Charles Santore, Kojak: Telly Savalas

Date
1974
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit Line
Gift of the Artist, 2018
Dimensions
16 x 19 in

Kojak, a crime drama, revolved around Lieutenant Theofilides “Theo” Kojak of the New York City police department. The character had a dark sense of humor, which the background of this painting seems to underscore. He frequently bent the rules to catch criminals and his approach to interrogating them was quite aggressive.

Actor and singer Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas (1922–1994) was known for his deep, gruff voice. Critics claim that his main appeal as Kojak was how he talked: he could make jargon sound pleasing and his lines sounded dramatic and expressive, like poetry. Savalas won an Emmy Award in 1974 and a Golden Globe in both 1975 and 1976.

Stories Trigger
Blank field used to trigger form on artwork and artist pages. DO NOT EDIT

Share:

Stories

We invite you to share your ideas, knowledge, and stories as they relate to the art in our collection. Read what people had to say about this art or use the form below and write to us yourself.

Name:
Invalid Input
Email:
Invalid Input on Email
Phone:
Invalid Input on Phone
Message:
Invalid Input
Invalid Input