Jack Landau (December 23, 1922, in Braddock, Pennsylvania – March 15, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American stage and television director.
[2] Landau's first time working on Broadway occurred in April 1944 when he did the lighting design for War President, a play by Nat Sherman.
The play, a "drama about [Abraham] Lincoln and his relationships with his Cabinet," was staged at the Shubert Theatre (New York City), and it had only two performances (April 24–25).
[4][5][6] In 1955, he directed The Carefree Tree, a two-act play by Aldyth Morris performed at the Phoenix Theatre (New York City).
[10] On the evening of Wednesday, October 4, 1961, Landau directed seven of his actors in five scenes from the following plays: Macbeth, Troilus and Cressida, Henry V, As You Like It and The Tempest.
[18] In February 1969, the Massachusetts Supreme Court overturned the murder convictions because the police did not let the suspects talk with their attorneys while they were being questioned.
[19] Since the case would be up for retrial, Riley and McKenna seized the opportunity to strike a plea deal, and they pled guilty to manslaughter, each being sentenced to 12 to 20 years for Landau's death.