After working as a dubbing actor for a short time in the 1950s, he debuted with his first considerable role in film in José María Forqué's Atraco a las tres in 1962.

Landa became the "sexually repressed" role of that trend, especially under directors Mariano Ozores and Pedro Lazaga.

[2] Afterwards, Landa changed his image, taking much deeper roles, like his bandit in El Bosque animado.

[3] Landa, along with Francisco Rabal, won the Best Actor award at 1984 Cannes Film Festival for his memorable performance in Los santos inocentes.

After a career with more than one hundred and twenty movies, one dozen of television series, and several stage successes, with a great amount of Spanish and European awards, 74-year-old Landa announced his retirement at the X Festival de Cine de Málaga (10th Movie Festival of Málaga) while receiving a new award.