Things You Didn’t Know About Telly Savalas

When he wasn’t “Kojak,” he could be a pretty bad guy.

Creative Commons: TROS

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.