Telly Savalas

Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was a famous American actor.

He was well known for his bald head and his deep, resonant voice. People loved watching him on television and in many different movies. He had a very long and busy career in show business. He even became a successful singer for a short time. Savalas was a man who worked very hard to reach his goals.

His life started in Garden City, New York, on January 21, 1922. He was the second of five children in a Greek family. His father, Nick, owned a restaurant, and his mother, Christina, was an artist. To help his family, young Telly and his brother Gus sold newspapers and polished shoes. He spoke only Greek when he first started school. Later, he learned English and won a spelling bee in 1934.

Before acting, Savalas did many other jobs. He was a skilled swimmer and worked as a beach lifeguard. He served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1943. After a car accident, he studied radio and television production. He worked at ABC News and hosted shows for the U.S. State Department. He even helped give the famous announcer Howard Cosell his first TV job. He did not plan to be an actor until a friend asked for a recommendation.

Savalas became a huge star playing Lieutenant Theo Kojak on the show *Kojak*.

This detective was a bald man from New York City. He famously loved eating lollipops, which helped him try to stop smoking on screen. The show ran from 1973 to 1978 and had 118 episodes. For this role, Savalas won an Emmy and two Golden Globes. He also acted alongside his brother, George, who played Detective Stavros.

Many people remember him for his roles in big movies. He played the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*.

He was also in the movie *Birdman of Alcatraz*, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. In 1975, his spoken word version of the song "If" became a number-one hit in the UK. He lived a life full of many different talents and many famous roles.