Telly Savalas
Actor
Name at birth: Aristotle Savalas
Telly Savalas is best remembered as TV's Kojak, a New York detective known for his tough talk, lollipops and shiny bald head. Loose and leering, with the trademark line "Who loves ya', baby?", Savalas became a '70s superstar after years of scattered parts on TV and film (including the role of Blofeld in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service). After Kojak, Savalas thrived as an unofficial spokesman for open collars, gold chains and the Vegas style, baby.
Extra credit: Telly was godfather to actor Jennifer Aniston.
Savalas co-stars with Jesse James in our loop on Celebs Missing Fingers... Other TV detectives of the 1970s included Angie Dickinson, Michael Douglas and Abe Vigoda.
Blog posts mentioning Telly Savalas:
Four Good Links
TV Showcase: Kojak
Show description, a few photos, and Savalas/Kojak web links
Telly Savalas Official Site
His estate's official page, from a celebrity agency; good info, though
Savalas Family Site
Official page of Telly's relatives; good Q&A section
Telly
From Frank's Vinyl Museum, a short history of Telly's recording career
