Biography
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American film and television actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). His other movie credits include The Young Savages (1961), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Scalphunters (1968), supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971), Inside Out (1975) and Escape to Athena (1979).
Awards & recognition
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Television Series Drama · 1976
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Television Series Drama · 1975
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series · 1974
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Show all 6 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1963 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles
The Twilight Zone
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Combat!
The Carol Burnett Show
The Dirty Dozen
Cape Fear
Birdman of Alcatraz
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Bonanza
Kelly's Heroes
The Red Skelton Show
The Fugitive
The Muppet Movie
Kojak
The Commish
Alice
The Slender Thread
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Django & Django
Fanfare for a Death Scene
Battle of the Bulge
Tales of the Unexpected
Capricorn One
Inside Out
Crime Boss
The Assassination Bureau
Mackenna's Gold
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Virginian
The Young Savages
The Scalphunters
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Love Boat
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
Horror Express
Lisa and the Devil
Violent City
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
Sonny and Jed
Pretty Maids All in a Row
Genghis Khan
Escape to Athena
Cimarron Strip
Naked City
Land Raiders
The F.B.I.
Cannonball Run II
Killer Force
Johnny Cool
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission