In the 1970s on the UK, there was a veritable "invasion" of American cop shows, and we went mad for them - Columbo, Cannon, Police Woman, The Streets of San Francisco, McCloud, Hawaii Five-O, Starsky & Hutch (as well as Charlie's Angels, Banacek, Barnaby Jones, Petrocelli, The Rockford Files and McMillan and Wife, although those weren't strictly speaking "cops")...
...and Kojak!
Yesterday marked the centenary of its eponymous star Mr Telly Savalas, who became another [cf. Barry White, Demis Roussos] unlikely sex symbol on the back of the show's success - and (remarkably) had a massive #1 hit in our charts over here in 1975 [it flopped Stateside], with this bizarre cover, which he was even invited to sing for HM The Queen!
His popularity back home even led him getting his own TV special there in 1976, and so to complete this tribute to the great man - how about the camper-than-camp opening number to that show, based upon his Kojak catchphrase? [Dig those Kraft recipes!]
And to finish? How about "Savalas-does-Zorba"?
Facts:
- Telly Savalas was born in New York State to Greek parents; his mother's family were from Sparta.
- He began his career in television news and sports broadcasting, then TV drama series and supporting roles in numerous films, before getting his first (co-)lead role in The Dirty Dozen.
- His portrayal of "Ernst Stavro Blofeld" was only the second (on-screen) incarnation of the Bond villain, superseding Donald Pleasance and preceding Charles Gray in the role.
- He had a degree in psychology - and was also a world-class poker player who competed in the 1992 World Series of Poker.
- In the late 1970s Savalas narrated three UK travelogues: Telly Savalas Looks at Portsmouth, Telly Savalas Looks at Aberdeen, and Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham. Embarrasingly, these are still available via YouTube.
- Mr Savalas was Jennifer Aniston's godfather.
- He lived at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City, California, for 20 years, becoming such a fixture at the hotel bar that it was renamed "Telly's".
Ένας φανταστικός άνθρωπος!
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (21st January 1922 – 22nd January 1994)
