All rights reserved. Savalas had a minor physical handicap in that his left index finger was deformed. It isn't what he is, so much as the way he talks, that gets you tuning in. tellysavalas @ 7 months ago. [59][60], Savalas died on January 22, 1994, one day after his 72nd birthday, of complications of cancer of the bladder and prostate[67] at the Sheraton-Universal Hotel in Universal City, California. Gary Burghoff won an Emmy as Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly on the wartime sitcom M*A*S*H, undeterred by three deformed fingers on his left hand. [24][25] He was a regular on the short-lived NBC series Acapulco (1961) with Ralph Taeger and James Coburn. In a 2001 story in The Sunday Times of South Africa, Hannah explained: “I got my finger stuck in the pulley of a well at my grandmother’s house when I was three.” Good luck spotting the missing digit onscreen: it’s almost always hidden behind gloves, coats, guns, etc. Savalas' other roles include Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Horror Express (1972), Lisa and the Devil (1974) and Escape to Athena (1979). This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. [70], American film and television actor and singer, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, "On this day in 1994, Telly Savalas passes away", "What the What? © Copyright 1998-2021 by Who2, LLC. As a philanthropist and phil-hellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes … ... Telly … Savalas and his brother Gus sold newspapers and … 12 th. Time magazine picks up the story: “As a teenager, he severed his right middle finger slicing meat at Arby’s and went swimming in Lake Michigan before getting stitches. Slayton was a pilot in World War II and a test pilot and instructor during the 1950s. Lloyd’s condition was kept secret from the public, and he was fitted with prosthetic digits which he used in the rest of his films. Telly Savalas at popflock.com This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. She urged him to move back to his mother's house during that same year. [69] Savalas was interred at the George Washington section of Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. tellysavalas7 months ago. The rumors continued until DNA testing in 1995 proved that the body was, indeed, Jesse James. This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. [19][20] Before his acting career took off, Savalas directed Scott Vincent and Howard Cosell in Report to New York, WABC-TV's first regularly-scheduled news program in fall 1959. His first two wives, Katherine and Marilyn, also attended with their own children. Telly Savalas net worth is. According to his 1996 autobiography Beam Me Up, Scotty, JAMES DOOHAN landed with Royal Canadian Army troops on the D-Day invasion of France and lost the middle finger of his right hand to German fire. It was deformed. ", "Picks and Pans Review: Kojak: the Belarus File", "John Cacavas, Composer for 'Kojak' and 'Hawaii Five-O,' Dead at 83", "Telly Savalas slapped with Palimony Suit", "The Bruising Adventures of Girl Clumsy: I'll Give You a Ride – Remembering "The Extraordinary, "Prostate Cancer: New Tests Create Treatment Dilemmas", Telly's Favorite Hotel Knew Him as a Regular Guy, "Nine Facts You May Not Know About the Late Telly Savalas", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Telly_Savalas&oldid=998487263, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), United States Army personnel of World War II, Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners, Columbia University School of General Studies alumni, Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mazzaropi, had as objective, to make the next film, with the actor, perhaps with the title, Originally filmed in 1977 and not released theatrically; made available on home video eight years later, Dieter Wislieny / Dieter Wisliceny / Father Dominique Georges Henn Pire / Charles Rogan, Episode: "A Tumble from a High White House", Balakirov aka Richard Goldtooth / Charlie Prince / Fakir George O'Shea, Steve Keller / Victor Leonetti / Dan Polichek, Episode: "How to Sell Your Soul for Fun and Profit", Television film (originally planned as a pilot for a series), This page was last edited on 5 January 2021, at 16:21. According to many sources, he lost the fingertip as a young boy, when it got caught in a closing door. All’s well that ends well: in the book’s final chapters, a minstrel sings of “Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom.”. After the wound became severly infected, Emanuel had the top of his finger amputated and spent six weeks recovering.”. [58], In 1977, during the last season of Kojak, Savalas met Julie Hovland, a travel agent from Minnesota. Noted for his resonant, deep voice and bald head, Telly Savalas is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Theo Kojak in the police-drama series, Kojak from 1973 to 1978. Savalas was unhappy about the show's demise[42] but got the chance to reprise the Kojak persona in several television movies, starting in 1985. His spoken word version of Bread's "If" produced by Snuff Garrett reached #1 in both the UK and Ireland in March 1975, and his version of Don Williams's "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" topped the charts in Switzerland in February 1981. Telly Savalas Net Worth Telly Savalas made money by Actors niche. 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 Boston Herald decided to award it to him. [14], He received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Columbia's School of General Studies in 1946[8][15] and started working on a master's degree while preparing for medical school. They married in 1960. ... Left index finger was deformed. CORRECTION: Savalas' left index finger is only deformed, not missing. 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 of Armstrong Circle Theatre in January 1958. Garcia also had a respectable solo career, dabbling in bluegrass and folk music. Add Telly Savalas to your PopFlock.com topic list or share. Japan’s ISOROKU YAMAMOTO masterminded the infamous 1941 sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. (1995).[31]. Gabriele Ferzetti continued acting until his retirement … 93: Aristotelis Savalas (Greek: Αριστοτέλης Σαβάλας; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. In the late 1970s Savalas narrated three UK travelogues titled Telly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth, Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen, and Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham. Political fixer and Chicago mayor RAHM EMANUEL lost half of his right middle finger to a roast beef slicer. On the episode's IMDb page I chose 3 names that stood out, note from the following info from their IMDb pages: Telly Savalas, who added the phrase "Who loves ya, baby?" The lollipops had apparently given him three cavities, and were part of an (unsuccessful) effort by Kojak (and Savalas himself) to curb his smoking. As a singer, Savalas released a cover of the Bread song "If", which became a UK No. Honorable mention: JOHNNY DEPP. In 1940, he graduated from the Sewanhaka High School, New York, after which he worked as a lifeguard. Marilyn gave birth to daughter Penelope in 1961. She urged him to move back to his mother's house during that same year. Years ago, did work at several different Masonic lodges. The tip of outlaw JESSE JAMES‘s left middle finger started a famous 19th-century urban legend (even without the help of the Internet). [55][56] He also hosted the 1989 video UFOs and Channeling. [61] Savalas held a degree in psychology and was a world-class poker player who finished 21st at the main event in the 1992 World Series of Poker Telly Savalas Is Jennifer Aniston's Godfather! He was most widely known for starring because the title personality in the tv screen series Kojak. "[36], Savalas first played Lt. Theodopolus "Theo" Kojak in the TV movie The Marcus–Nelson Murders (CBS, 1973), which was based on the real-life Career Girls Murder case. [58] They stopped living together in December 1978; she filed a palimony lawsuit against him in 1980, demanding support not only for herself and their son, but also for Nicollette. [16], After the war, he worked for the U.S. State Department as host of the Your Voice of America series, then at ABC News. [41], Due to a decline in ratings, the series was canceled by CBS in 1978. As a philanthropist and philhellene, Savalas supported many Hellenic causes … (He also liked to say, "Everybody should have a little Greek in them.") to popular language while portraying a New York detective in the 1970's television series "Kojak," died on Saturday of prostate cancer. 91: Hosted a popular radio program, "Telly's Coffeehouse," in the early 1950s. Savalas, already at a late stage of male-pattern baldness, shaved his head to play Pontius Pilate in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)[26] and kept his head shaven for the rest of his life. [68] 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. [21], Savalas did not consider acting as a career until asked if he could recommend an actor who could do a European accent. The same year he appeared in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Bale was quoted as saying, “It looks horrible. Savalas was the lead actor in the TV movie Hellinger's Law (1981), which was originally planned as a pilot for a series but ultimately never materialized. He spent 217 hours and 28 minutes in space for the Apollo-Soyuz mission. He reunited with Lee in the 1976 thriller Killer Force, and also appeared in Peter Hyams' Capricorn One (1978). Telly Savalas net worthy of: Telly Savalas was a Greek-American actor and singer who acquired a net worthy of of $5 million. As a philanthropist and philhellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes … Savalas had a minor physical handicap in that his left index finger was deformed. "[34], Kojak aired on CBS for five seasons from October 24, 1973, until March 18, 1978, with 118 episodes produced. As a philanthropist and philhellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes and made friends in major cities around the world. American actor Telly Savalas (1922 - 1994) as Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak in the TV crime series 'Kojak', circa 1975 | Photo: Getty Images This affected Savalas so much that he spent the rest of his life constantly promoting water safety, and later made all six of his children take swimming lessons. This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. Telly was also Jennifer Aniston's godfather. And truly dedicated fans have noticed that Perry is missing the tip of his right middle finger. GARY BURGHOFF won an Emmy as Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly on the wartime sitcom M*A*S*H, despite having three deformed fingers on his left hand. [43][44] The first film, subtitled The 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. Just 1 day before his death, he celebrated his 72nd and last birthday with his family, friends and colleagues at the … The funeral, held in the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, was attended by his third wife, Julie, and his brother Gus. During filming Burghoff’s hand was usually “missing in action,” carefully hidden under clipboards, behind radio sets or in his pocket. Besides nearly killing him, the accident cost him the title role in the 1960 film Elmer Gantry. He was born on January 21, 1922 in Garden City, New York as a son of Greek immigrants, Savalas and his brother Gus sold newspapers and shined shoes to help support the family. 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, Greece. blackwalnut2001. Telly Savalas was born on January 21, 1922. Savalas and his brother, Gus, sold newspapers and polished shoes to help support the family. 1 single in 1975. Trump to Georgia Secretary of State: Please Cheat, Tina Louise is the Last Surviving Cast Member of ‘Gilligan’s Island’. [11], Savalas graduated from Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, New York in 1940. Furthermore to film jobs where he was often ensemble as the hard man, Telly Savalas produced his mar [1] He then attended the Armed Forces Institute where he studied radio and television production. In 1957 Katherine filed for divorce. Small but plucky, Frodo is chosen to carry the ring of power sought by the evil lord Sauron. Telly Savalas was an American actor best known for his role as a tough, New York City detective in the 1970s television series, Kojak. Note from Telly's wiki page: This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. In charge of the new recruits is Sgt. Television star and producer DANNY THOMAS was missing the tip of his index finger. He appeared on two more episodes of the series in 1959 and 1960, one, acting alongside a young Sydney Pollack. Reports said simply that he would be scarred for life, and that he didn’t feel the actual chop-off so much as notice how bloody his hand was. He fashioned prosthetic tips and went on to be one of the most celebrated rock guitarists of the 1970s. He was the younger brother of actor Telly Savalas, with whom he acted in the popular 1970s TV crime series Kojak. Fictional hero FRODO BAGGINS wins fame but drops a digit in the course of J.R.R. 91: Hosted a popular radio program, "Telly's Coffeehouse," in the early 1950s. Thomas apparently lost the finger in a gun accident. He reunited with Burt Lancaster and Sydney Pollack in the Western The Scalphunters (1968), and also featured in the comedy Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (also 1968) — noted as one of his favorite roles — and the all-star action movie Mackenna's Gold (1969), his third film for J. Lee Thompson. It didn’t keep him from juggling foreign and domestic policy from 1989-99 at a critical junction in Russian history. This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. [51] He worked with composer and producer John Cacavas on many albums,[52] including Telly (1974) [which peaked number 49 in Australia[7]] and Who Loves Ya, Baby (1976). As a boy his timing wasn’t so good: he blew off two fingers while playing with a grenade snitched from an Army depot. In 1999, TV Guide ranked him number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. Telly Savalas in Lisa und … This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak 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, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes … [31] Savalas attributed his success to "his complete ability to be himself. [13], In 1941, Savalas was drafted into the United States Army. The role went instead to Burt Lancaster, who won the Academy Award. In 1928 he was caught in a caravan fire that left his left hand partially paralyzed. As a philanthropist and philhellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes and made friends in major cities around the world. He also dabbled in singing and poker before dying of cancer in 1994 at the age of 72. He then became an executive producer for the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, where he gave Howard Cosell his first job in television. User Rating: 3.7 3.7/10 with 267 votes Contributed By: Anonymous on 09-26-1999: Reviewed By: ... Don't forget Telly Savalas, and his false finger ... right hand i belive .. you can see it in that "players hotel" or club thing he was promoting. Daughter Christina, named after his mother, was born in 1950. The Internet Movie Database and various other online sources claim that Van Cleef lost the finger while building a playhouse for his daughter. Savalas was part of an all-star cast in the movies Escape to Athena (1979), Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (both 1979) and Cannonball Run II (1984), and continued to appear in a number of film and television guest roles during the 1980s, including Border Cop (1980) and Faceless (1988), the series Tales of the Unexpected (1981), and two episodes each of The Love Boat (1985) and The Equalizer (1987): the latter series was produced by James McAdams, who had also produced Kojak. Savalas had a minor physical handicap in that his left index finger was deformed. Left index finger was deformed. He used a prosthetic device to disguise the disfigurement, and was often seen holding a cigar as a prop. Born to Greek parents on January 21, 1922, in New York's Garden City, Aristotelis Savalas was a Greek-American. 12 th. Aristotelis Telly Savalas was a Greek American film and television actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. [59][60] Savalas was close friends with actor John Aniston,[20] and was godfather to his daughter Jennifer, a successful TV and film actress. He loved horse racing and bought a racehorse with movie director and producer Howard W. Koch. He passed away due to complications from cancer at the age of … [26] His work had impressed fellow actor Burt Lancaster, who arranged for Savalas to be cast in the John Frankenheimer directed The Young Savages (also 1961 and again playing a cop). [35], "I had worked my way up to star billing", he later said, "when the bottom dropped out of the movie business. A second daughter, Candace, was born in 1963. 94 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TELLY SAVALAS. Savalas later moved in with Sally, who gave birth to their son Nicholas Savalas on February 24, 1973. 92: Met his first wife (Katherine) at a Greek dance while attending Columbia University. Saperstein) and Vince Conti (Det. While working there he met Marilyn Gardner, a theater teacher. ... Left index finger was deformed. Loyal viewers are able to tell which season is which by Perry’s weight fluctuations. One might almost think an altered hand is the key to guitar greatness: Black Sabbath’s TONY IOMMI joins Garcia and Reinhardt in the elite club of guitarists with finger problems. Co-stars on the show included Savalas' younger brother George as Detective Stavros – a sensitive, wild-haired, quiet, comedic foil to Kojak's street-wise humor in an otherwise dark dramatic series[39] – Kevin Dobson as Kojak's trusted young partner, Det. Marilyn gave birth … Of Greek descent on both sides, the son of immigrants, Savalas was a soldier during World War II, although most of his enlistment records were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1973. Telly Savalas passed away on January 22, 1994, one day after his 72nd birthday, which he celebrated with his family, friends and colleagues at the Universal Sheraton Inn in Universal City, California. His other movie … They were produced by Harold Baim and were examples of quota quickies, which were then part of a requirement that cinemas in the United Kingdom show a set percentage of British produced films. The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Telly Savalas: 1974: TV Special: Himself: The Carol Burnett Show: 1974: TV Series: Himself: The 46th Annual Academy Awards: 1974: TV Special: Himself - Performer: The 16th Annual Grammy Awards: 1974: TV Special: Himself: The Dean Martin Show: 1974: … Bobby Crocker, whose on-screen chemistry with Savalas was a success story of 1970s television,[40] and Dan Frazer as Captain Frank McNeil. blackwalnut2001. Garcia led the long-running rock band The Grateful Dead until his death in 1995, and his soaring guitar solos were part of the Dead’s legendary live shows. Left index finger was deformed. tellysavalas @ 7 months ago. As a philanthropist and phil-hellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes and made friends in major cities around the world. This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak episode "Conspiracy of Fear" in which a close-up of Savalas holding his chin in his hand clearly shows the permanently bent finger. We do allow cookies to help our advertising partners give you a better ad experience. The phony fingers didn’t keep him from doing his own stunts — including dangling from the face of a clock 12 stories up in a famous scene from the 1923 movie Safety Last. [61], Savalas held a degree in psychology and was a world-class poker player who finished 21st at the main event in the 1992 World Series of Poker. Deke passed despite a missing left ring finger (the only finger deemed not necessary for a right-handed pilot). [20] This deformed digit was often indicated on screen; Kojak 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 phil-hellene, Telly Savalas supported many Hellenic causes and made friends in … Telly Savalas best photos,21 January 1922 Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA22 January 1994 Universal City, California, ... Left index finger was deformed. Telly Savalas was an American actor best known for his role as a tough, New York City detective in the 1970s television series, Kojak. Telly Savalas passed away on January 22, 1994. $15 Million. 1K Last Comments. [22] He was also in a version of The Iceman Cometh.[23]. ... Left index finger was shorter than his other fingers ending right after the beginning of its second phalanx. Telly Savalas was not actually missing the end of his left index finger. His brother George Savalas, who played Stavros in the original series, died in 1985 of leukemia at age 60. James could be identified by the missing joint, which was reportedly blown off while he cleaned his pistol as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. From 1941 to 1943, Savalas served in Company C, 12th Medical Training Battalion, 4th Medical Training Regiment at Camp Pickett, Virginia. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983. There were more than 2 guys who had less than 10 full fingers... just sayin. Later it was learned two other fingers had also been taken from his corpse. He would appear in two further feature films before his death, Mind Twister (1993) and the posthumous release Backfire!