shape glows in different colors at special moments; these colors signify the state that the Omnitrix is presently in... |
Natalie/Anodite Verdona | Episode: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" |
| Helen | Episode: "Plumber's Helpers." | ||
| Episode: "Voided" | |||
| 2009 | Helen/Tini | Episode: "Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1" | |
| 2010 | Helen | Episode: "Above & Beyond" | |
| 2011 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Fritz | Episode: "Viktor: The Spoils" |
| Natalie/Verdona | Episode: "Girl Trouble" | ||
| Natalie/French Classroom Teacher | Episode: "It's Not Easy Being Gwen" | ||
| Verdona/Waitress | Episode: "Moonstruck" | ||
| Lesbians on Acid | Herself | Episode: "Goodnight Burbank" | |
| The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been... |
Susan Storm / Invisible Woman | Episode: "The Private War of Dr. Doom" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Pump Up the Volume Pump Up the Volume (film) Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.- Plot summary :... |
Joni (scenes deleted) |
| 1990 | The Grifters The Grifters (film) The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. It stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening and is based upon The Grifters, a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.-Plot:... |
Young Lilly |
| 1992 | Neon City | Twink |
| 1994 | Ed Wood Ed Wood (film) Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau... |
Loretta King |
| 1994 | Direct Hit Direct Hit (film) Direct Hit is a 1994 action film starring William Forsythe and directed by Joseph Merhi.-Plot:John Hatch informs his CIA handlers that his next hit will be his last. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that his target isn't a criminal at all... |
Shelly |
| 1995 | Theodore Rex | Dr. Veronica Shade |
| 1996 | Life Among the Cannibals | Rachael |
| 1997 | Ravager Ravager (film) Ravager is a 1997 Horror/Science Fiction film written and directed by James D Deck and starring Bruce Payne.-Plot:A passenger spaceship is forced to land in a desolate territory on Earth. The crew of the spaceship discover military bio-weapons after searching for minerals within the territory... |
Sarra |
| 1999 | Carlo's Wake | Anna Torello |
| 2001 | Freedom Park | |
| 2002 | Citizens | Zoey |
| 2002 | Repossessed | Alison Labatte |
| 2004 | Toolbox Murders Toolbox Murders Toolbox Murders is a remake of the 1978 film The Toolbox Murders. In spring of 2003, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist director Tobe Hooper announced he had plans to direct the remake. Hooper announced his cast as Angela Bettis from the cult hit May, and Juliet Landau, from the Buffy the... |
Julia Cunningham |
| 2005 | Going Shopping Going Shopping Going Shopping is a 2005 American romance film directed by Henry Jaglom and stars Victoria Foyt, Rob Morrow, and Lee Grant .-Cast:* Victoria Foyt as Holly Gilmore* Rob Morrow as Miles* Lee Grant as Winnie... |
Isabella |
| 2007 | Bioshock Bioshock BioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007... |
Little Sisters |
| 2007 | Hack! Hack! (film) Hack! is a 2007 American horror film directed and written by Matt Flynn. In this movie, a bunch of kids go on a school field trip, and end up walking onto the set of a snuff film.The film was released in the UK on 20 July 2007.- Cast and characters :... |
Mary |
| 2008 | Haunted Echoes (aka: Darkness Visible) | Claire |
| 2008 | Take Flight: Gary Oldman Directs Chutzpah | Director |
| 2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight Green Lantern: First Flight # "Main Title" # "The Ring Chooses Hal" # "Hal Meets / The Flight of The Lanterns" # "Labella's Club" # "Going After Cuch" # "The Way I Heard It" # "Bugs in the Baggage" # "Teleport Pursuit"... |
Labella |
| 2009 | Monster Mutt | Nataliya |
| 2011 | The Yellow Wallpaper The Yellow Wallpaper (film) The Yellow Wallpaper is a 2011 gothic thriller film based on the short story of the same name written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.- Plot :... |
Charlotte Weiland |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Drusilla in Angel in 1999 |