Born 1922 (age 72) · Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA
Appears in 150 titles

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

On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6.6
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
The Dirty Dozen
7.6
The Dirty Dozen
1967
as Archer Maggott
Kelly's Heroes
7.4
Kelly's Heroes
1970
as Master Sergeant "Big Joe"
The Muppet Movie
7.2
The Muppet Movie
1979
as El Sleazo Tough
Cape Fear
7.5
Cape Fear
1962
as Private Detective Charles Sievers
Capricorn One
6.8
Capricorn One
1977
as Albain
Cannonball Run II
5.4
Cannonball Run II
1984
as Hymie
Birdman of Alcatraz
7.5
Birdman of Alcatraz
1962
as Feto Gomez
Horror Express
6.3
Horror Express
1972
as Captain Kazan
Battle of the Bulge
6.9
Battle of the Bulge
1965
as Sgt. Guffy
The Greatest Story Ever Told
6.4
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as Pontius Pilate
Mackenna's Gold
6.6
Mackenna's Gold
1969
as Sergeant Tibbs
Lisa and the Devil
6.2
Lisa and the Devil
1973
as Leandro
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
5.1
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979
as Captain Stefan Svevo
Escape to Athena
5.7
Escape to Athena
1979
as Zeno
The Scalphunters
6.4
The Scalphunters
1968
as Jim Howie
Violent City
6.0
Violent City
1970
as Al Weber
The Assassination Bureau
6.7
The Assassination Bureau
1969
as Lord Bostwick
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
6.2
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
1972
as Major Ward
Faceless
5.7
Faceless
1988
as Terry Hallen