ACTOR
Telly Savalas
Known for The Twilight Zone · Bonanza · The Love Boat
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),…
Snapshot 2026-10-13
- Born
- Jan 21, 1922
- Died
- Jan 22, 1994
- Birthplace
- Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA
- Known For
- Acting
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).
Advertisement
Known For
TV
The Twilight ZoneErich Streator · 1959
★ 8.5
★ 8.5
TV
BonanzaCharles Augustus Hackett · 1959
★ 7.5
★ 7.5
TV
The Love BoatDr. Fabian Cain · 1977
★ 6.2
★ 6.2
TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonSelf · 1962
★ 7.6
★ 7.6
TV
The Alfred Hitchcock HourPhiladelphia Harry · 1962
★ 7.9
★ 7.9
TV
The FugitiveSteve Keller · 1963
★ 7.3
★ 7.3
TV
Top of the PopsSelf · 1964
★ 6.6
★ 6.6
TV
Golden Globe AwardsSelf - Nominee · 1944
★ 7.0
★ 7.0
Filmography
Movies
Mad Dog CollLt. Dawson
1961TS
The Sin of JesusFelix
1961
The Young SavagesDetective Lt. Gunderson
1961
Birdman of AlcatrazFeto Gomez
1962
Cape FearPrivate Detective Charles Sievers
1962
The InternsDr. Dominic Riccio
1962
Johnny CoolVincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo
1963
Love is a BallDr. Christian Gump
1963
The Man from the Diners' ClubFoots Pulardos
1963
Fanfare for a Death SceneIlchidai Khan
1964
The New InternsDr. Dominic Riccio
1964
Battle of the BulgeSgt. Guffy
1965
Genghis KhanShan
1965
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!Macmuid (uncredited)
1965
The Greatest Story Ever ToldPontius Pilate
1965
The Slender ThreadDr. Joe Coburn
1965
Beau GesteSgt. Maj. Dagineau
1966
The Dirty DozenArcher Maggott
1967
The Karate KillersCount De Fanzini
1967
Buona Sera, Mrs. CampbellWalter Braddock
1968
Sol MadridEmil Dietrich
1968
The ScalphuntersJim Howie
1968
Crooks and CoronetsHerbie Haseler
1969
Land RaidersVince Carden
1969
Mackenna's GoldSergeant Tibbs
1969
On Her Majesty's Secret ServiceErnst Stavro Blofeld
1969
The Assassination BureauLord Bostwick
1969
Kelly's HeroesMaster Sergeant "Big Joe"
1970
Violent CityAl Weber
1970
A Town Called BastardDon Carlos
1971
Clay PigeonRedford
1971
Mongo's Back in TownLieutenant Pete Tolstad
1971
Pretty Maids All in a RowCaptain Sam Surcher
1971
A Reason to Live, a Reason to DieMajor Ward
1972
Crime BossDon Vincenzo
1972
Horror ExpressCaptain Kazan
1972
Pancho VillaPancho Villa
1972Pancho VillaSongs
1972
Sonny and JedSheriff Franciscus
1972
The Killer Is on the PhoneRanko Drasovic
1972
Visions...Lt. Phil Keegan
1972
RedneckMemphis
1973
She Cried MurderInspector Joe Brody
1973
The Marcus-Nelson MurdersLt. Theo Kojak
1973
Lisa and the DevilLeandro
1974
Inside OutHarry Morgan
1975
The House of ExorcismLeandro (archive footage)
1975
JoysSelf
1976
Killer ForceWebb
1976
Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?Self
1976
Black AphroditeThe Boss (as Aristides T. Savallas)
1977
Capricorn OneAlbain
1977
Beyond the Poseidon AdventureCaptain Stefan Svevo
1979
Escape to AthenaZeno
1979
The Muppet MovieEl Sleazo Tough
1979
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking StoryCretzer
1980
The BorderFrank Cooper
1980
Hellinger's LawNick Hellinger
1981
Telly Savalas Looks at AberdeenNarrator
1981
Telly Savalas Looks at BirminghamNarrator
1981
Telly Savalas Looks at PortsmouthNarrator
1981
Beyond ReasonDr. Nicholas Mati
1982Beyond ReasonDirector
1982Beyond ReasonWriter
1982
Fake-OutLt. Thurston
1982
Silent RebellionPete
1982
Afghanistan For What?
1984
Cannonball Run IIHymie
1984
The Cartier AffairPhil Drexler
1984
Kojak: The Belarus FileLieutenant Theo Kojak
1985
GoBots: Battle of the Rock LordsMagmar (voice)
1986
The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration
1986
Kojak: The Price of JusticeInspector Theo Kojak
1987RT
Return to the Titanic... Live!Host
1987
The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly MissionMaj. Wright
1987
The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & WineBrother Joseph Heiden
1987
FacelessTerry Hallen
1988
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal MissionMaj. Wright
1988
Kojak: ArianaLieutenant Theo Kojak
1989
Kojak: Fatal FlawLieutenant Theo Kojak
1989
The Hollywood DetectiveHarry Bell
1989
Kojak: Flowers For MattyInspector Theo Kojak
1990
Kojak: It's Always SomethingInspector Theo Kojak
1990
Kojak: None So BlindInspector Theo Kojak
1990
Halloween Monster BashCaptain Kazan (archive footage)
1991PC
Perfect CrimesSelf - Narrator
1991
Rose Against the OddsGeorge Parnassus
1991
Mind TwisterRichard Howland
1994
Backfire!Most Evil Man (Not Really)
1995
Operation Dirty DozenSelf
2006
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo DriftSelf (archive footage)
2010
Remote Control Magic: The MovieSelf (archive footage)
2012
Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci UnchainedSelf - Actor (archive footage)
2021
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était présidentSelf (archive footage)
2022Television
Golden Globe AwardsSelf - Nominee · 3 eps
1944Golden Globe AwardsSelf - Presenter · 1 eps
1944
BambiSelf · 1 eps
1948
Armstrong Circle Theatre1 eps
1950
The Bob Hope ShowSelf · 2 eps
1950
The Red Skelton ShowTex · 1 eps
1951
77 Sunset StripBrother Hendricksen · 1 eps
1958
Naked CityGabriel Hody · 1 eps
1958
BonanzaCharles Augustus Hackett · 1 eps
1959
The DetectivesBen · 1 eps
1959
The Twilight ZoneErich Streator · 1 eps
1959
The UntouchablesLeo Stazak · 1 eps
1959The UntouchablesWally Baltzer · 1 eps
1959
The AquanautsPaul Price · 1 eps
1960TD
The Dow Hour of Great MysteriesDr. Patterson · 1 eps
1960
AcapulcoMr. Carver · 8 eps
1961
Ben Casey1 eps
1961
Cain's HundredFrank Meehan · 1 eps
1961Cain's HundredHarry Remick · 1 eps
1961
The Mike Douglas ShowSelf - Guest · 5 eps
1961
The New BreedDr. Buel Reed · 1 eps
1961
Combat!Colonel Kapsalis · 1 eps
1962Combat!Jon · 1 eps
1962
The Alfred Hitchcock HourPhiladelphia Harry · 1 eps
1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonSelf · 11 eps
1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonSelf - Guest Host · 1 eps
1962
The Virginian'Colonel' Bliss · 1 eps
1962
Arrest and TrialFrank Santo · 1 eps
1963BH
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler TheatreMueller · 1 eps
1963
Burke's LawFakir George O'Shea · 1 eps
1963Burke's LawBalakirov aka Richard Goldtooth · 1 eps
1963Burke's LawCharlie Prince · 1 eps
1963
Grindl1 eps
1963
Kraft Suspense TheatreBeret · 1 eps
1963Kraft Suspense TheatreRamon Castillo / Raymond Castle · 1 eps
1963
The DakotasJake Volet · 1 eps
1963
The FugitiveSteve Keller · 1 eps
1963The FugitiveVictor Leonetti · 1 eps
1963The FugitiveDan Polichek · 1 eps
1963EW
Einer wird gewinnenSelf · 1 eps
1964
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Count Valeriano De Fanzini · 2 eps
1964
The Rogues1 eps
1964
Top of the PopsSelf · 1 eps
1964
Run for Your LifeIstvan Zabor · 1 eps
1965
The F.B.I.Ed Clementi · 2 eps
1965
Cimarron Strip1 eps
1967
Garrison's Gorillas1 eps
1967
The Carol Burnett ShowSelf - Guest / Various Characters · 1 eps
1967
ITV Saturday Night TheatreGregor Antonescu · 1 eps
1969
DiscoSelf · 1 eps
1971
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour1 eps
1971VS
V.I.P. SchaukelSelf · 2 eps
1971
MusikladenSelf · 1 eps
1972
KojakTheo Kojak · 118 eps
1973KojakDirector
1973
The Dean Martin Celebrity RoastsSelf · 2 eps
1973
Am laufenden BandSelf - Guest · 1 eps
1974
Dinah!Self - Guest · 3 eps
1974
Tony Orlando and DawnSelf · 1 eps
1974
Les Rendez-vous du dimancheSelf · 1 eps
1975
Midi PremièreSelf · 1 eps
1975
Alice1 eps
1976
The Love BoatDr. Fabian Cain · 2 eps
1977O
OkaySelf · 1 eps
1979
Tales of the UnexpectedJoe Brisson · 1 eps
1979
The French Atlantic AffairFr. Craig Dunleavy · 3 eps
1979
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking StoryCretzer · 2 eps
1980
American PlayhousePeter Panakos · 1 eps
1982
Alice in WonderlandCheshire Cat · 1 eps
1985
The EqualizerBrother Joseph Heiden · 2 eps
1985
J.J. StarbuckThe Greek · 1 eps
1987
Ein Schloß am WörtherseeTeddy · 1 eps
1990
The CommishTommy Colette · 3 eps
1991Photos
Advertisement
Catalog data and artwork by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.