Telly Savalas: Movies, Awards & Box Office
- films
- 68
- on screen
- 1961–2021
- box office
- $57.5M
- nominations
- 2
- Born
- January 21, 1922
- Birthplace
- Garden City, New York, U.S.
- Full name
- Aristotelis Savalas
- Citizenship
- United States
- Occupations
- Actor, singer
- Years active
- 1950-1994
- Spouses
- Katherine Nicolaides, Marilyn Gardner, Julie Hovland
- Children
- 6
The Best Telly Savalas Movies
The films of Telly Savalas that made the most at the worldwide box office, biggest first: Cannonball Run II (1984) leads with $28.1M. The full ranking adds the most awarded films and the newest releases.
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Worldwide box office: $28.1M Cannonball Run II 1984 · Action -
Worldwide box office: $22.8M On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 · Action -
Worldwide box office: $5.2M Kelly's Heroes 1970 · Adventure -
Worldwide box office: $1.34M GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords 1986 · Action -
Worldwide box office: $7.38K Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell 1968 · Romance -
Worldwide box office: $402 Capricorn One 1978 · Action
Telly Savalas's Career in Numbers
Telly Savalas's films in numbers — as an actor, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres Telly Savalas works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from The Sin of Jesus (1961) to Backfire! (1995), and the 1960s were the busiest decade.
Telly Savalas Movies by Decade
- 1960s 24
- 1970s 19
- 1980s 16
- 1990s 5
The 1960s were Telly Savalas's busiest decade, with 24 films.
Telly Savalas Movies by Genre
- Drama 10
- Thriller 10
- Action 9
- Crime 9
- Comedy 7
- Adventure 4
- Horror 3
- Western 3
- Romance 3
- Tv movie 2
Drama is the genre Telly Savalas has worked in most, with 10 films, ahead of thriller (10).
Telly Savalas Career Milestones
- First film
- The Sin of Jesus 1961
- Biggest box office hit
- Cannonball Run II $28.1M worldwide
- Newest film
- Backfire! 1995
Telly Savalas Filmography: Every Movie
Every film Telly Savalas is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.
Telly Savalas Movies as an Actor
64- 1995
Backfire! as Most Evil Man · Comedy - 1994
Mind Twister as Richard Howland · Drama - 1990
Kojak: None So Blind as Inspector Theo Kojak · Thriller - 1990
Kojak: It’s Always Something as Inspector Theo Kojak · Drama - 1990
Kojak: Flowers For Matty as Inspector Theo Kojak · Drama - 1989
Kojak : Error Fatal as Lieutenant Theo Kojak · Thriller - 1989
Kojak : Error Fatal as Lieutenant Theo Kojak · Thriller - 1989
Kojak: Ariana as Lieutenant Theo Kojak · Thriller - 1988
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission as Maj. Wright · Adventure - 1988
Faceless as Terry Hallen · Horror - 1987
The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine as Brother Joseph Heiden · Action - 1987
The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission as Maj. Wright · Tv movie - 1987
Kojak: The Price of Justice as Inspector Theo Kojak · Thriller - 1986
The Flintstones’ 25th Anniversary Celebration Family - 1986
GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords Action Worldwide box office: $1.34M - 1985
Kojak The Belarus File as Lieutenant Theo Kojak · Crime - 1984
The Cartier Affair as Phil Drexler · Comedy - 1984
Cannonball Run II Action Worldwide box office: $28.1M - 1982
Fake-Out as Lt. Thurston · Crime - 1981
Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham as Narrator · Documentary - 1980
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story as Cretzer · Drama - 1979
Escape to Athena as Zeno · Adventure - 1979
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure Action - 1978
Capricorn One Action Worldwide box office: $402 - 1976
Killer Force as Webb · Thriller - 1975
Inside Out as Harry Morgan · Crime - 1975
The House of Exorcism as Leandro (archive footage) · Horror - 1973
She Cried Murder as Inspector Joe Brody · Thriller - 1973
Lisa and the Devil as Leandro · Horror - 1973
The Marcus-Nelson Murders as Lt. Theo Kojak · Crime - 1973
Redneck as Memphis · Crime - 1972
A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die as Major Ward · Western - 1972
Pancho Villa as Pancho Villa · Western - 1972
Visions… as Lt. Phil Keegan · Tv movie - 1972
Sonny and Jed as Sheriff Franciscus · Comedy - 1971
Mongo’s Back in Town as Lieutenant Pete Tolstad · Crime - 1971
A Town Called Hell as Don Carlos · Western - 1971
Clay Pigeon as Redford · Drama - 1970
Violent City as Al Weber · Thriller - 1970
Kelly's Heroes Adventure Worldwide box office: $5.2M - 1969
On Her Majesty's Secret Service Action Worldwide box office: $22.8M - 1969
Land Raiders as Vince Carden · Thriller - 1969
Crooks and Coronets as Herbie Haseler · Comedy - 1969
The Assassination Bureau Action - 1969
Mackenna’s Gold as Sergeant Tibbs · Adventure - 1968
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell as Walter Braddock · Romance Worldwide box office: $7.38K - 1968
Sol Madrid as Emil Dietrich · Crime - 1967
The Karate Killers as Count De Fanzini · Action - 1966
Beau Geste as Sgt. Maj. Dagineau · Action - 1965
Battle of the Bulge as Sgt. Guffy · Drama - 1965
The Slender Thread as Dr. Joe Coburn · Drama - 1965
Genghis Khan as Shan · History - 1965
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! as Macmuid (uncredited) · Comedy - 1965
The Greatest Story Ever Told as Pontius Pilate · Drama - 1964
Fanfare for a Death Scene as Ilchidai Khan · Thriller - 1964
The New Interns as Dr. Dominic Riccio · Comedy - 1963
Johnny Cool as Vincenzo 'Vince' Santangelo · Crime - 1963
Love Is a Ball as Dr. Christian Gump (Millie's uncle) · Romance - 1963
The Man from the Diners’ Club as Mr. Martindale · Comedy - 1962
The Interns as Dr. Dominic Riccio · Romance - 1962
Birdman of Alcatraz Biography - 1961
The Sin of Jesus as Felix · Drama - 1961
The Young Savages as Detective Lt. Gunderson · Crime - 1961
Mad Dog Coll as Lt. Dawson · Drama
Telly Savalas in Documentaries & Specials
4Telly Savalas: Awards & Nominations
2 nominations across 2 award bodies, from 1963 to 1963. Every ceremony is listed newest first, with the category and the film.
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Oscars 1 nomination -
Golden Globes 1 nomination
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35th Academy Awards- Telly Savalas: Nominated Best Supporting Actor Birdman of Alcatraz
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20th Golden Globe Awards- Telly Savalas: Nominated Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Comedy or Musical (Supporting Actor) Birdman of Alcatraz
Who Is Telly Savalas?
Telly Savalas was born in Garden City, New York, U.S. in 1922. Credited on films since 1961, as an actor. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas, born on January 21, 1922, was a Greek-American actor and singer. His deep, resonant voice and signature bald head made him instantly recognizable, and he's best remembered for his portrayal of Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series Kojak from 1973 to 1978, and James Bond arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). His list of films include notable works like Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970) and many others. For Birdman of Alcatraz, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Savalas also had a singing career, with his cover of the Bread song "If" topping the UK charts in 1975.
Telly Savalas, whose given name was Aristotelis Savalas, was the second of five children born to Greek parents in Garden City, New York. He initially spoke only Greek when he entered grade school, later learning English. He went on to make a name for himself as an actor, achieving wide Fame in the 50s and onwards, he is remembered as a significant figure in American television and film industry. After his acting career took off, he was considered high in demand as a guest star on TV shows and films. His signature bald look was a result of his role as Pontius Pilate in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), and he maintained this look for the rest of his life. Back in 1969, he starred in the British crime comedy Crooks and Coronets, his first leading role in a film. He later took on many other leading roles throughout the 70s. Despite his successful acting career, Savalas was also passionate about other hobbies such as travelling, golfing, swimming, and collecting luxury cars.
Who Telly Savalas Makes Movies With
The actors and directors Telly Savalas shares the most films with. Charles Cioffi comes first, with 6 films together, followed by David McCallum (4).
Telly Savalas: Questions & Answers
How many movies Telly Savalas has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.
How many movies has Telly Savalas been in?
Telly Savalas is credited on 68 films, from 1961 to 2021. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.
What is Telly Savalas's highest-grossing movie?
Cannonball Run II (1984) is Telly Savalas's biggest box office hit, with $28.1M worldwide, ahead of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) ($22.8M). Across every film with box office figures, Telly Savalas's movies have made $57.5M.
Telly Savalas's biggest hits Has Telly Savalas won an Oscar?
Telly Savalas has been nominated for an Oscar but has not won one yet. Across every ceremony in the awards database, Telly Savalas has 0 wins from 2 nominations.
What is Telly Savalas's newest movie?
The most recent film on Telly Savalas's filmography is Django & Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained (2021), in the role of Self - Actor (archive footage).
Who does Telly Savalas work with most often?
Telly Savalas shares the most films with Charles Cioffi (6 films), David McCallum (4 films) and Shelley Winters (4 films).
The Best Telly Savalas Movies, Ranked
Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 68 credits.
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