Telly Savalas

Biography

Son of Greek immigrants.

Soldier during World War II.

Studied psychology.

Worked as journalist for ABC News.

The bald-headed actor played character roles, often as sadistic or psychotic types.

He became a TV favorite in the 1970s when his role as Det.

Theo Kojak in the TV movie _"Kojak" TV series, lasting from 1973-78.

No detailed information about his background, personal life, education, professional experience, or accomplishments has been provided or confirmed. This section serves as a general placeholder until more accurate and verified details can be collected and published.

There are many reasons why a biography might be missing or incomplete. In some cases, individuals are listed or mentioned before a profile has been written. In others, a person may wish to maintain privacy, or their contributions may not yet be fully documented. The absence of a biography does not imply a lack of importance or relevance. Every individual has a unique story, and this section acknowledges that Telly Savalas is part of a broader context—even if the details are not yet available.

As more information becomes accessible through official records, publications, or direct input, this biography will be updated to reflect who Telly Savalas is and what he brings to his field or role. The intention is to provide an accurate, respectful, and informative profile when the time is right.

Until then, this entry will remain simple and general. It avoids speculation and assumptions, and instead leaves space open for a future version that can properly represent Telly Savalas's journey, achievements, and contributions. We look forward to adding more when the opportunity allows.

For now, Telly Savalas is acknowledged here without further detail, with the understanding that every person’s story is valuable—even if it hasn’t yet been told.

Country: United States
Gender: Male
Education: Columbia University School of General Studies·Columbia University
Place of birth: Garden City· New York
Birth date: 21 January 1922
Member of: Democratic Party
Nationality: American

Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Early in his career he played mainly brutish criminals until he changed his image completely in the 1970s, when he was cast as a homicide detective in the acclaimed TV-movie "Kojak" {The Marcus-Nelson Murders (#1.0)} and its spin-off series, "Kojak" .
He used off-script phrases and mottoes in Greek during filming.
His younger brother, George Savalas , starred in "Kojak" and in "Kellys Heroes" with him.
Father of Christina Savalas (born 1950) (with Katherine Nicolaides); Candace Savalas (born 1963) and Penelope Savalas (with Marilyn Gardner ); Nick Savalas (with Sally Sheridan ); and Christian Savalas and Ariana Savalas (with Julie Hovland).
Telly Savalas passed away on January 22, 1994. Just 1 day before his death, he celebrated his 72nd and last birthday with his family, friends and colleagues at the Universal Sheraton Inn in Universal City, California.
Was friends with actor John Aniston and named godfather of Jennifer Aniston.
Was originally slated to play Luke in Cool Hand Luke , but the producers were unable to wait for him to complete his boat trip from Europe to the U.S.
Before he was a successful actor, early in his career, he directed stage plays at a theater in Connecticut.
He was an accomplished poker player.
His son Nick Savalas s half-sister, Nicollette Sheridan , and his former "Kojak" co-star, Kevin Dobson , both starred in the popular 1980s soap opera, "Knots Landing" .

[When he was battling prostate cancer]: The challenge is to live long,enough to raise my children.
[In 1989]: Now, I let someone else do all the running.
[When he became a popular nightclub singer]: I had the No. 1 record in,England, knocking Mick Jagger off the top of the pops.
[In 1977]: It will be a sad day when I begin thinking of all this as,work. I enjoy every minute of it.

Movies

Backfire!
1995
Just as Jeremy Jackson attempts to become the first male firewoman in New York, fires begin mysteriously erupting from toilets all over the City and Fire Marshal Marc Marshall is called in to investigate.
Mind Twister
1994
Two former exotic dancers devise a plot to expose a physciatrist as the murderer of their friend..
Kojak: None So Blind
1990
After a flighty young woman accidentally witnesses a Mob hit in an Italian restaurant, New York Police Inspector Theo Kojak must both protect her from an unscrupulous Dutch hitman, and bring Mob kingpin Tony Salducci to justice..
Kojak: Flowers for Matty
1990
Kojak charms his way into high society to investigate art thefts that are tied to munitions smuggling and murder..
Kojak: It's Always Something
1990
After discovering the connection between a corrupt city commissioner and Colombian killers, Kojak is framed for the murder of a call girl and is prosecuted by former police detective Crocker, now an assistant D.
Telly Savalas: The ABCs of Winning Blackjack
1990
Kojak: Ariana
1989
One of Kojak's old enemies uses Ariana, a young Greek girl, as bait to trap the legendary New York detective.
The Hollywood Detective
1989
After nearly twenty years of decline, once legendary TV detective Harry Powell has been branded by Hollywood as a washed up drunk.
Kojak: Fatal Flaw
1989
Investigating the murder of a writer responsible for a Mob exposÃ©, Kojak discovers that the dead man's wife is an old flame..
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
1988
A team of renegade soldiers of World War II try to avoid the constitution of the IV Reich..
Kojak: The Price of Justice
1987
Top New York cop Theo Kojak finds himself trapped in a tangled web of false trials, jealousies and murderous scheming as he investigates the death of two young boys.
Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission
1987
Telly Savalas assumes the role of the leader of the Dirty Dozen from Lee Marvin.
Faceless
1987
A model named Barbara Hallen has disappeared and her father gets private detective Sam Morgan to go to Paris to find his daughter.
GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords
1986
The GoBots, television's amazing transformable super heroes, star in their first full length feature film, "GoBots: War of the Rock Lords.
Kojak: The Belarus File
1985
Lieutenant Theo Kojak teams up with Dana Sutton, a comely federal agent, to uncover a conspiracy reaching back to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union..
Afghanistan pourquoi?
1983
Fake-Out
1982
Gangster's girlfriend hangs out in a Las Vegas hotel with her cop protectors while she waits to testify..
Hellinger's Law
1981
Telly Savalas plays a flamboyant criminal lawyer who takes on the case of a syndicate's accountant (actually a Justice Department agent who has infiltrated the mob) accused of murdering a local TV newscaster..
Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham
1981
Telly Savalas narrates a travelogue of Birmingham in England, taking in such sights as New Street Station, the traffic control centre and dual carriageway..
Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen
1981
Telly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth
1981
Border Cop
1980
In late 1970s California U.
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
1980
Somewhat fact-based story of the lives and attempted 1962 escape of several inmates in the famous correctional facility.
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979
After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea.
Escape to Athena
1979
In 1944, Allied prisoners at a POW camp on an unnamed Greek island are forced to excavate ancient artefacts.
A Salute to American Imagination
1978
In this program celebrating the Ford Motor Company's 75th anniversary, various expressions of creativity are honored.
Beyond Reason
1977
A seemingly succesful psychiatrist begins to lose his grip on reality, and embarks on an affair with a patient..
Circus of the Stars #2
1977
Battle of the Network Stars III
1977
The Diamond Mercenaries
1976
Head of company security, Harry Webb, fears that a diamond theft is about to take place at their major mining complex deep in the desert.
Telly... Who Loves Ya Baby?
1976
At the height of his KOJAK TV series fame, Savalas stars in this variety special that was sponsored by Kraft Foods and shown without commercial interruption - Barbara Eden....
Inside Out
1975
Thirty years after the end of WW2 a team of ex-GIs and ex-German soldiers plans to go behind the Iron Curtain, in Soviet controlled East Germany, in order to locate and retrieve a hidden Nazi treasure.
The House of Exorcism
1975
A total re-edit of Mario Bava's gothic classic Lisa and the Devil (1973) for US release in 1975.
Lisa and the Devil
1973
Lisa is a tourist in an ancient city.
Senza ragione
1973
Terror and violence dominate this fast-paced film centering around a trackdown of jewel thieves, kidnappers and murderers.
She Cried Murder
1973
A model, while riding in the front car of a subway train, witnesses a woman being pushed in front of the train.
L'assassino... è al telefono
1972
A woman whose husband was murdered five years previously, is stalked by his killer, who wants to eliminate her as a potential witness.
Crime Boss
1972
Organized crime; Don Vincenzo leads the pack and his faced with a huge struggle..
Sonny and Jed
1972
A determined sheriff pursues a robber and his girlfriend, and lets nothing stop in his way of catching them..
Horror Express
1972
Mysterious and unearthly deaths start to occur while Professor Saxton is transporting the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature he found in Manchuria back to Europe..
Pancho Villa
1972
Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa is double-crossed in an arms deal planned by his comrade Scotty.
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
1972
A dishonoured army officer saves the lives of some hardened criminals on condition that they help him regain his honour.
Visions...
1972
A professor who has visions of the future informs the police that someone is about to plant a bomb.
Clay Pigeon
1971
An ex-soldier is recruited by the FBI to go undercover in L.
Mongo's Back in Town
1971
Professional killer is hired by his brother, a gang boss, to wipe out a rival gangster..
Pretty Maids All in a Row
1971
The story is set in "Oceanfront High School," a fictitious American high school in the height of the sexual revolution.
A Town Called Hell
1971
In 1895, in a small town ravaged by the Mexican Revolution, the revolutionary leader Aguila and his men massacre the town's locals and the military garrison soldiers.
The Family
1970
After a bloody double-cross leaves him for dead, professional hit man Jeff tracks the shooter and his beautiful mistress to New Orleans.
Kelly's Heroes
1970
During a thunderstorm in early September 1944, units of the 35th Infantry Division are nearing the French town of Nancy.
The Assassination Bureau
1969
In London, during the early 1900s, aspiring journalist and women's rights campaigner Sonia Winter (Diana Rigg) uncovers an organisation that specialises in killing for money, the Assassination Bureau, Limited.
Sophie's Place
1969
Recently paroled convicts Herbie Haseler and Marty Miller realizing they're broke decide to go to New York and work for their old boss Nick Marco.
Mackenna's Gold
1969
The gangster Colorado kidnaps Marshal McKenna.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
George Lazenby steps into the role of James Bond and is sent on his first mission.
Land Raiders
1969
Ruthless Vince Carden dominates the Arizona-territory town of Forge River and buys the scalps of murdered Indians.
The Scalphunters
1968
Trapper Joe is on his way to the town with all of his gain of hides of the last winter.
Sol Madrid
1968
Government agent Sol Madrid travels to Mexico with hooker Stacey to bring mobster Villanova and drug kingpin Dietrich to justice..
Beau Geste
1966
Michael "Beau" Geste leaves England in disgrace and joins the infamous French Foreign Legion.
The Slender Thread
1965
Alan is a Seattle college student volunteering at a crisis center.
The New Interns
1964
After a nervous breakdown, Dr.
The Man from the Diners' Club
1963
An employee at Diner's Club issues a credit card to a well-known mobster and has to retrieve it in order to keep his job..

TV

The Extraordinary
1993
International Pro-Celebrity Golf: Six of the Best
1981
Kojak
1973
Lt.
Acapulco
1961
Patrick Malone and Gregg Miles were Korean-war buddies who "retired" to a life as beachcombers in Acapulco.

Music

Who Loves Ya Baby
Telly Savalas
A Good Time Man Like Me Ain't Got No Business Singing The Blues
Telly Savalas
Rubber Bands & Bits Of String
Telly Savalas

External links

tellysavalas.com

Biography

At this time, there is no complete biography available for Telly Savalas.

Info

Awards

Trivia

Quotes

External links

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