Telly Savalas Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1924 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades of television, noted for his resonant voice and his bald head. He also released the one-hit wonder song, "If?," which he introduced in the UK in 1975. Savalas's career began in films in 1961. His 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"
Telly Savalas (1970)", Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971), "Lisa and the Devil" (1973), "Inside Out" (1975), and "Escape to Athena" (1979). He then starred as television's "Kojak" (1973–78), co-starring his brother George Savalas. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962). The second of five children, Telly Savalas was born Aristotelis Savalas on January 21, 1924, in Garden City, New York, to Greek American parents Christina (née Kapsalis; 1904–88), a New York City artist who was a native of Sparta, and Nick Savalas [Tsavalas] (1904–48), a Greek restaurant owner.