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).

Filmography

• 1995Backfire! — Most Evil Man (Not Really)
• 1994Mind Twister — Richard Howland
• 1991Halloween Monster Bash — Captain Kazan (archive footage)
• 1991Rose Against the Odds — George Parnassus
• The Commish — Tommy Colette
• Ein Schloß am Wörthersee — Teddy
• 1990Kojak: Flowers For Matty — Inspector Theo Kojak
• 1990Kojak: It's Always Something — Inspector Theo Kojak
• 1990Kojak: None So Blind — Inspector Theo Kojak
• 1989Kojak: Ariana — Lieutenant Theo Kojak
• 1989Kojak: Fatal Flaw — Lieutenant Theo Kojak
• 1989The Hollywood Detective — Harry Bell
• 1988Faceless — Terry Hallen
• 1988The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission — Maj. Wright
• J.J. Starbuck — The Greek
• 1987Kojak: The Price of Justice — Inspector Theo Kojak
• 1987Return to the Titanic... Live! — Host
• 1987The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission — Maj. Wright
• 1987The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine — Brother Joseph Heiden
• 1986GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords — Magmar (voice)
• 1986The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration
• Alice in Wonderland — Cheshire Cat
• 1985Kojak: The Belarus File — Lieutenant Theo Kojak
• The Equalizer — Brother Joseph Heiden
• 1984Afghanistan For What?
• 1984Cannonball Run II — Hymie
• 1984The Cartier Affair — Phil Drexler
• American Playhouse — Peter Panakos
• 1982Beyond Reason — Dr. Nicholas Mati, Director, Writer
• 1982Fake-Out — Lt. Thurston
• 1982Silent Rebellion — Pete
• 1981Hellinger's Law — Nick Hellinger
• 1981Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen — Narrator
• 1981Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham — Narrator
• 1981Telly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth — Narrator
• 1980Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story — Cretzer
• Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story — Cretzer
• 1980The Border — Frank Cooper
• 1979Beyond the Poseidon Adventure — Captain Stefan Svevo
• 1979Escape to Athena — Zeno
• Tales of the Unexpected — Joe Brisson
• The French Atlantic Affair — Fr. Craig Dunleavy
• 1979The Muppet Movie — El Sleazo Tough
• 1977Black Aphrodite — The Boss (as Aristides T. Savallas)
• 1977Capricorn One — Albain
• The Love Boat — Dr. Fabian Cain
• Alice
• 1976Killer Force — Webb
• 1975Inside Out — Harry Morgan
• 1975The House of Exorcism — Leandro (archive footage)
• 1974Lisa and the Devil — Leandro
• Kojak — Theo Kojak, Director
• 1973Redneck — Memphis
• 1973She Cried Murder — Inspector Joe Brody
• 1973The Marcus-Nelson Murders — Lt. Theo Kojak
• 1972A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die — Major Ward
• 1972Crime Boss — Don Vincenzo
• 1972Horror Express — Captain Kazan
• 1972Pancho Villa — Pancho Villa, Songs
• 1972Sonny and Jed — Sheriff Franciscus
• 1972The Killer Is on the Phone — Ranko Drasovic
• 1972Visions... — Lt. Phil Keegan
• 1971A Town Called Bastard — Don Carlos
• 1971Clay Pigeon — Redford
• 1971Mongo's Back in Town — Lieutenant Pete Tolstad
• 1971Pretty Maids All in a Row — Captain Sam Surcher
• The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
• 1970Kelly's Heroes — Master Sergeant "Big Joe"
• 1970Violent City — Al Weber
• 1969Crooks and Coronets — Herbie Haseler
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre — Gregor Antonescu
• 1969Land Raiders — Vince Carden
• 1969Mackenna's Gold — Sergeant Tibbs
• 1969On Her Majesty's Secret Service — Ernst Stavro Blofeld
• 1969The Assassination Bureau — Lord Bostwick
• 1968Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell — Walter Braddock
• 1968Sol Madrid — Emil Dietrich
• 1968The Scalphunters — Jim Howie
• Cimarron Strip
• Garrison's Gorillas
• 1967The Dirty Dozen — Archer Maggott
• 1967The Karate Killers — Count De Fanzini
• 1966Beau Geste — Sgt. Maj. Dagineau
• 1965Battle of the Bulge — Sgt. Guffy
• 1965Genghis Khan — Shan
• 1965John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! — Macmuid (uncredited)
• Run for Your Life — Istvan Zabor
• The F.B.I. — Ed Clementi
• 1965The Greatest Story Ever Told — Pontius Pilate
• 1965The Slender Thread — Dr. Joe Coburn
• 1964Fanfare for a Death Scene — Ilchidai Khan
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Count Valeriano De Fanzini
• 1964The New Interns — Dr. Dominic Riccio
• The Rogues
• Arrest and Trial — Frank Santo
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre — Mueller
• Burke's Law — Fakir George O'Shea, Balakirov aka Richard Goldtooth, Charlie Prince
• Grindl
• 1963Johnny Cool — Vincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo
• Kraft Suspense Theatre — Beret, Ramon Castillo / Raymond Castle
• 1963Love is a Ball — Dr. Christian Gump
• The Dakotas — Jake Volet
• The Fugitive — Steve Keller, Victor Leonetti, Dan Polichek
• 1963The Man from the Diners' Club — Foots Pulardos
• 1962Birdman of Alcatraz — Feto Gomez
• 1962Cape Fear — Private Detective Charles Sievers
• Combat! — Colonel Kapsalis, Jon
• The Alfred Hitchcock Hour — Philadelphia Harry
• 1962The Interns — Dr. Dominic Riccio
• The Virginian — 'Colonel' Bliss
• Acapulco — Mr. Carver
• Ben Casey
• Cain's Hundred — Frank Meehan, Harry Remick
• 1961Mad Dog Coll — Lt. Dawson
• The New Breed — Dr. Buel Reed
• 1961The Sin of Jesus — Felix
• 1961The Young Savages — Detective Lt. Gunderson
• The Aquanauts — Paul Price
• The Dow Hour of Great Mysteries — Dr. Patterson
• Bonanza — Charles Augustus Hackett
• The Detectives — Ben
• The Twilight Zone — Erich Streator
• The Untouchables — Leo Stazak, Wally Baltzer
• 77 Sunset Strip — Brother Hendricksen
• Naked City — Gabriel Hody
• The Red Skelton Show — Tex
• Armstrong Circle Theatre

Appearances as themselves (26)

• 2022La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained — Self - Actor (archive footage)
• 2012Remote Control Magic: The Movie — Self (archive footage)
• 20102Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift — Self (archive footage)
• 2006Operation Dirty Dozen — Self
• 1991Perfect Crimes — Self - Narrator
• Okay — Self
• 1976Joys — Self
• 1976Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? — Self
• Les Rendez-vous du dimanche — Self
• Midi Première — Self
• Am laufenden Band — Self - Guest
• Dinah! — Self - Guest
• Tony Orlando and Dawn — Self
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self
• Musikladen — Self
• Disco — Self
• V.I.P. Schaukel — Self
• The Carol Burnett Show — Self - Guest / Various Characters
• Einer wird gewinnen — Self
• Top of the Pops — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self, Self - Guest Host
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Guest
• The Bob Hope Show — Self
• Bambi — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee, Self - Presenter