Telly Savalas - Early Life

Early Life

Savalas, the second of five children, was born as Aristotelis Savalas in Garden City, NY, in 1922, to Greek American parents Christina (née Kapsalis), a New York City artist who was a native of Sparti, and Nick Savalas, a Greek restaurant owner. When he entered Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, New York, he initially only spoke Greek, but learned English and graduated in 1940. After graduation he worked as a lifeguard, but on one occasion was unsuccessful at rescuing a man from drowning, an event which would haunt Savalas for the remainder of his life. When he entered Columbia University School of General Studies Savalas took courses including English language, radio, and psychology, graduating in 1948. At that time he fell in love with radio and television, which led to his interest in acting. Savalas also gained life experience with a three-year period (1943–1946) in the US Army during World War II, working 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. In 1950 Savalas hosted a popular radio show called The Coffeehouse in New York City.