“My experience in acting is life itself.”
Telly Savalas
Introduction
Everyone has the potential to be an actor. Life is a gamble, and one actor who took that plunge into the unknown was Telly Savalas—a man who swapped studying psychology for the bright lights of film and television. Born Aristotelis Savalas, his Christian name is more commonly known in history as Aristotle: his Greek parents, Christina, an artist and Nick, a restaurant owner. Born in Garden City, New York, in 1922, Telly grew up in a traditional Greek household with a powerful ethic of working for your worth. His brother Gus used to sell newspapers and shine shoes on the streets of New York to supplement the family income. This was an immigrant family who became proud New Yorkers but never lost touch with their Greek heritage.
When not studying, Telly loved to swim and became a part-time lifeguard. However, on one occasion, he failed to save a drowning father. Despite repeated resuscitation, the man died in front of his two crying children. This experience profoundly affected Savalas for the rest of his life and caused him to campaign continuously for water safety. Later, making all of his six children take swimming lessons.
Acting by Chance
Telly chose the latter when given the option of working as a psychologist in a back street New York clinic for a paltry wage and acting with potential earnings of more than the US President. However, he never lost his fascination with how the brain reacts and works. Telly hated that he was always seen as the bad guy in movies. A man who did play several softer roles. He was extremely loving and caring to his family and friends. An actor who did initially have hair in his roles but chose to shave it off for the biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965. A film in which he played the part of Pontius Pilate. The hair was never allowed to grow back.
The Epic Actor
Telly was a superstitious gambler. He walked into a casino, ready to do battle with the enemy. The element of hate is what a winner always needs, and Telly uses this as his life ethic to avoid acting. In Greek culture, you break something to show how you feel. Telly was a Brooklyn boy with a Greek soul, and his acting history shows just how versatile he was. From his first part as Lieutenant Daro in Mad Dog Coll in 1961, he starred in films like Cape Fear, Birdman of Alcatraz, Genghis Khan, Battle of the Bulge, Sophie’s Place, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Kelly’s Heroes, Escape to Athena and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure. They had different roles but played with that Greek/Brooklyn influence.
Versatile
Telly wasn’t just an actor. He could sing and dance, too. Who could forget his songs “You’re A Lady in 1972, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” in 1974, “If” in 1975 and “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” in 1980? A man who released five albums and eleven singles. Telly carried on the trend of actors like David Soul crossing over into the music industry, and I am sure those older than others have one of his singles hidden away somewhere.
Who Loves Ya Baby?
Telly Savalas is best known for his part as Lieutenant
Theo Kojak in the American television series Kojak. A part that suited him so well as it was set in the New York streets he grew up in. This tough New York cop who wore sunglasses like no other and sucked a lollipop. A prop that was designed to stop his chain-smoking. A prop was suggested by a meter maid in the show. He did not give up smoking till years later. A series aired on CBS from 1973 to 1978 and subsequently had many specials. The incorruptible cop who was unphased by his list of criminals, batting them off with the phrases “Cootchie-coo!” and “Who loves ya, baby?” Savalas described Kojak as “basically honest character, tough but with feelings—the kind of guy who might kick a hooker in the tail if he had to, but they’d understand each other because maybe they grew up on the same kind of block.” A cop who was cynical but upbeat. Accompanied by his real-life younger brother George Savalas, who played Sergeant Stavros. An actor who had a fantastic head of hair. A part that Telly said he ad-libbed through for five years and played essentially as himself in the unknown terrain of being a cop.
The Final Swansong
Telly Savalas died in 1994 due to complications with prostate and bladder cancer at the age of 72. An actor who I grew up and loved watching. His memory lives on in his film and television roles. An actor who was the definition of being cool. The shades, cigarette and massaging Greek Orthodox beads in his hand. His voice was as smooth as chocolate and made every part his own. A man who considered himself a Greek-Brooklyn pussycat. He was a much-missed actor who put his stamp on acting.
