Telly Savalas

Aristotelis Telly Savalass (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer. He is best known from playing the character Kojak in a television series and many television movies. He was born in Garden City, New York; his parents were Greek Americans.

 Career 
Early in his career, he played different characters like the detective in Cape Fear (1962), with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, and the role of Feto Gomez in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), he would win the Academy Award as supporting actor.

One of his best roles in his career was that of Pontius Pilate, in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). For his role, he shaved his head.

Then co-star in war movies Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), with Lee Marvin, Telly played the role of a religious fanatic convict, who is elected by Lee Marvin for a suicidal mission., and Kelly's Heroes (1970), with Clint Eastwood and directed by Brian G. Hutton.

He was then personified as the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in the James Bond saga, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

In the 1970s Savalas worked in Europe with some success in movies as Città violenta (1970), with Charles Bronson, A Town Called Bastard (1971), with Jack Palance, La banda J.S.: Cronaca criminale del Far West (1972), Horror Express (1972) with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, Senza ragione (1973). and the movie by Mario Bava, Lisa e il diavolo (1974).

In the late 70s and early 1980s, Savalas worked on movies including Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), Cannonball Run II (1984).

 Television 
In 1963 he was on an episode of The Twilight Zone.
In 1973 CBS hired him to play the role of a Lieutenant, member of the police detective in New York, in production for CBS television: The Marcus-Nelson Murders. Has a success out of the ordinary and the producers decided to turn it into a television series. 

Seven TV movies were made in the series Kojak: Kojak: The Belarus File (1985), Kojak: The Price of Justice (1987), Kojak: Ariana (1989), Kojak: Fatal Flaw (1991),  Kojak: Flowers for Matty (1990), Kojak: It's Always Something (1990) and Kojak: None So Blind (1990).  

He won an Emmy Award for Kojak.

He also starred in TV movie productions Mongo's Back in Town (1972), She Cried Murder (1973), Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980), Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987), The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988), The Hollywood Detective (1989).

 Filmography 

+ Movie Year Títle Role Note1961 Mad Dog Coll  Lt. Darro    The Young Savages    Detective Lt. Gunderson  1962 Cape Fear    Private Detective Charles Sievers    Birdman of Alcatraz  Feto Gomez  Oscar Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Telly Savalas)      1963  The Man from the Diners' Club  Foots Pulardos   Love Is a Ball   Dr. Christian Gump 1964  The New Interns  Dr. Dominick 'Dom' Riccio  1965  The Greatest Story Ever Told   Pontius Pilate  Genghis Khan  Shan  Battle of the Bulge   Sgt. Guffy  The Slender Thread  Dr. Joe Coburn  1966  Beau Geste   Sgt. Maj. Dagineau 1967  The Dirty Dozen  Archer Maggott  Sol Madrid   Emil Dietrich  The Scalphunters  Jim Howie   1968  Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell   Walter Braddock  1969  The Assassination Bureau  Lord Bostwick   Mackenna's Gold   Sgt. Tibbs  Crooks and Coronets  Herbie Haseler   Land Raiders   Vince Carden  On Her Majesty's Secret Service  Ernst Stavro Blofeld  1970  Kelly's Heroes   MSgt. Big Joe  Città violenta  Al Weber 1971  Pretty Maids All in a Row   Captain Sam Surcher  A Town Called Bastard  Don Carlos  Clay Pigeon   Redford1972  La banda J.S.: Cronaca criminale del Far West  Sheriff Franciscus    Mongo's Back in Town (TV movie)  Lieutenant Pete Tolstad  Pancho Villa   Pancho Villa   Horror Express   Captain Kazan  Una ragione per vivere e una per morire   Maj. Ward  1973  I familiari delle vittime non saranno avvertiti   Don Vincenzo  The Marcus-Nelson Murders (TV movie)  Lt. Theo Kojak1973/1978  Kojak (TV series)  Lt. Theo Kojak 118 episodes1974  Lisa e il diavolo   Leandro1975  L'assassino... è al telefono   Ranko Drasovic  Inside Out   Harry Morgan 1976  Killer Force   Webb 1977  Beyond Reason   Dr. Nicholas Mati1978  Capricorn One   Albain  1979  Escape to Athena   Captain Stefan Svevo  The Muppet Movie    Sleezo Tough 1980  The Border   Frank Cooper 1982  Fake-Out  1984  Cannonball Run II   Hymie Kaplan 1985  Kojak: The Belarus File (TV movie)   Lieutenant Theo Kojak1987  Kojak: The Price of Justice (TV movie)  Inspector Kojak Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (TV movie)  Maj. Wright  Faceless   Terry Hallen 1988  The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (TV movie)  Maj. Wright 1989  Kojak: Ariana (TV movie)  Inspector Kojak The Hollywood Detective (TV movie)  Harry Bell 1990  Kojak: Flowers for Matty (TV movie)  Inspector Theo Kojak  Kojak: It's Always Something (TV movie)  Inspector Theo Kojak  Kojak: None So Blind (TV movie)  Inspector Theo Kojak 1991  Kojak: Fatal Flaw (TV movie)  Inspector Theo Kojak 1994  Mind Twister   Richard Howland 

 References 

 Other websites 

 Official site 
 Savalas.TV - Who loves ya, baby?
 TellySavalas.de - German Infoside 
 TellySavalas.com 




Category:1922 births
Category:1994 deaths
Category:Actors from New York City
Category:Actors who played Bond villains
Category:American Eastern Orthodox Christians
Category:American movie actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American television directors
Category:Cancer deaths in Los Angeles County, California
Category:Deaths from bladder cancer
Category:Deaths from prostate cancer
Category:American Emmy Award winning actors