Telly Savalas Who Loves Ya Baby First Said
Telly Savalas, Actor, Dies at 70; Played Kojak in 70's TV Series
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January 24, 1994
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Telly Savalas, who added the phrase "Who loves ya, baby?" to popular language while portraying a New York detective in the 1970's television series "Kojak," died on Saturday of prostate cancer. He was 70.
Mr. Savalas died in his suite at the Sheraton-Universal Hotel in Universal City, said Mike Mamakos, a spokesman, The Associated Press reported.
Mr. Savalas's acting career spanned three decades, making him at one time one of Hollywood's busiest character actors. He played an assortment of heavies, from Al Capone to Pontius Pilate.
But Mr. Savalas, with his shaved head, became primarily identified among American television viewers as Lieut. Theo Kojak, the tough-talking but big-hearted detective who chased New York's criminals, usually with a lollipop in his mouth. Won Emmy for Series
The series was a spinoff of the drama "The Marcus-Nelson Murders," a 1973 television movie that was based on the real-life murders of two young women in New York City. Mr. Savalas headed the cast of the movie as Kojak, the detective who investigated the killings.
During the show's first season, 1973 to 1974, it quickly became one of the top 10 in the ratings, at a time when television was swollen with more than a score of crime-oriented shows in prime time.
Mr. Savalas, who eventually won an Emmy as best actor in a dramatic series, provided many of the flourishes that made the character so memorable. It was his idea to have the character suck on lollipops and to have him wear natty suits and vests. "Kojak" ran until 1978.
Reflecting on the recognition the series brought him, Mr. Savalas once said, "I made 60 movies before 'Kojak' with some of the biggest names in the business, and people would still say, 'There goes what's-his-name.' "
Mr. Savalas's brother, George, who died in 1985, played Detective Stavros in the series. Worked for State Department
Mr. Savalas was born into a family of immigrants from Greece in Garden City, L.I. He was named Aristotle (Telly for short). After serving in the military during World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and began working on a master's degree while trying to enter medical school.
He eventually got a job as a writer for the United States Information Service (part of the State Department), and rose to the rank of assistant director for the Near East, South Asia and Africa.
In 1955, he left Government service to take a job with the American Broadcasting Company's news and special events department. He eventually became a senior director.
His acting career began in 1959 with a bit part on the television series "Armstrong Circle Theater."
Burt Lancaster provided Mr. Savalas's first important film role, in 1961, as a police detective in "The Young Savages," which was set in Harlem. The next year he appeared in Mr. Lancaster's "Birdman of Alcatraz" as a sadistic convict. The role won him an Academy Award nomination as supporting actor. 'Crazies' With Depth
He carved a place for himself as a prolific character actor, one who often played villains. That is, until he was given the opportunity to play "Kojak" in 1973.
"Even with the crazies I've played, I've always tried to give some dimension to their insanity," he once said. "I hope to be flexible with 'Kojak.' "
He realized the series faced stiff competition, but he had faith in the character's singular style. "Television doesn't need another cop show, that's for sure," he said. "But this is an interesting cop, a real cop from a New York City neighborhood. A 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."
His films included "The Battle of the Bulge" (1965), "Beau Geste" (1966), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), "The Scalphunters" (1968), "Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell" (1968), "The Assassination Bureau" (1968), "Mackenna's Gold" (1969), "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969), "Kelly's Heroes" (1970), "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971), "Pancho Villa" (1971) and "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure" (1979).
The actor's first three marriages, to Katharine Nicolaides, Marilyn Gardner and Sally Adams, produced four children and ended in divorces. In 1984, he married Julie Howland. They had a son in 1985 and a daughter in 1987.
Telly Savalas Who Loves Ya Baby First Said
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/24/obituaries/telly-savalas-actor-dies-at-70-played-kojak-in-70-s-tv-series.html
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