Biography
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (Greek: Αριστοτέλης "Τέλι" Σαββάλας; 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 (19...
Known For
Complete Filmography

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022
as Self (archive footage)
In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions wa...

Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained
2021
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
A tribute to Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci (1926-90), presented by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity
2020
as Self (archive footage)
With his grizzled moustache and chiselled features, Charles Bronson is the embodiment of a slightly archaic, brooding and almost reactionary virility....

Remote Control Magic: The Movie
2012
as Self (archive footage)
Remote Control Magic is the ultimate 70's channel surfing experience. Dante Fontana guides you on a journey of game shows, news broadcasts, TV shows, ...

Paul Williams Still Alive
2011
as Self (archive footage)
Filmmaker and longtime fan Stephen Kessler's portrait of the award-winning 1970s singer-songwriter-actor, who disappeared for much of the 1980s and '9...

2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
as Self (archive footage)
The team of smart-talkin' toddlers known as Everything Is Terrible! have once again emerged from their VHS cocoons to conjure a jam on culture so cult...

Operation Dirty Dozen
2006
as Self
A short film looking behind the scenes at the making of The Dirty Dozen. Showing many scenes being filmed just north of London, the short focuses most...

Backfire!
1995
as Most Evil Man
Just as Jeremy Jackson attempts to become the first male firewoman in New York, fires begin mysteriously erupting from toilets all over the City and F...

Mind Twister
1994
as Richard Howland
Two former exotic dancers devise a plot to expose a physciatrist as the murderer of their friend.
Perfect Crimes
1991
as Self - Narrator
True stories about individuals seeking to commit a perfect crime.

Rose Against the Odds
1991
as George Parnassus
The story of Australian Indigenous boxer Lionel Rose from his first amateur boxing matches up until his first title fight in Japan.

Kojak: None So Blind
1990
as Inspector Theo Kojak
After a flighty young woman accidentally witnesses a Mob hit in an Italian restaurant, New York Police Inspector Theo Kojak must both protect her from...

Kojak: It's Always Something
1990
as Inspector Theo Kojak
After discovering the connection between a corrupt city commissioner and Colombian killers, Kojak is framed for the murder of a call girl and is prose...

Kojak: Flowers For Matty
1990
as Inspector Theo Kojak
Kojak charms his way into high society to investigate art thefts that are tied to munitions smuggling and murder.

Kojak : Error Fatal
1989
as Lieutenant Theo Kojak
Investigating the murder of a writer responsible for a Mob exposed, Kojak discovers that the dead man's wife is an old flame.

Kojak: Ariana
1989
as Lieutenant Theo Kojak
One of Kojak's old enemies uses Ariana, a young Greek girl, as bait to trap the legendary New York detective. Meanwhile, Kojak finds himself a brash y...

The Hollywood Detective
1989
as Harry Bell
An actor at the end of the line who used to play a PI on TV turns to real detective work when a fan of his begs him to help her.

The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
1988
as Maj. Wright
A renegade team of World War II soldiers. This time, one of the 12 is a woman and, with a Nazi spy within their midst, they're up against German warti...

Faceless
1988
as Terry Hallen
A detective investigating a missing model in Paris uncovers a plastic surgeon’s horrifying secret involving kidnapped women, blood, and organs.
Return to the Titanic... Live!
1987
as Host
A television special hosted by Telly Savalas that features artefacts recovered from the 1987 salvage mission. Filled with expert testimonies and consp...

The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine
1987
as Brother Joseph Heiden
Robert McCall is forced to work with a former terrorist turned monk by the name of Joseph Heiden(Telly Savalas), whom he despises and mistrusts, on a ...

The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission
1987
as Maj. Wright
Learning of a Nazi plot to attack Washington, D.C. with a deadly nerve gas, Major Wright leads twelve convicts on a suicide mission deep into occupied...

Kojak: The Price of Justice
1987
as Inspector Theo Kojak
When the bodies of two young boys are discovered in the Harlem River, their mother is the obvious suspect, particularly with her scandalous past. But ...

The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration
1986
A live-action and animated television special featuring clips from past episodes and spin-offs combined with new animation and musical segments.

GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords
1986
as Magmar (voice)
The GoBots, television's amazing transformable super heroes, star in their first full length feature film, "GoBots: War of the Rock Lords." It's wall-...

Beyond Reason
1985
as Dr. Nicholas Mati
An unconventional psychiatrist slowly begins to question his own sanity.

Beyond Reason
1985
Director, Writer
An unconventional psychiatrist slowly begins to question his own sanity.

Kojak The Belarus File
1985
as Lieutenant Theo Kojak
Lt. Theo Kojak uncovers a Nazi conspiracy.

The Cartier Affair
1984
as Phil Drexler
Curt Taylor is a convict and owes Phil Drexler the number 1 convict in the prison. Now to settle his debt Drexler sends Curt to be the secretary for C...

Cannonball Run II
1984
as Hymie
When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one person crazy enough to hit the road hard with wheel...

Afghanistan For What?
1984
The movie deals with the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the struggle of the Afghan people against them, through the story of an Afghan girl, a u...

Fake-Out
1982
as Lt. Thurston
Gangster's girlfriend hangs out in a Las Vegas hotel with her cop protectors while she waits to testify.

Silent Rebellion
1982
as Pete
A Greek immigrant (Savalas) and his son return to Greece, where they reunite with mother and brother and re-discover their heritage and each other. Cr...

Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen
1981
as Narrator
The star of TV's Kojak takes a look at the history and attractions of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Telly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth
1981
as Narrator
Telly Savalas tours the coastal city of Portsmouth, with a look at the intriguing history and magnificent attractions.

Hellinger's Law
1981
as Nick Hellinger
A flamboyant criminal lawyer named Nick Hellinger takes on the case of a syndicate's accountant (actually a Justice Department agent who has infiltrat...

Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham
1981
as Narrator
Telly Savalas narrates a travelogue of Birmingham in England, taking in such sights as New Street Station, the traffic control centre and dual carriag...

Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
1980
as Cretzer
Filmed on location at Alcatraz Island, this two-part "whole story" actually concentrates on a handful of the denizens behind the cold grey walls of "T...

The Border
1980
as Frank Cooper
Frank Cooper, a senior immigration police, remains a daily struggle against mafias operating between Mexico and the United States. Although it has a g...

The Muppet Movie
1979
as El Sleazo Tough
The Muppets gather to watch their newly-finished big-budget rich-and-famous feature film: a talent agent persuades Kermit the Frog to leave the swamp ...

Escape to Athena
1979
as Zeno
During the World War II, the prisoners of a German camp in a Greek island are trying to escape. They not only want their freedom, but also seek an ine...

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
1979
as Captain Stefan Svevo
After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are sti...

Capricorn One
1977
as Albain
In order to protect the reputation of the American space program, a team of NASA administrators turn the first Mars mission into a phony Mars landing....

Joys
1976
as Self
Over fifty of the greatest living comedians are called to a party at Bob Hope's house, where each of them is systematically killed (and their bodies t...

Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?
1976
as Self
At the height of his KOJAK TV series fame, Telly Savalas starred in this variety special that was sponsored by Kraft Foods and shown without commercia...

Killer Force
1976
as Webb
Head of company security, Harry Webb, fears that a diamond theft is about to take place at their major mining complex deep in the desert. He quickly m...

Inside Out
1975
as Harry Morgan
An American ex-WW II POW returns to Germany 30 years after the war. He teams up with the former commander of his prison camp. Together they spring a N...

The House of Exorcism
1975
as Leandro (archive footage)
A re-edited version of Mario Bava's "Lisa and the Devil" for the U.S. market, including newly filmed scenes involving a possessed Lisa.

She Cried Murder
1973
as Inspector Joe Brody
Fashion model Sarah Cornell, from the front car of a subway, witnesses a man pushing a woman onto the tracks to her death. Hoping to dispel the presum...

Lisa and the Devil
1973
as Leandro
Lisa is a tourist in an ancient city. When she gets lost, she finds an old mansion in which to shelter. Soon she is sucked into a vortex of deception,...

The Marcus-Nelson Murders
1973
as Lt. Theo Kojak
A homicide detective begins to suspect that the black teenager accused of murdering two white girls is being framed by his fellow detectives.

Redneck
1973
as Memphis
Franco Nero and Telly Savalas star in the story of a trio of jewel thieves on the lam after a heist goes very wrong. Wrecking their car they take anot...

A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
1972
as Major Ward
A dishonored Union Army officer leads a group of convicts to retake Fort Holman from the Confederate Army.

Pancho Villa
1972
as Pancho Villa
In 1916, during the Mexican Revolution, General Pancho Villa manages to escape from the clutches of General Goyo, his greatest enemy, only to face an ...

Pancho Villa
1972
Songs
In 1916, during the Mexican Revolution, General Pancho Villa manages to escape from the clutches of General Goyo, his greatest enemy, only to face an ...

Visions...
1972
as Lt. Phil Keegan
A professor who has visions of the future informs the police that someone is about to plant a bomb. He then discovers that the police consider him the...

The Killer Is on the Phone
1972
as Ranko Drasovic
A woman whose husband was murdered five years previously, is stalked by his killer, who wants to eliminate her as a potential witness. What he doesn't...

Horror Express
1972
as Captain Kazan
Mysterious and unearthly deaths start to occur while Professor Saxton is transporting the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature he found in ...

Sonny and Jed
1972
as Sheriff Franciscus
As thoroughly unlikeable a robber as ever walked the West, Joe nonetheless robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Not only is he a murderous, ill-t...

Crime Boss
1972
as Don Vincenzo
Hit man Antonio Mancuso travels to Italy to make the big time. He meets and befriends Mafia boss Don Vincenzo. Mancurso becomes part of the organizati...

Mongo's Back in Town
1971
as Lieutenant Pete Tolstad
Professional killer is hired by his brother, a gang boss, to wipe out a rival gangster.

A Town Called Hell
1971
as Don Carlos
A group of Mexican revolutionaries murders a town priest and a number of his christian followers. Ten years later, a widow arrives in town intent to t...

Clay Pigeon
1971
as Redford
An ex-soldier is recruited by the FBI to go undercover in L.A. and find other ex-soldiers who are part of a drug-dealing gang.

Pretty Maids All in a Row
1971
as Captain Sam Surcher
At Oceanfront High School, female students are being targeted by an unknown serial killer. Meanwhile, a married teacher hides his flings with nubile s...

Violent City
1970
as Al Weber
A hitman is double-crossed by his girlfriend and barely escapes a murder attempt. He then sets out to take his revenge on the woman and the gang boss ...

Kelly's Heroes
1970
as Master Sergeant "Big Joe"
A misfit group of World War II American soldiers goes AWOL to rob a bank behind German lines.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat in the Swiss alps where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. ...

Land Raiders
1969
as Vince Carden
An outlaw committing a string of robberies and murders manages to blame the crimes on Apaches, bringing about an Indian war.

Crooks and Coronets
1969
as Herbie Haseler
Two crooks are hired to rob an eccentric old lady's estate, but once they get to know her, they can't bring themselves to do it.

Mackenna's Gold
1969
as Sergeant Tibbs
A bandit kidnaps a Marshal who has seen a map showing a gold vein on Indian lands, but other groups are looking for it too, while the Apache try to ke...

The Assassination Bureau
1969
as Lord Bostwick
In 1908 London, a women's rights campaigner discovers the Assassination Bureau Limited, an organization that kills for justice. When its motives are c...

Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
1968
as Walter Braddock
After the end of WWII, an Italian woman receives child support payments from three former US soldiers who all believe themselves to be the father of h...

The Scalphunters
1968
as Jim Howie
Forced to trade his valuable furs for a well-educated escaped slave, a rugged trapper vows to recover the pelts from the Indians and later the renegad...

Sol Madrid
1968
as Emil Dietrich
Government agent Sol Madrid travels to Mexico with hooker Stacey to bring mobster Villanova and drug kingpin Dietrich to justice.

The Dirty Dozen
1967
as Archer Maggott
12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. Th...

The Karate Killers
1967
as Count De Fanzini
International spies Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) travel around the globe in an effort to track down a secret form...

Beau Geste
1966
as Sgt. Maj. Dagineau
In 1906, two American brothers join the French Foreign Legion and, led by a sadistic Sergeant-Major, they defend a fort against Berber and Tuareg atta...

Battle of the Bulge
1965
as Sgt. Guffy
In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent it, Hitler orders an all-out offensive ...

The Slender Thread
1965
as Dr. Joe Coburn
Alan is a Seattle college student volunteering at a crisis center. One night when at the clinic alone, a woman calls up the number and tells Alan that...

Genghis Khan
1965
as Shan
This is the story of the shy Mongol boy Temujin who,during the 13th century, becomes the fearless Mongol leader Genghis Khan that unites all Mongol tr...

The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as Pontius Pilate
From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. M...

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
1965
as Macmuid (uncredited)
During the Cold War, John Goldfarb crashes his spy plane in the Middle East and is taken prisoner by the local government. His captor, King Fawz, soon...

Fanfare for a Death Scene
1964
as Ilchidai Khan
An American secret agent, on the trail of a vanished scientist, must recover the scientist's revolutionary secret formula before the enemy catches up ...

The New Interns
1964
as Dr. Dominic Riccio
Young doctors mix romance with their careers in a big-city hospital.

Johnny Cool
1963
as Vincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo
A deported gangster trains an Italian convict to take over his operations in the U.S.

Love Is a Ball
1963
as Dr. Christian Gump (Millie's uncle)
Etienne makes a good living out of marrying off poor but titled young men to rich but untitled young ladies. Millicent is now in his sights on the Riv...

The Man from the Diners' Club
1963
as Mr. Martindale
Meek credit card company clerk Ernest Klenk is feeling the pressure of demanding coworkers, new computers, and an upcoming wedding. This stress leads ...

The Interns
1962
as Dr. Dominic Riccio
During their first year of internship at New North Hospital, a group of aspiring doctors undergo both personal and professional upheavals.

Birdman of Alcatraz
1962
as Feto Gomez
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stro...

Cape Fear
1962
as Private Detective Charles Sievers
Sam Bowden witnesses a rape committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and hi...
The Sin of Jesus
1961
as Felix
An egg-sorting woman shrugs off even the appearance of Christ. From Isaak Babel story.

The Young Savages
1961
as Detective Lt. Gunderson
A district attorney investigates the racially charged case of three teenagers accused of the murder of a blind Puerto Rican boy.

Mad Dog Coll
1961
as Lt. Dawson
Killer Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll moves in on gangster Dutch Schultz in 1920s New York.