Born: 1924

Actor
Born in Long Islan, NY, US

Telly Savalas (born Aristotle Savalas) (January 21, 1924 - January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. He was best known for his work on the Kojak television series, and for playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Savalas was born in Garden City, New York to Greek parents, Nicholas and Christina Savalas. He served in World War II after he dropped out of Columbia University, where he was studying psychology. He was honourably discharged with a Purple Heart disability. During the early 1950s, Savalas worked for ABC radio and eventually became the executive producer of his own popular talk show, "Telly's Coffee House". It was not until he was in his thirties that he decided to turn to acting.

Telly was well known for being totally bald. Up until the mid-1960s, he had what his family termed a halo - a ring of hair along the back and sides of his head. He eventually decided to shave off the remaining hair when he began playing in movies. Telly maintained that style for the rest of his life.

In the early 1990s, Savalas contracted bladder cancer, ultimately succumbing to the disease in 1994, only a day after he turned 70, in Universal City, California.

He was also the godfather of Friends star Jennifer Aniston, with whom he shared Greek roots.

Undoubtably Savalas' most famous role was that of the tough detective Kojak on television. Lt. Theo Kojak was a bald New York detective who had a fondness for lollipops and whose trademark line was, "Who loves ya, baby?" Reportedly the lollipop gimmick was added in lieu of having the character smoke, a habit that fell out of vogue among TV series in the 1970s.

His silver screen career usually involved him being cast as the quintessential villain in such films as: Mad Dog Coll (1961), Cape Fear (1962), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), Genghis Khan (1965), Beau Geste (1966), The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Assassination Bureau (1969), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Escape to Athena (1979), and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979).

More famous Greeks(Alphabetical listing)

1. Agganis, Harry (The Golden Greek) -
2. Agnew, Spiro - Theodoros - US Vice President
3. Alexander the Great - King of Macedonia & King of the Greeks
4. Angel, Criss - MindFreak - Illusionist, musician
5. Angelos, Peter - Attorney, Owner of the Baltimore Orioles
6. Aniston, Jennifer (Anastasakis) - Actress
7. Aniston, John (Yannis Anastasakis) - Actor
8. Archimedes - Mathematician, physicist and engineer
9. Aristotle - Philosopher
10. Azaria, Hank - Actor. Famous for voicing characters in the Simpsons series.
11. Buckley, Jeff - Musician
12. Bulgari family - Famous Jewellers.
13. Callas, Maria (Kalogeropoulos) - Opera singer
14. Carasso, Isaac - Founder of the Danone yoghurt Company (Dannon in US)
15. Caratheodory, Constantine - Mathematician.
16. Cassavetes, John - Actor & Director
17. Cavafy, Constantine - Poet
18. Chakiris, George - Actor
19. Chiklis, Michael - Actor.
20. Chryssa (Chryssa Varda) - Sculptor
21. Clarkson, Kelly - Musician
22. Costacos, George - Actor and Writer
23. Davatzes, Nick - Television Executive. Creator of A&E Network and The History Channel.
24. Davies, Marion -
25. Demokritos - Philosopher
26. Dimas, Pyrros - Athlete (Weight Lifting)
27. DiScala Jamie-Lynn - Actress, musician.
28. Dukakis, Michael - Politician
29. Dukakis, Olympia - Actress
30. El Greko (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) - Painter
31. Elytis, Odysseus (Alepoudelis) - Poet
32. Euclid - Mathematician
33. Fey, Tina - Head writer of Saturday Night Live
34. Frangoulis, Marios - Tenor.
35. Gage, Nicolas (Gatzoyiannis) - Journalist, Writer (Writer of "Eleni")
36. Galas, Diamanda - Avant-garde performance artist, vocalist, and composer.
37. Galifianakis, Zach - Comedian, actor, and writer. Born in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, US.
38. Gavras, Constantine (Kostas Gavras) - Director
39. Hajiioannou, Stelios - Entrepreneur.
40. Henner, Marilu - Actress and producer. Born in Chicago, IL.
41. Hippocrates - Physician, the "father of medicine".
42. Huffington, Arianna (Stassinopoulos) - Writer
43. Issigonis, Alec - Designer of the Mini car.
44. Kanakarides, Melina - Actress
45. Karmanos, Peter - Software magnate, Owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricane
46. Karras, Alexander George - Footbal player, actor.
47. Katsulas Andreas -
48. Kazan , Elias - Director
49. Kazantzakis, Nikos - Writer
50. Korner, Alexis - Musician, Composer
51. Koteas, Ilias - Actor.
52. Lazaridis, Mike - Founder of Research In Motion (RIM), creator and manufacturer of BlackBerry.
53. Lee, Tommy - Musician
54. Leonsis, Ted - AOL Executive, Owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals
55. Londos Jim (Christopher Theophelus) - Wrestler
56. Louganis, Gregory-Efthimis - Diver - Olympic Athlete
57. Maharis, George - Actor
58. Maroulis, Constantine - Rock singer, actor, and writer.
59. Matenopoulos, Debbie (Despina) - Journalist, talk show host, and actress.
60. Menounos, Maria -
61. Mercouri, Melina - Actress, Politician
62. Michael, George - Singer/Songwriter
63. Miller (Miliotis), George - Born in Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia
64. Mitropoulos, Dimitris - Conductor
65. Mouskouri, Nana - Singer
66. Negroponte, John Dimitri - Diplomat
67. Negroponte, Nicholas - Architect and computer scientist.
68. Nick the Greek (Nick Dandolos) - Famous gambler.
69. Onassis, Aristotle - Socrates - Millionaire Shipowner
70. Onassis, Athina - Millionaire
71. Onassis, Christina - Millionaire
72. Otis (Viliotis), Johnny - Musician, blues and rythm and blues.
73. Pantages, Alexander - Vaudeville and motion pictures producer
74. Papanikolaou, George - Nikolas - Physiologist (Pap test)
75. Papathanassiou, Evangelos (Vangelis) - Musician & Composer
76. Pappas, Irene - Actress
77. Payne, Alexander (Papadopoulos) - Director
78. Perkins, Elizabeth - Actress.
79. Pilates Joseph - Pilates, The man behind the Pilates method
80. Plato - Philosopher
81. Pythagoras - Mathematician and philosopher, Pythagorean Theorem.
82. Sampras, Pete - Tennis player
83. Sarbanes, Paul - Former US Senator. Lend his name to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
84. Savalas, Telly (Aristotle) - Actor
85. Scourby, Alexander - Narrator
86. Seferis, George (Seferiadis) - Poet & Diplomat
87. Sirtis, Marina - Actress
88. Skouras, Spyros P. - Movie Magnate, President of 20th Century Fox.
89. Snyder, Jimmy - Gambler, TV Commentator
90. Socrates - Philosopher
91. Spanos, Alex - Real Estate Magnate & Owner of NFL's San Diego Chargers
92. Spheeris, Penelope - Director, producer, and screenwriter.
93. Stamos, John (Stamatopoulos) - Actor
94. Stephanopoulos, George - Diplomat, Former Presidential Advisor
95. Stevens, Cat (Stephen Demetre Georgiou) - Musician
96. Stratus (Stratigias), Trish - Former professional wrestler, actress.
97. Suvari, Mena - Actress
98. Tatopoulos, Patrick - Production designer.
99. Tavoulareas, William Peter - President of Mobil Oil Corporation
100. Tenet, George - Former CIA Director
101. Thales - Philosopher, scientist, mathematician, engineer.
102. Theodorakis, Mikis - Composer
103. Tsongas, Paul Efthemios - Politician
104. Vardalos, Nia - Actress & Writer
105. Varvatos, John -
106. Von Karajan, Herbert (Karayiannis?) - Famous Conductor
107. Vouras, Peter - Actor
108. Wilson, Rita - Actress, producer
109. Yanni (Yannis Chrysomallis) - Composer
110. Zane, Billy (Zanetakos) - Actor
111. Zappa, Frank - Musician, Composer, Satirist
112. Zavos, Panos - Geneticist