Telly Savalas (1922 –1994) was an Oscar®-nominated American actor. Savalas achieved his greatest success in television crime drama Kojak (1973–1978). Over time, his movie career seems to have been overshadowed by his television success. His IMDb page shows 130 acting credits from 1959 to 1995. This page will rank 28 Telly Savalas movies from Best to Worst in five different sortable columns of information. The following table only includes his movies that we were able to find a box office number on…we will continue to search for more Telly movies. This page comes from a request by Brando90 (Bob?) and Flora.
Telly Savalas Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Telly Savalas movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Telly Savalas movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Telly Savalas movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Telly Savalas movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Telly Savalas movie received.
- Sort Telly Savalas movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Telly Savalas
1. Aristotelis Savalas was born in Garden City, New York in 1922. His parents were Greek immigrants
2. When Telly Savalas started grade school he could only speak in Greek.
3. Telly Savalas also served three years in the United States Army during World War II where he received a Purple Heart. He always refuse to talk about his service during World War II. He also worked for the US State Department as host of the Your Voice of America series, then at ABC News, before beginning an acting career in his late thirties.
4. Telly Savalas earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar® nomination for only his 4th movie….1962’s Birdman of Alcatraz.
5. Telly Savalas was as the star of the television series Kojak. Kojak was a bald New York City detective with a fondness for lollipops and whose tagline was “Who loves ya, baby?” He was not the first choice for Kojak….that honor goes to Marlon Brando.
6. Telly Savalas is the godfather to Jennifer Aniston.
7. Telly Savalas the singer? Yep….Savalas had some chart success. His spoken word version of Bread’s “If” produced by Snuff Garrett was #1 in Europe for 10 weeks in 1975 and his sung version of Don Williams‘s “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” topped the charts in 1980.
8. Telly Savalas is one of many to play James Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In our minds he is easily the best Blofeld. Speaking of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, during the filming at Piz Gloria, the cast and crew received their per diems in cash. Upon seeing George Lazenby with a suitcase stuffed full of cash, Telly Savalas (he was a champion poker player) invited him to a late-night poker game that he regularly held with crew members, and promptly relieved Lazenby of having to carry so much extra weight. Upon hearing of this, Harry Saltzman visited the location, joined the game over Savalas’s protests, and won back Lazenby’s money. He then informed Savalas in no uncertain terms that he was not to victimize his “boy” (Lazenby) again.
9. Telly Savalas was married three times. He had 6 children…..3 went became thespians.
10. Check out Telly Savalas‘ career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve’s Telly Savalas You Tube Video
Telly Savalas, is the # 24 most connected actor of the 1970’s, and # 65 most connected of the 1960’s.
Telly Savalas is no longer on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. Amazingly he was # 149 on the original list in 2000 but was gone by 2005! These are the actors on the 2016 list he made a film with;
9 DONALD SUTHERLAND Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
9 DONALD SUTHERLAND The Dirty Dozen (1967)
10 MICHAEL CAINE Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
20 MAX VON SYDOW The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
33 FRANK WELKER Cannonball Run II (1984)
33 FRANK WELKER GoBots: War of the Rock Lords (1986)
35 CHRISTOPHER LEE Horror Express (1972)
35 CHRISTOPHER LEE Killer Force (1976)
40 HARRY DEAN STANTON Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
40 HARRY DEAN STANTON The Man from the Diners’ Club (1963)
58 ELLIOTT GOULD Capricorn One (1978)
58 ELLIOTT GOULD Escape to Athena (1979)
58 ELLIOTT GOULD The Muppet Movie (1979)
65 ROBERT LOGGIA The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
69 MARTIN LANDAU A Town Called Hell (1971)
69 MARTIN LANDAU The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
77 KAREN BLACK Capricorn One (1978)
96 BURT REYNOLDS Cannonball Run II (1984)
97 CHARLES DURNING The Muppet Movie (1979)
127 GENE HACKMAN Mad Dog Coll (1961)
142 ERNEST BORGNINE The Dirty Dozen (1967)
148 FRANCO NERO Senza ragione (1973)
181 RIP TORN Sol Madrid (1968)
220 ELI WALLACH Genghis Khan (1965)
220 ELI WALLACH Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
247 CHARLTON HESTON The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
275 VERNON DOBTCHEFF The Assassination Bureau (1969)
284 CAROL KANE The Muppet Movie (1979)
313 GEORGE KENNEDY The Dirty Dozen (1967)
313 GEORGE KENNEDY The Man from the Diners’ Club (1963)
316 AUSTIN PENDLETON The Muppet Movie (1979)
317 PETER FONDA Killer Force (1976)
323 DONALD PLEASENCE The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
325 JAMES BROLIN Capricorn One (1978)
325 JAMES BROLIN John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
353 CLORIS LEACHMAN The Muppet Movie (1979)
402 CHEECH MARIN Cannonball Run II (1984)
413 JAMES COBURN A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972)
413 JAMES COBURN The Muppet Movie (1979)
427 GEORGE SEGAL The New Interns (1964)
434 CLINT EASTWOOD Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
455 SHIRLEY MACLAINE Cannonball Run II (1984)
455 SHIRLEY MACLAINE John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
482 EDWARD ASNER The Slender Thread (1965)
517 RICHARD ROUNDTREE Escape to Athena (1979)
517 RICHARD ROUNDTREE Mind Twister (1994)
523 HARRY FIELDER The Assassination Bureau (1969)
548 HENRY SILVA Cannonball Run II (1984)
548 HENRY SILVA Johnny Cool (1963)
555 TOMAS MILIAN Sonny and Jed (1972)
594 STEVE MARTIN The Muppet Movie (1979)
610 HAL HOLBROOK Capricorn One (1978)
623 JAMES KAREN Capricorn One (1978)
736 OMAR SHARIFF Genghis Khan (1965)
736 OMAR SHARIFF Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
746 PETER BOYLE Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
762 JACK WARDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
767 ROBERT RIETTY A TOWN CALLED HELL (1971)
767 ROBERT RIETTY BATTLE OF THE BULGE (1965)
767 ROBERT RIETTY LAND RAIDERS (1969)
767 ROBERT RIETTY MACKENNA’S GOLD (1969)
767 ROBERT RIETTY ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969)
767 ROBERT RIETTY THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU (1969)
772 DICK MILLER The Dirty Dozen (1967)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS Backfire! (1995)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS The Scalphunters (1968)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS The Young Savages (1961)
793 ALEX ROCCO Cannonball Run II (1984)
804 JOHN LANDIS Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
804 JOHN LANDIS The Muppet Movie (1979)
807 TERI GARR John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
808 BRANSCOMBE RICHMOND Cannonball Run II (1984)
809 ROBERT MITCHUM Backfire! (1995)
809 ROBERT MITCHUM Cape Fear (1962)
832 JACKIE CHAN Cannonball Run II (1984)
848 ROGER MOORE Escape to Athena (1979)
855 LESLIE NIELSEN Beau Geste (1966)
914 CLIFF ROBERTSON The Interns (1962)
933 MARGOT KIDDER GoBots: War of the Rock Lords (1986)
6 pictures with Robert Rietty!
The following actors on the original list in 2000 have since fallen off but appeared in a film with Telly;
9 ORSON WELLES The Muppet Movie (1979)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
27 MARC LAWRENCE Johnny Cool (1963)
39 FERNANDO REY A Town Called Hell (1971)
39 FERNANDO REY Land Raiders (1969)
41 BURGESS MEREDITH Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
43 KEENAN WYNN Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
43 KEENAN WYNN Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971)
45 BURT LANCASTER Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
45 BURT LANCASTER The Scalphunters (1968)
45 BURT LANCASTER The Young Savages (1961)
52 JAMES MASON Genghis Khan (1965)
52 JAMES MASON Inside Out (1975)
53 CHARLES BRONSON Battle of the Bulge (1965)
53 CHARLES BRONSON The Dirty Dozen (1967)
53 CHARLES BRONSON The Family (1970)
56 HENRY FONDA Battle of the Bulge (1965)
76 EDDIE ALBERT The Border (1979)
77 JOSE FERRER The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
94 ROBERT MORLEY Genghis Khan (1965)
102 DAVID NIVEN Escape to Athena (1979)
108 DUB TAYLOR Cannonball Run II (1984)
118 WOODY STRODE Genghis Khan (1965)
129 CURT JURGENS The Assassination Bureau (1969)
132 GLENN FORD Love Is a Ball (1963)
137 CARROLL BAKER The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
141 ANNE BANCROFT The Slender Thread (1965)
144 PETER USTINOV John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
151 CESAR ROMERO Crooks and Coronets (1969)
156 GREGORY PECK Cape Fear (1962)
156 GREGORY PECK Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
160 ROBERT RYAN Battle of the Bulge (1965)
160 ROBERT RYAN The Dirty Dozen (1967)
171 JOHN WOOD Love Is a Ball (1963)
175 MICHAEL HORDERN Genghis Khan (1965)
179 JOHN WAYNE The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
207 WILLIAM HOLDEN Escape to Athena (1979)
209 DOM DELUISE Cannonball Run II (1984)
209 DOM DELUISE The Muppet Movie (1979)
219 ELISHA COOK JR. Johnny Cool (1963)
221 JOHN CRAWFORD The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
231 SIDNEY POITIER The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
231 SIDNEY POITIER The Slender Thread (1965)
236 LEE MARVIN The Dirty Dozen (1967)
237 PETER LAWFORD Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
245 SLIM PICKENS Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
249 PAT HINGLE Sol Madrid (1968)
253 ROBERT WEBBER The Dirty Dozen (1967)
258 DABNEY COLEMAN The Slender Thread (1965)
265 RICHARD CRENNA John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
271 PETER BROCCO The Interns (1962)
273 GEORGE COULOURIS Land Raiders (1969)
273 GEORGE COULOURIS The Assassination Bureau (1969)
283 CLIVE REVILL The Assassination Bureau (1969)
291 LEE GRANT Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
301 LEE J. COBB Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
302 RICHARD ANDERSON Johnny Cool (1963)
326 ANGELA LANSBURY The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
332 ANGIE DICKINSON Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971)
356 PHIL BROWN Land Raiders (1969)
359 KARL MALDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
359 KARL MALDEN Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
365 STEPHANIE AUDRAN Faceless (1987)
371 PHILIPPE NOIRET The Assassination Bureau (1969)
373 RICHARD PRYOR The Muppet Movie (1979)
376 STELLA STEVENS A Town Called Hell (1971)
376 STELLA STEVENS Sol Madrid (1968)
389 LEON ASKIN John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
393 CHARLES BOYER Love Is a Ball (1963)
394 ALDO RAY Inside Out (1975)
396 RICHARD JAECKEL The Dirty Dozen (1967)
397 ELKE SOMMER Lisa and the Devil (1974)
399 NEHEMIAH PERSOFF The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
404 JACK ELAM Cannonball Run II (1984)
406 EDMOND O’BRIEN Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
421 MICHAEL ANSARA Sol Madrid (1968)
421 MICHAEL ANSARA The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
451 DANA ANDREWS Battle of the Bulge (1965)
462 GUNTER MEISNER Inside Out (1975)
463 EDWARD G. ROBINSON Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
492 GEORGES RIGAUD A Town Called Hell (1971)
492 GEORGES RIGAUD Horror Express (1972)
497 REINHARD KOLLDEHOFF A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972)
501 ALDO SAMBRELL A Town Called Hell (1971)
503 RICHARD CONTE The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
508 ROBERT BLAKE The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
515 BESSIE LOVE On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
516 MADELINE KAHN The Muppet Movie (1979)
517 WILFRID HYDE-WHITE John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
518 HOWARD VERNON Faceless (1987)
531 LILYAN CHAUVIN Beyond Reason (1977)
532 JIM BACKUS John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
532 JIM BACKUS Johnny Cool (1963)
534 BOB HOPE The Muppet Movie (1979)
544 LEO GORDON Beau Geste (1966)
546 REED MORGAN Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
560 RICHARD KIEL Cannonball Run II (1984)
571 CHARLES LANE John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
571 CHARLES LANE The New Interns (1964)
573 LOIS MAXWELL On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
577 OSSIE DAVIS The Scalphunters (1968)
583 PAUL STEWART The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
589 ROCK HUDSON Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971)
592 WHIT BISSELL Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
601 TOM SIGNORELLI Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
607 VINCENT GARDENIA Mad Dog Coll (1961)
616 MICHAEL CONSTANTINE Beau Geste (1966)
622 JIM BROWN The Dirty Dozen (1967)
629 WALTER BROOKE Beyond Reason (1977)
644 PHILIPPE LEROY Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
648 HARRY MORGAN John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
663 MILTON BERLE The Muppet Movie (1979)
666 GEORGE ‘BUCK’ FLOWER Fake-Out (1982)
669 ROBERT SHAW A Town Called Hell (1971)
669 ROBERT SHAW Battle of the Bulge (1965)
671 EDUARDO CIANELLI Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
692 ALIDA VALLI Lisa and the Devil (1974)
706 GABRIELE FERZETTI On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
742 RICARDO MONTALBAN Cannonball Run II (1984)
742 RICARDO MONTALBAN Love Is a Ball (1963)
742 RICARDO MONTALBAN Sol Madrid (1968)
750 SALLY FIELD Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
760 SYLVIA KOSCINA Lisa and the Devil (1974)
775 DINA MERRILL The Young Savages (1961)
795 STEPHEN BOYD Genghis Khan (1965)
800 MARTHA HYER The Man from the Diners’ Club (1963)
824 FRANK WILCOX Johnny Cool (1963)
827 ANTON DIFFRING Faceless (1987)
858 MICHAEL V. GAZZO Cannonball Run II (1984)
864 JERRY ORBACH John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
864 JERRY ORBACH Mad Dog Coll (1961)
871 DESMOND LLEWELYN On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
872 ROBERT CULP Inside Out (1975)
874 DEAN JONES The New Interns (1964)
879 TONY EPPER The Scalphunters (1968)
882 DEAN MARTIN Cannonball Run II (1984)
901 BERNARD LEE On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
903 JACK KRUSCHEN Cape Fear (1962)
906 GEOFFREY KEEN A Town Like Alice (1956)
914 DOUG MCCLURE Beau Geste (1966)
914 DOUG MCCLURE Cannonball Run II (1984)
922 JOHN CASSAVETES The Dirty Dozen (1967)
923 GEORGE FURTH The New Interns (1964)
961 NICKY BLAIR Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
977 ANTHONY QUAYLE Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
978 JOHN DAVIS CHANDLER Mad Dog Coll (1961)
978 JOHN DAVIS CHANDLER The Young Savages (1961)
987 CONSTANTINE GREGORY Inside Out (1975)
Did you know Milton Berle was in a Charlie Chaplin film in 1914, Telly connects way back. Telly appeared with 32 Oscar winners;
ANNE BANCROFT The Slender Thread (1965)
BURT LANCASTER Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
BURT LANCASTER The Young Savages (1961)
CHARLTON HESTON The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
CLIFF ROBERTSON The Interns (1962)
CLORIS LEACHMAN The Muppet Movie (1979)
DAVID NIVEN Escape to Athena (1979)
EDMOND O’BRIEN Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
ERNEST BORGNINE The Dirty Dozen (1967)
GENE HACKMAN Mad Dog Coll (1961)
GEORGE KENNEDY The Dirty Dozen (1967)
GEORGE KENNEDY The Man from the Diners’ Club (1963)
GREGORY PECK Cape Fear (1962)
GREGORY PECK Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
HENRY FONDA Battle of the Bulge (1965)
JAMES COBURN A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972)
JAMES COBURN The Muppet Movie (1979)
JOHN WAYNE The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
JOSE FERRER The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965)
KARL MALDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
KARL MALDEN Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
LEE GRANT Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
LEE MARVIN The Dirty Dozen (1967)
MARTIN BALSAM Cape Fear (1962)
MARTIN LANDAU A Town Called Hell (1971)
MARTIN LANDAU The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
MICHAEL CAINE Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
PAUL LUKAS Sol Madrid (1968)
PETER USTINOV John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
SALLY FIELD Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
SHELLEY WINTERS Backfire! (1995)
SHELLEY WINTERS Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)
SHELLEY WINTERS The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
SHELLEY WINTERS The Scalphunters (1968)
SHELLEY WINTERS The Young Savages (1961)
SHIRLEY JONES Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
SHIRLEY MACLAINE Cannonball Run II (1984)
SHIRLEY MACLAINE John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
SIDNEY POITIER The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
SIDNEY POITIER The Slender Thread (1965)
TELLY SAVALAS The Scalphunters (1968)
VAN HEFLIN The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
WILLIAM HOLDEN Escape to Athena (1979)
Hey Dan
1. After Margot Robbie’s shorter lists…Telly has some pretty massive lists.
2. So he had a good spot in the Top 150…..only to fall out of the Top 1000 in 5 years….I hope Michael Caine last longer than that….if and when he stops making movies.
3. I read that of his main roles….he was the villain in about 40% of his movies…..that seems like a lot…..but he was a hero in 60% of his movies……seems I can’t get over him killing James Bonds’ wife in On Her Majestry’s Secret Service.
4. Only one Michael Caine movie….surprised…I thought there were more.
5. Wiping tears away…no Bess Flowers’ movies for Telly….that had to be one of his big regrets…lol. Seriously strange that she is not on that massive list.
6. As bad as Beyond The Poseidon Adventure is….it is loaded with Oscar winners….Field, Caine, Malden and Jones. Not too mention….his frequent co-star, Shelley Winters…..he was on the Poseidon as well….”MANNY”…..lol.
Good stuff as always…thanks for sharing this information.
Eejit