Telly Savalas
Known for
Telly Savalas was already an established character actor when 'Kojak' made him a star at 50. He earned an Oscar nomination for 'Birdman of Alcatraz', played the convict Maggott in 'The Dirty Dozen' and the Bond villain Blofeld in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. As Lieutenant Theo Kojak he shaved his head, took up a lollipop and delivered the catchphrase 'Who loves ya, baby?' — winning an Emmy in 1974. The bald silhouette became one of the most recognisable in 1970s television.
Telly Savalas
55 Movies
33 Series
Telly Savalas was already an established character actor when 'Kojak' made him a star at 50. He earned an Oscar nomination for 'Birdman of Alcatraz', played the convict Maggott in 'The Dirty Dozen' and the Bond villain Blofeld in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. As Lieutenant Theo Kojak he shaved his head, took up a lollipop and delivered the catchphrase 'Who loves ya, baby?' — winning an Emmy in 1974. The bald silhouette became one of the most recognisable in 1970s television.
Movies
Plays Archer Maggott
The Dirty Dozen
1967
Plays Ernst Stavro Blofeld
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
Plays Master Sergeant "Big Joe"
Kelly's Heroes
1970
Plays Private Detective Charles Sievers
Cape Fear
1962
Plays Albain
Capricorn One
1977
Plays Sergeant Tibbs
Mackenna's Gold
1969
Plays El Sleazo Tough
The Muppet Movie
1979
Plays Hymie
Cannonball Run II
1984
Plays Pontius Pilate
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
Plays Sgt. Guffy
Battle of the Bulge
1965
Plays Captain Kazan
Horror Express
1972
Plays Vincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo
Johnny Cool
1963
Plays Captain Stefan Svevo
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979
Plays Feto Gomez
Birdman of Alcatraz
1962
Plays Zeno
Escape to Athena
1979
Plays Shan
Genghis Khan
1965
Plays Leandro
Lisa and the Devil
1973
Plays Maj. Wright
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
1988
Plays Most Evil Man (Not Really)
Backfire!
1995
Plays Al Weber
Violent City
1970
Plays Captain Sam Surcher
Pretty Maids All in a Row
1971
Plays Major Ward
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
1972
Plays Don Carlos
A Town Called Bastard
1971
Plays Lord Bostwick
The Assassination Bureau
1969
Plays Jim Howie
The Scalphunters
1968
Plays Lt. Dawson
Mad Dog Coll
1961
Plays Walter Braddock
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
1968
Plays Dr. Joe Coburn
The Slender Thread
1965
Plays Detective Lt. Gunderson
The Young Savages
1961
Plays Count De Fanzini
The Karate Killers
1967
Plays Terry Hallen
Faceless
1988
Plays Vince Carden
Land Raiders
1969
Plays Sgt. Maj. Dagineau
Beau Geste
1966
Plays Herbie Haseler
Crooks and Coronets
1969
Plays Webb
Killer Force
1976
Plays Foots Pulardos
The Man from the Diners' Club
1963
Plays Sheriff Franciscus
Sonny and Jed
1972
Plays Memphis
Redneck
1973
Plays Magmar (voice)
GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords
1986
Plays The Boss (as Aristides T. Savallas)
Black Aphrodite
1977
Plays Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
1972
Plays Emil Dietrich
Sol Madrid
1968
Plays Lt. Thurston
Fake-Out
1982
Plays Harry Morgan
Inside Out
1975
Plays Dr. Christian Gump
Love is a Ball
1963
Plays Redford
Clay Pigeon
1971
Plays Richard Howland
Mind Twister
1994
Plays Dr. Dominic Riccio
The Interns
1962
Plays Dr. Dominic Riccio
The New Interns
1964
Plays Frank Cooper
The Border
1980
TV Shows
Director
Plays Theo Kojak
Kojak
1973
Plays Fr. Craig Dunleavy
The French Atlantic Affair
1979
Plays Tommy Colette
The Commish
1991
Plays Self - Guest
Dinah!
1974
Plays Ed Clementi
The F.B.I.
1965
Plays Brother Joseph Heiden
The Equalizer
1985
Plays Count Valeriano De Fanzini
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
Plays Cretzer
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
1980
Plays Dr. Fabian Cain
The Love Boat
1977
Plays Fakir George O'Shea
Burke's Law
1963
Plays Frank Meehan
Cain's Hundred
1961
Plays Beret
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963
Plays Joe Brisson
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
Plays Gabriel Hody
Naked City
1958
Plays Frank Santo
Arrest and Trial
1963
Plays Colonel Kapsalis
Combat!
1962
Plays Erich Streator
The Twilight Zone
1959
Plays Steve Keller
The Fugitive
1963
Plays Istvan Zabor
Run for Your Life
1965
Plays 'Colonel' Bliss
The Virginian
1962
Plays Paul Price
The Aquanauts
1960
Plays Jake Volet
The Dakotas
1963
Plays Dr. Buel Reed
The New Breed
1961
Plays Ben
The Detectives
1959
Plays Brother Hendricksen
77 Sunset Strip
1958
Plays Cheshire Cat
Alice in Wonderland
1985
Plays The Greek
J.J. Starbuck
1987
Plays Teddy
Ein Schloß am Wörthersee
1990
Plays Charles Augustus Hackett
Bonanza
1959
Plays Leo Stazak
The Untouchables
1959
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Mind Twister
Full Filmography
Backfire!
Most Evil Man (Not Really)
1995
Film
Mind Twister
Richard Howland
1994
Film
Rose Against the Odds
George Parnassus
1991
Film
The Commish
Tommy Colette · 3 episodes
1991–
TV
Ein Schloß am Wörthersee
Teddy · 1 episode
1990–
TV
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
Maj. Wright
1988
Film
Faceless
Terry Hallen
1988
Film
The Equalizer
Brother Joseph Heiden · 2 episodes
1987
TV
J.J. Starbuck
The Greek · 1 episode
1987–
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Telly Savalas still alive?
Telly Savalas passed away on January 22, 1994 at age 72.
What are the most famous roles of Telly Savalas?
Telly Savalas is best known for roles in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes.
How many movies has Telly Savalas been in?
Over a 33-year career (since 1961), Telly Savalas has appeared in 55 movies and 32 TV shows.
What was Telly Savalas's first movie?
The career of Telly Savalas began with Mad Dog Coll (1961).
What is Telly Savalas's most recent movie or series?
Telly Savalas's most recent release is Backfire!, which premiered on January 20, 1995.
What TV shows has Telly Savalas appeared in?
On television, Telly Savalas has appeared in The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Love Boat, Kojak.
Telly Savalas
1922-01-21 · Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA
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).