Who was Telly Savalas? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Aristoteles Savalas

Died At Age: 72

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Julie Hovland, Katherine Nicolaides, Marilyn Gardner

father: Nick Savalas

mother: Christina

siblings: George Savalas, Gus Savalas, Teddy Savalas

children: Ariana Savalas, Candace Savalas, Christian Savalas, Christina Savalas, Nick Savalas, Penélope Savalas

Born Country: United States

Actors Singers

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

Died on: January 22, 1994

place of death: California, United States

Cause of Death: Bladder Cancer

Ancestry: Greek American

Notable Alumni: Sewanhaka High School, Columbia University School Of General Studies

Diseases & Disabilities: Prostate Cancer

U.S. State: New Yorkers

More Facts

education: Columbia University School Of General Studies, Sewanhaka High School

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Childhood & Early Life

Telly Savalas was the second of the five children born to Christina, an artist and Nick Savalas, a restaurant owner, in New York.

In 1940, he graduated from the Sewanhaka High School, New York, after which he worked as a lifeguard.

In 1941, he served in the United States Army during World War II and subsequently, left the army in order to complete his education.

In 1948, he graduated from Columbia University School of General Studies, where he majored in English, radio and psychology.

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Career

In the 1950s, he gained experience in production, while he hosted the ‘Your Voice of America’ series, an ABC radio show. The show garnered widespread attention and thereafter, he was signed on as the executive producer for the show, ‘Telly's Coffee House’.

In 1959, he got his first break in acting in, ‘And Bring Home a Baby’, an episode of ‘Armstrong Circle Theatre’, which ran on the CBS Network.

From 1959 to 1967, he made a number of guest appearances in ‘Naked City’, ‘The Eleventh Hour’, ‘The Untouchables’, ‘The Fugitive’, ‘Breaking Point’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ and ‘The F.B.I’.

He played the role of ‘Brother Hendricksen’ in ‘77 Sunset Strip’, a private detective drama series and also appeared on ‘Acapulco’, an NBC adventure series.

In 1961, he was cast as ‘Detective Gunderson’ in ‘The Young Savages’, a crime- drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The following year, he earned an Academy Award-nomination for his role as the sadistic, ‘Feto Gomez’ in ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’.

He became bald for the role of ‘Pontius Pilate’ in the 1965 American film, ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’, directed by George Stevens.

In 1967, he acted in ‘The Dirty Dozen’, a war film, where he played the role of ‘Archer J. Maggot’, a religious and atrocious convict. The following year, he starred opposite Burt Lancaster in ‘The Scalphunters’, a film about racism during the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1969, he played the role of the villain ‘Ernst Stavro Blofeld’ in the James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service’. He also appeared alongside Clint Eastwood in ‘Kelly Heros’, a 1970 war comedy film about a group of World War II soldiers, directed by Brian G. Hutton.

He received great recognition and fame as an actor after he played the lead role in the CBS television movie, ‘The Marcus Nelson Mursers’.

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In 1973, he played the title role of a bald New York Police Detective, ‘Theo Kojak’ on the CBS television series ‘Kojak’.

His spoken word version of Bread's "If" was #1 in Europe for 10 weeks in 1975.In 1980, he starred in the TV film, ‘Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story’. The same year, he recorded ‘Some Broken Hearts Never Mind’, which topped the Billboard charts that year.

In 1990, he appeared in the TV adaptation of ‘Kojak’, titled, ‘Kojak: It's Always Something’.

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Major Works

He played the title role of ‘Theo Kojak’ in the television series ‘Kojak’. TV Guide placed his character at the number 18 position on the list of ‘50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time’. The series became so popular that it was adapted into a television series and was broadcast on the USA Network cable channel and on ITV4 channel, U.K.

Awards & Achievements

He received a ‘Purple Heart’, a United Sates Military decoration awarded in the name of the President, in recognition of his services during World War II.

In 1975 and 1976, he received the Golden Globe Award for the category of Best TV Actor – Drama for ‘Kojak’.

In 1983, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1948, he married his long-time girlfriend and college sweetheart, Katherine Nicolaides. The couple divorced in 1957.

In 1960, he married Mariln Gardner, a theatre teacher with whom he has two children. However, the couple got divorced in 1974.

In 1984, he married his third wife Julie Hovland, with whom he has two children.

He had a deformed left index finger and was diagnosed with cell cancer in the bladder and prostate.

He passed away due to complications from cancer at the age of 72.

Trivia

This American actor and producer would often use off-script phrases and mottoes in Greek during shooting.

1976	Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama	Kojak (1973)
1975	Best TV Actor - Drama	Kojak (1973)

1976	Favorite Male TV Performer	Winner
1975	Favorite Male TV Performer	Winner

Telly Savalas Biography