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Things You Didn’t Know About Telly Savalas
When he wasn’t “Kojak,” he could be a pretty bad guy.
Telly Savalas is best known for his role as Theo Kojak. Of course, that’s just a part of his career. He was also pretty good at playing screen heavies. In addition, his personal life was far from tranquil. Beyond that I didn’t know a lot about Telly.
So, after doing a little research, here are some things you might not have known about Telly Savalas.
1: Telly’s real first name was Aristotelis.
If Telly had used his real first name, he would have been one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
2: Telly’s father lost his fortune in the Stock Market crash of 1929.
It was yet another Greek tragedy.
3: While in the Army during World War II, Telly went to the Armed Forces Institute where he learned how to produce radio and TV shows.
Maybe that’s why they called him Telly.
4: In his early acting days, Telly played a lot of bad guys, including Al Capone and Pontius Pilate.
And there was his role in “The Dirty Dozen,” Archer Maggott. When a guy is named “Maggot,” it’s pretty obvious he’s not the hero. Or even the sidekick.
5: He was Jennifer Aniston’s godfather.
Both Jennifer and Telly were noted for their hair, or in Telly’s case, lack of. Remember “The Rachel.” Sadly, nobody talks about “The Telly.”
6: Telly had an interesting summation of his life. When asked what he had been up to, he told the Chicago Tribune, “Doin’ movies, makin’ babies, just livin’ life.”
He forgot to add, dropping Gs. but in the big scheme of things, I guess that didn’t matter much.
