Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401230071SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Associated PressDATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: MediumTelly Savalas, the gruff, bald-headed actor who became a television favorite as the lollipop-loving New York detective in the 1970s series "Kojak," died Saturday of prostate cancer. He was 70.
Savalas died in his suite at the Sheraton-Universal Hotel in Universal City, said his spokesman, Mike Mamakos.
"Who loves ya, baby?" which Kojak muttered to fellow cops and assorted hoodlums, grew into the detective's signature and a national catch-phrase.
The series grew out of an acclaimed TV movie, "The Marcus-Nelson Murders," based on the real-life brutal murders of two young career women in New York City.
"Kojak" broke into the top 10 rated shows in its first season, 1973-74, andSavalas won an Emmy as best actor in a dramatic series. The series lasted until 1978.
Savalas and his shaved head became indelibly identified as Lt. Theo Kojak, and he remained grateful for the recognition.
"I made 60 movies before `Kojak' with some of the biggest names in the business, and people would still say, `There goes what's-his-name,' " he once said.
After gaining success behind the camera as a television director, Savalas began his acting career in the late 1950s.
Burt Lancaster provided Savalas' first important film role in 1961, as a police detective in "The Young Savages," set in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. The following year he appeared in Lancaster's "Birdman of Alcatraz" as a gruff convict. The role won him an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor.
Savalas became one of Hollywood's busiest character actors, often in hoodlum roles. His films include "Johnny Cool," "The New Interns," "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "Genghis Khan," "Battle of the Bulge," "The SlenderThread," "Beau Geste," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Scalphunters," "MacKenna's Gold" and "Kelly's Heroes."
Cast as Pontius Pilate in the 1965 film "The Greatest Story Ever Told," Savalas was ordered by director George Stevens to shave his head. He considered the role a disaster, but he had found his screen persona.
Kojak's bullet-shaped head and lollipop became trademarks, along with his expensive suits.
After "Kojak" ended, Savalas remained active in films and television.
He was born Aristotle (Telly for short) Savalas in Garden City, N.Y. He recalled that for him and his five siblings, "it wasn't so much strong discipline as strong love that kept us in line."
He became expert at clouding his age as well as his early life, often telling fanciful tales. His birth date was variously reported as Jan. 21 in 1921, 1924 and 1925. Mamakos, his spokesman, said Saturday that Savalas was 70.
The actor's first three marriages produced four children and ended in divorce. In 1984, he married Julie Howland. They had a son in 1985 and a daughter in 1987.
by CNB