Telly Savalas | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Savalas in 1973 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Aristotelis Savalas (1922-01-21)January 21, 1922 Garden City, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 22, 1994(1994-01-22) (aged 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer | ||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1950–1994 | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||
| Children | 6, includingAriana Savalas | ||||||||||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Branch | United States Army | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Website | tellysavalas | ||||||||||||||||
Aristotelis "Telly"Savalas (Greek:Αριστοτέλης Σαβάλας;[1] January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice,[2][3][4][5] he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama seriesKojak (1973–1978) andJames BondarchvillainErnst Stavro Blofeld in the filmOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).
Savalas's other films includeBirdman of Alcatraz (1962),The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965),Genghis Khan (1965),Battle of the Bulge (1965),The Dirty Dozen (1967),Kelly's Heroes (1970),Horror Express (1972),Lisa and the Devil (1974),Escape to Athena (1979),Border Cop (1980) andMind Twister (1993). ForBirdman of Alcatraz, he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor and theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Savalas released a cover of theBread song "If", which became aUK number-one single in 1975.[6]
Aristotelis Savalas was born inGarden City, New York, on January 21, 1922, the second of five children born to Greek parents Christina (née Kapsalis), an artist who was a native ofSparta, and Nick Savalas, a restaurant owner. His paternal grandparents came fromIerakas. Savalas and his brother, Gus, sold newspapers and polished shoes to help support the family.[7] Savalas initially spoke only Greek when he entered grade school, but later learned English. He attended Cobbett Junior High School inLynn, Massachusetts. He won a spelling bee there in 1934; due to an oversight, he did not receive his prize until 1991, when the school principal and theBoston Herald awarded it to him.[8]
Savalas graduated fromSewanhaka High School inFloral Park, New York, in 1940.[9] A renowned swimmer, he worked as a beach lifeguard after graduation from high school. On one occasion, though, he was unsuccessful in saving a father from drowning; as he attempted resuscitation, the man's two children stood nearby crying for their father to wake up. This affected Savalas so much that he spent the rest of his life promoting water safety, and later made all six of his children take swimming lessons.[10]
Savalas wasdrafted into theUnited States Army in 1941. Savalas served in Company C, 12th Medical Training Battalion, 4th Medical Training Regiment atCamp Pickett,Virginia, from 1941 to 1943. He was discharged from the Army with the rank of corporal in 1943 after being severely injured in a car accident. Savalas spent more than a year recuperating in hospital with a broken pelvis, sprained ankle and concussion.[11] He then attended theArmed Forces Institute, where he studied radio and television production.[12]
Savalas received a bachelor's degree in psychology fromColumbia's School of General Studies in 1946[1][13] and started working on a master's degree while preparing for medical school.[14]
After the war, he worked for theU.S. State Department as host of theYour Voice of America series, then atABC News.[15][16] In 1950, Savalas hosted a radio show calledThe Coffeehouse in New York City.[17]
Savalas began as an executive director and then as senior director of the news special events at ABC. He then became an executive producer for theGillette Cavalcade of Sports, where he gaveHoward Cosell his first job in television.[17][18] Before his acting career took off, Savalas directedScott Vincent and Cosell inReport to New York,WABC-TV's first regularly scheduled news program in fall 1959.[citation needed]
Savalas did not consider acting as a career until asked if he could recommend an actor who could do a European accent. He did, but as the friend in question could not go, Savalas himself went to cover for his friend and ended up being cast on "And Bring Home a Baby", an episode ofArmstrong Circle Theatre in January 1958. He appeared on two more episodes of the series in 1959 and 1960, one, acting alongside a youngSydney Pollack.[19] He was also in a version ofThe Iceman Cometh.[20]
He quickly became much in demand as a guest star on TV shows, appearing inSunday Showcase,Diagnosis: Unknown,Dow Hour of Great Mysteries (an adaptation ofThe Cat and the Canary),Naked City (alongsideClaude Rains),The Witness (playingLucky Luciano in one episode andAl Capone in another),The United States Steel Hour, andThe Aquanauts.[21][22] He was a regular on the short-lived NBC seriesAcapulco (1961) withRalph Taeger andJames Coburn.
Savalas made his film debut inMad Dog Coll (1961), playing a cop.[23] His work had impressed fellow actorBurt Lancaster, who arranged for Savalas to be cast in theJohn Frankenheimer-directedThe Young Savages (also 1961 and again playing a cop).[23][1] Pollack worked on the film as an acting coach.[24]
In one of his most acclaimed performances, Savalas reunited with Lancaster and Frankenheimer forBirdman of Alcatraz (1962), where he was nominated for theAcademy Award andGolden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, he appeared as a private detective inCape Fear (directed byJ. Lee Thompson with whom Savalas would work in future films), andThe Interns, reprising his role from the latter film inThe New Interns (1964).[25]
Savalas also guest-starred in a number of TV series during the decade includingThe New Breed,The Detectives,Ben Casey,The Twilight Zone (the episode "Living Doll"),[23]The Fugitive, andArrest and Trial among others.
.jpg)
He continued in supporting roles in films such asThe Man from the Diners' Club,Love Is a Ball, andJohnny Cool (all 1963).[23][26] Already at a late stage ofmale pattern baldness, heshaved his head to playPontius Pilate inThe Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)[23] and kept his head shaven for the rest of his life.[27] He reunited with J. Lee Thompson inJohn Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965), and was one of many names inGenghis Khan (also 1965).[1]
He was part of an all-star cast inThe Dirty Dozen (1967), playing Archer Maggott (the worst of the dozen), in a roleJack Palance turned down. He reunited with Burt Lancaster and Sydney Pollack in the WesternThe Scalphunters (1968), and also featured in the comedyBuona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (also 1968)—noted as one of his favorite roles—and the all-star action movieMackenna's Gold (1969), his third film for J. Lee Thompson.[28] Savalas attributed his success to "his complete ability to be himself."[29]
Savalas's first leading role in film was in the British crime comedyCrooks and Coronets (1969). The same year, he appeared in the James Bond movieOn Her Majesty's Secret Service, playingErnst Stavro Blofeld. He continued to appear in films during the 1970s includingKelly's Heroes (1970) (withClint Eastwood);Clay Pigeon (1971); and several European features such asViolent City (1970) (withCharles Bronson);A Town Called Bastard (1971);Horror Express (withPeter Cushing andChristopher Lee);A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die; the title role inPancho Villa (all 1972); andRedneck (1973). He reunited with Christopher Lee in the 1976 thrillerKiller Force, and also appeared inPeter Hyams'Capricorn One (1978).[23][30]
"I had worked my way up to star billing", he later said, "when the bottom dropped out of the movie business. I could have stayed in Europe and made Italian movies, but I discovered the big difference between an Italian and American movie is that in the American movie, you get paid."[31]
Savalas first played Lt. Theophilus "Theo" Kojak in the TV movieThe Marcus–Nelson Murders (CBS, 1973), which was based on the real-lifeCareer Girls murder case.[32]
Kojak was a bald New York City detective with a fondness forlollipops and whose tagline was "Who loves ya, baby?" (He also liked to say, "Everybody should have a little Greek in them.") Although the lollipop gimmick was added to indulge his sweet tooth, Savalas also smoked heavily onscreen—cigarettes,cigarillos, and cigars—throughout the first season's episodes. The lollipops had apparently given him threecavities, and were part of an (unsuccessful) effort by Kojak (and Savalas himself) to curb his smoking. CriticClive James explained the lead actor's appeal as Kojak: "Telly Savalas can make bad slang sound like good slang and good slang sound like lyric poetry. It isn't what he is, so much as the way he talks, that gets you tuning in."[33]
David Shipman later wrote: "Kojak was sympathetic to outcasts and ruthless with social predators. The show maintained a high quality to the end, mixing tension with some laughs and always anxious to tackle civic issues, one of itsraisons d'etre in the first place. It was required viewing in Britain every Saturday evening for eight years. To almost everyone everywhere, Kojak means Savalas and vice versa, but to Savalas himself, the series was merely an interval, albeit a long one, in a distinguished career."[30]
Kojak aired on CBS for five seasons from October 24, 1973, until March 18, 1978, with 118 episodes produced.[23] The role won Savalas anEmmy and twoGolden Globes for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Co-stars on the show included Savalas's younger brotherGeorge as Detective Stavros, a sensitive, wild-haired, quiet, comedic foil to Kojak's street-wise humor in an otherwise dark dramatic series,[34]Kevin Dobson as Kojak's trusted young partner, Det. Bobby Crocker, whose on-screen chemistry with Savalas was a success story of 1970s television,[35] andDan Frazer as Captain Frank McNeil.[36]
Due to a decline in ratings, the series was cancelled by CBS in 1978. Savalas and Frazer were the only actors to appear in all 118 episodes. Savalas was unhappy about the show's demise[37] but got the chance to reprise the Kojak persona in several television movies, starting in 1985.[38][39] The first film, subtitledThe Belarus File and broadcast in February 1985, reunited Savalas with several of his co-stars from the series: younger brother George,Dan Frazer,Mark Russell (Det. Saperstein) and Vince Conti (Det. Rizzo); this marked those actors' final appearances in theKojak franchise.[40][41]
A further sixKojak TV movies were produced, titledThe Price of Justice (1987),[42]Ariana,Fatal Flaw (both 1989),Flowers for Matty,It's Always Something—with Kevin Dobson reprising his role of Bobby Crocker, now an assistant district attorney—andNone So Blind (all 1990).[43][44]
Savalas wrote, directed, and starred in the 1977independent thrillerBeyond Reason, but the film was not released in cinemas; it was made available only on home media in 1985.[45] Savalas was part of an all-star cast in the moviesEscape to Athena,Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (both 1979), andCannonball Run II (1984), and continued to appear in a number of film and television guest roles during the 1980s, includingBorder Cop (1980) andFaceless (1988), the seriesTales of the Unexpected (1981), and two episodes each ofThe Love Boat (1985) andThe Equalizer (1987); the latter series was produced by James McAdams, who had also producedKojak.
Savalas was the lead actor in the TV movieHellinger's Law (1981), which was originally planned as a pilot for a series, but ultimately never materialized.[46]
In 1992, he appeared in three episodes of the TV seriesThe Commish (his son-in-law was one of the producers). This was Savalas's final television role. He appeared in two further feature films before his death,Mind Twister (1993) and the posthumous releaseBackfire! (1995).[28]
With the $1,000,000 he was paid forOn Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969, Savalas bought The Bridge House, inFerndown,Dorset, England. A couple of relatives ran it for him as a hotel.
As a singer, Savalas had some chart success. Hisspoken word version ofBread's "If", produced bySnuff Garrett, reached number one in both theUK andIreland in March 1975, but just number 88 in Canada,[47] and his follow-up, a version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" peaked at No. 47 in the UK.[48] In February 1981, his version ofDon Williams' "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" topped the charts in Switzerland.[49] He worked with composer and producerJohn Cacavas on many albums,[50] includingTelly (1974) (which peaked at No. 12 in the UK[51] and No. 49 in Australia)[52] andWho Loves Ya, Baby (1976).
In the late 1970s, Savalas narrated three UK travelogues titledTelly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth,Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen, andTelly Savalas Looks at Birmingham. They were produced byHarold Baim and were examples ofquota quickies, which were then part of a requirement that cinemas in the United Kingdom show a set percentage of British-produced films.[53] In the 1980s and early 1990s, Savalas appeared in commercials for the Players' Club Gold Card. In 1982, along withBob Hope andLinda Evans, he participated in the "world premiere" television ad introducingDiet Coke to Americans.[54] On October 28, 1987, Savalas hostedReturn to the Titanic Live, a two-hour television special broadcast fromCité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris, which was widely criticized as being insensitive and for making light of thetragic sinking soon after itswreck was discovered.[55][56] He also hosted the 1989 videoUFOs and Channeling.
He received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1983. In 1999,TV Guide ranked him number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.[57]
Savalas was married three times. In 1948, after his father's death frombladder cancer, Savalas married his college sweetheart, Katherine Nicolaides. Their daughter Christina, named after his mother, was born in 1950. In 1957, Katherine filed for divorce. She urged him to move back to his mother's house during that same year. While Savalas was going broke, he founded the Garden City Theater Center in his native Garden City. While working there, he met Marilyn Gardner, a theater teacher. They married in 1960. Marilyn gave birth to their daughter, Penelope, in 1961. A second daughter, Candace, was born in 1963. They divorced in 1974, after a long separation.[14]
In January 1969, while working on the movieOn Her Majesty's Secret Service, Savalas met Sally Adams (billed as Dani Sheridan, one ofBlofeld's "Angels of Death"), an actress 24 years his junior, whose daughter from a previous relationship isNicollette Sheridan. Savalas later moved in with Sally, who gave birth to their son Nicholas Savalas on February 24, 1973. Although Savalas and Sally Adams never legally married, she went by the name Sally Savalas.[58] They stopped living together in December 1978; she filed apalimony lawsuit against him in 1980, demanding support not only for herself and their son, but also for Nicollette.[58]
In 1977, during the last season ofKojak, Savalas met Julie Hovland, a travel agent from Minnesota. They were married from 1984 until his death and had two children: Christian, an entrepreneur, singer, and songwriter, andAriana, an actress and singer/songwriter.[59][60] Savalas was close friends with actorJohn Aniston,[18] and was godfather to his daughterJennifer, a successful TV and film actress.[61]
Savalas held a degree in psychology and was a world-class poker player who finished 21st at the main event in the1992 World Series of Poker. He was also a motorcycle racer and lifeguard. His other hobbies and interests included golfing, swimming, reading romantic books, watching football, travelling, collecting luxury cars and gambling. He loved horse racing and bought a racehorse with film director and producerHoward W. Koch. Naming the horseTelly's Pop, it won several races in 1975, including theNorfolk Stakes andDel Mar Futurity.[62][63]
In his capacity as producer forKojak, he gave many stars their first break, as Burt Lancaster had done for him. He was considered by those who knew him to be a generous, graceful, compassionate man.[citation needed] He was also a strong contributor to his Greek Orthodox roots through the Saint Sophia and Saint Nicholas cathedrals in Los Angeles and was the sponsor of bringing electricity in the 1970s to his ancestral home,Ierakas.
Savalas had a minor physical handicap in that his left index finger was deformed.[64] This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; theKojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger.
As a philanthropist and philhellene, Savalas supported many Hellenic causes and made friends in major cities around the world. In Chicago, he often met with Illinois state senatorsSteven G. Nash andSamuel C. Maragos.
In 1993, Savalas appeared on an Australian TV show,The Extraordinary, with a paranormal tale about a hitchhiking mystery that he could not explain.[65][66]
Along with his brother, Savalas was aFreemason.[67]
In the 1980s, Savalas began to lose close relatives. His brotherGeorge Savalas, who played Stavros in the original series, died in 1985 ofleukemia at age 60. His mother died in 1988. In late 1989, Savalas was diagnosed withtransitional-cell cancer of the bladder.[59][60][68]
Savalas died on January 22, 1994, ofcomplications of prostate and bladder cancer, at theSheraton-Universal Hotel inUniversal City, California, at the age of 72.[68][69][70] He had lived at the Sheraton in Universal City for 20 years, becoming such a fixture at the hotel bar that it was renamed Telly's.[71]
Savalas was interred at theGeorge Washington section ofForest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. The funeral, held in theSaint SophiaGreek Orthodox Church, was attended by his third wife, Julie, and his brother Gus. His first two wives, Katherine and Marilyn, also attended with their own children. The mourners includedAngie Dickinson,Jennifer Aniston,Kevin Sorbo,Frank Sinatra,Don Rickles, and several of Savalas'sKojak co-stars includingKevin Dobson andDan Frazer.[72]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Mad Dog Coll | Lieutenant Darro | |
| The Young Savages | Lieutenant Gunderson | ||
| The Sin of Jesus | Felix | Short subject | |
| 1962 | Cape Fear | Private Detective Charles Sievers | |
| Birdman of Alcatraz | Feto Gomez | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | |
| The Interns | Dr. Dominic Riccio | ||
| 1963 | The Man from the Diners' Club | 'Foots' Pulardos | |
| Love Is a Ball | Dr. Christian Gump (Millie's uncle) | ||
| Johnny Cool | Vincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo | ||
| 1964 | The New Interns | Dr. Dominick 'Dom' Riccio | |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | Pontius Pilate | |
| John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! | Macmuid (Harem Recruiter) | Uncredited | |
| Genghis Khan | Shan | ||
| Battle of the Bulge | Sergeant Guffy | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | |
| The Slender Thread | Dr. Joe Coburn | ||
| 1966 | Beau Geste | Sergeant Major Dagineau | |
| 1967 | The Dirty Dozen | Archer Maggott | |
| 1968 | Sol Madrid | Emil Dietrich | |
| The Scalphunters | Jim Howie | ||
| Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell | Walter Braddock | ||
| 1969 | The Assassination Bureau | Lord Bostwick | |
| Mackenna's Gold | Sergeant Tibbs | ||
| Sophie's Place | Herbie Haseler | Known asCrooks and Coronets in the United Kingdom | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | ||
| 1970 | Land Raiders | Vicente Cardenas | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Joe 'Big Joe' | ||
| Violent City | Al Weber | ||
| 1971 | Pretty Maids All in a Row | Surcher | |
| A Town Called Bastard | Don Carlos | ||
| Clay Pigeon | Redford | ||
| 1972 | Crime Boss | Don Vincenzo | |
| Sonny and Jed | Sheriff Franciscus | ||
| Horror Express | Captain Kazan | ||
| The Killer Is on the Phone | Ranko Drasovic | ||
| Pancho Villa | Pancho Villa | ||
| A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die | Maggiore Ward | ||
| 1973 | Senza Ragione | 'Memphis' | |
| 1974 | Lisa and the Devil | Leandro | |
| 1975 | Inside Out | Harry Morgan | |
| 1976 | Killer Force | Harry Webb | |
| 1978 | Capricorn One | Albain | |
| 1979 | Escape to Athena | Zeno | |
| Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | Captain Stefan Svevo | ||
| The Muppet Movie | El Sleezo Tough | ||
| 1980 | Border Cop | Frank Cooper | |
| 1981 | Maria Tomba Homem | Unknown | Mazzaropi, had as objective, to make the next film, with the actor, perhaps with the titleKOJECA (parody of the name of the seriesKojak), but he died before even starting the pre-production of the film, on June 13, 1981. |
| 1982 | Fake-Out | Lieutenant Thurston | |
| 1983 | Afghanistan pourquoi? | Rebel Leader | |
| 1984 | Cannonball Run II | Hymie Kaplan | |
| 1985 | Beyond Reason | Dr. Nicholas Mati | Originally filmed in 1977 and not released theatrically; made available on home video eight years later Also director and writer |
| 1986 | GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords | Magmar | Voice |
| 1988 | Faceless | Terry Hallen | |
| 1993 | Mind Twister | Richard Howland | |
| 1995 | Backfire! | Most Evil Man | Posthumous release (final film role) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | NBC Sunday Showcase | Cotton | Episode: "Murder and the Android" |
| 1959–1960 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Dieter Wislieny / Dieter Wisliceny / Father Dominique Georges Henn Pire / Charles Rogan | 6 episodes |
| 1960 | Diagnosis: Unknown | Tony 'Irish Tony' Salivarro | Episode: "Gina, Gina" |
| Dow Hour of Great Mysteries | Unknown | Episode: "The Cat and the Canary" | |
| The Witness | Al Capone /Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano | 3 episodes | |
| Naked City | Gabriel Hody | Episode: "To Walk in Silence" | |
| The United States Steel Hour | Unknown | Episode: "Operation North Star" | |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Paul Price | Episode: "Stormy Weather" |
| Acapulco | Mr. Carver | 8 episodes | |
| King of Diamonds | Massis / Jerry Larch | 2 episodes | |
| The New Breed | Dr. Buel Reed | Episode: "The Compulsion to Confess" | |
| The Dick Powell Show | Sergeant Marius | Episode: "Three Soldiers" | |
| The Detectives | Ben | Episode: "Escort" | |
| Ben Casey | George Dempsey | Episode: "A Dark Night for Billy Harris" | |
| 1961–1962 | Cain's Hundred | Harry Remick / Frank Meehan | 2 episodes |
| 1961–1963 | The Untouchables | Leo Stazak / Matt Bass / Wally Baltzer | 3 episodes |
| 1962 | Alcoa Premiere | Mario Lombardi | Episode: "The Hands of Danofrio" |
| 1963 | The Eleventh Hour | Ben Cohen | Episode: "A Tumble from a High White House" |
| The Dakotas | Jake Volet | Episode: "Reformation at Big Nose Butte" | |
| Big G | Tibor | Episode: "Arrow in the Sky" | |
| Grindl | Mr. Hartman | Episode: "The Gruesome Basement" | |
| 77 Sunset Strip | Brother Hendricksen | Episode: "5: Part 4" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Erich Streator | Episode: "Living Doll" | |
| 1963–1965 | Burke's Law | Balakirov, Richard Goldtooth / Charlie Prince / Fakir George O'Shea | 3 episodes |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Ramon Castillo / Raymond Castle / Beret | 2 episodes |
| Channing | Paul Atherton | Episode: "A Claim to Immortality" | |
| Arrest and Trial | Frank Santo | Episode: "The Revenge of the Worm" | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Harry 'Philadelphia Harry' | Episode: "A Matter of Murder" | |
| Breaking Point | Vincenzo Gracchi | Episode: "My Hands Are Clean" | |
| The Rogues | General Hector Jesus Diaz | Episode: "Viva Diaz!" | |
| Fanfare for a Death Scene | Ikhedai Khan | Television film | |
| 1964–1966 | The Fugitive | Steve Keller / Victor Leonetti / Dan Polichek | 3 episodes |
| 1964–1967 | Combat! | Jon / Colonel Kapsalis | 2 episodes |
| 1965 | Bonanza | Charles Augustus Hackett | Episode: "To Own the World" |
| Run for Your Life | Istvan Zabor | Episode: "How to Sell Your Soul for Fun and Profit" | |
| 1966 | The Virginian | 'Colonel' Bliss | Episode: "Men with Guns" |
| 1967 | The F.B.I. | Ed Clementi | Episode-2 part: "The Executioners" |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E | Count Valerino De Fanzini | 2 episodes | |
| Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Mueller | Episode: "Don't Wait for Tomorrow" | |
| Garrison's Gorillas | Wheeler | Episode: "The Big Con" | |
| Cimarron Strip | 'Bear' | Episode: "The Battleground" | |
| 1970 | The Red Skelton Show | 'Tex' | Episode: "Stagecoach Hijack" |
| 1971 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Gregor Antonescu | Episode: "Man and Boy" |
| Mongo's Back in Town | Lieutenant Pete Tolstad | Television film (also known asSteel Wreath) | |
| 1972 | Visions... | Lieutenant Phil Keegan | Television film |
| 1973 | The Marcus-Nelson Murders | Lieutenant Theo Kojak | Television film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
| She Cried Murder | Inspector Joe Brody | Television film | |
| 1973–1978 | Kojak | Lieutenant Theo Kojak | 118 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama(1975–1976) Primetime Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series(1974) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama(1977–1978) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series(1975) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series(1975) |
| 1974 | The Carol Burnett Show | Himself | Season 8 Episode 5 |
| 1975 | Am Iaufenden Band | Singer / Kojak | Episode: #2.1 |
| Royal Variety Performance | Himself | Performed in front ofQueen Elizabeth II &the Duke of Edinburgh at theLondon Palladium on November 10, 1975.[73][74] | |
| 1978 | Windows, Doors & Keyholes | Unknown | Television film |
| 1979 | Alice | Himself | Episode: "Has Anyone Here Seen Telly?" |
| The French Atlantic Affair | Father Craig Dunleavy | Television miniseries | |
| 1980 | Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story | Cretzer | Television film |
| 1981 | Hellinger's Law | Nick Hellinger | Television film (originally planned as a pilot for a series) |
| Tales of the Unexpected | Joe Brisson | Episode: "Completely Foolproof" | |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | Peter Panakos | Episode: "My Palikari" |
| 1984 | The Cartier Affair | Phil Drexler | Television film |
| 1985 | The Love Boat | Dr. Fabian Cain | 2 episodes |
| Kojak: The Belarus File | Lieutenant Theo Kojak | Television film (featuring returningKojak co-starsGeorge Savalas,Dan Frazer, Mark Russell and Vince Conti) | |
| George Burns Comedy Week | Unknown | Episode: "The Assignment" | |
| Alice in Wonderland | The Cheshire Cat | Television film | |
| Solomon's Universe | Solomon Stark | Television film | |
| 1987 | Kojak: The Price of Justice | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film |
| The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission | Major Wright | Television film | |
| The Equalizer | Brother Joseph Heiden | Episode: "Blood and Wine" | |
| J.J. Starbuck | The Greek | Episode: "Gold from the Rainbow" | |
| 1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission | Major Wright | Television film |
| 1989 | The Hollywood Detective | Harry Bell | Television film |
| Kojak: Ariana | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film | |
| Kojak: Fatal Flaw | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film | |
| 1990 | Kojak: Flowers for Matty | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film |
| Kojak: It's Always Something | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film (withKojak co-starKevin Dobson) | |
| Kojak: None So Blind | Inspector Theo Kojak | Television film | |
| 1991 | Rose Against the Odds | George Parnassus | Television film |
| 1991–1993 | Ein Schloß am Wörthersee | Teddy | 2 episodes |
| 1992–1993 | The Commish | Tommy Colette | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | The Extraordinary | Himself | Season 1, Episode 1 |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Birdman of Alcatraz | Nominated | [75] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Nominated | [76] | ||
| 1965 | Battle of the Bulge | Nominated | |||
| 1974 | Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama | Kojak | Won | ||
| 1975 | Won[a] | ||||
| 1976 | Nominated | ||||
| 1977 | Nominated | ||||
| 1973 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | The Marcus-Nelson Murders | Nominated | [77] |
| 1974 | Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Kojak(Episode: "Requiem for a Cop") | Won | ||
| 1975 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Kojak | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Kojak(Episode: "I Want to Report a Dream...") | Nominated |
