Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas)
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Datastream
Actor: Telly Savalas
Character: Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Movie: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Date of Birth: 21 January 1922
Height: 6' (1.83m)
Distinguishing Feature: Born without earlobes
Appearance: He is believed to extensively use disguises
and plastic surgery such as baldness and scars, thus altering
his appearance constantly.
Status: Presumed Dead
Organisations & Alliances: Irma Bundt, SPECTRE
Profile
Head of SPECTRE (the Special Executive
for Counter-Espionage, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion),
Blofeld is undeniably the most ingenious criminal mastermind
of our time. Blofeld already escaped 007's best attempts
to shelve the villain once and has since dropped off the
radar. Despite James Bond's
obsession to track Blofeld, the mastermind remains one step
ahead. Blofeld is cocky and self assumed but with a poetic
whimsy to every task he conducts. A lover of fine wine, poetry
and women, Blofeld masks his short temper and bloodlust behind
a suave, stately charade.
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"To begin with, I was born without earlobes, a well-known congenital distention of Bleuchamp ancestry - like the Hapsburg lip or the hawk-nose of the Medicis'"
Blofeld is in the midst
of proving himself the heir to the title "Comte
Balthazar de Bleuchamp" and is in negotiations with
the College of Arms - blindly determined to prove the claim.
Despite
this seemingly fruitless act, Blofeld has a horrendous
scheme laid out to gain wealth and the title he desires.
Scheme
Under the pretense of a nerve and allergies specialist,
Blofeld has opened an exclusive clinic high in the Alps
of Switzerland. Selecting only the most gorgeous patients
to "cure",
in reality Blofeld is brainwashing women from around the
world to respond to his voice, perform his every bidding
and deliver the toxic virus Omega to the world - should
the United Nations not rise to his demands to give him
a
full pardon
for his previous crimes.
Blofeld's specially developed virus will leave the world
sterile
with no hope of survival.
I've Been Expecting You
James Bond, under the guise of the stately Genealogist, Sir
Hillary Bray, is welcomed to Blofeld's alpine clinic in
order to assist in proving the villains claim to the
title. On his second day, Bond is ushered to Blofeld's
lavish office and coldly interviewed by the mastermind.
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Headquarters
The highest building for miles around, covered in ice and snow
and fortified to the hilt, Blofeld's lavish clinic headquarters
is unmistakable. The Piz Gloria building is perched 6,000 feet
above a small village called Murren and divided into guests
suits (each locked from the outside), the sunrise dining room
and beneath
the ice-cold rock, Blofeld's carefully guarded labs and private
quarters. The complex also boasts a cable car station and
helicopter pad.
Gadgets & Vehicles
Blofeld travels via private helicopter to and from his estate - yet rarely leaves
the clinic. This incarnation of the super-villain appears fit and
strong and if the issue arises is not afraid to lead a high-speed ski pursuit.
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Dress Code
Preferring a more casual attire, Blofeld dresses in simple white shirts, brown or black high-neck over-garments and often a brown leather jacket.
Goodbye, Mr Bond
After raiding Blofeld's alpine outpost with the help of
his father-in-law-to-be, Bond chases the arch-villain
through the frozen under-paths of the mountain and finally
onto the bob-course. In a violent downhill pursuit, 007
is hot on the tail of Blofeld until his bobsled rocks
wildly out of control and Blofeld is lodged on a low-slung
branch! He is last seen in the car with gun-toting Irma
Bundt.
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Biography
Born to Greek immigrants Nicholas and Christina, on January 21st 1922, Aristotle "Telly" Savalas
grew up in the heart of New York City. Growing up as second oldest of five
siblings during the Depression, Telly's family struggled to maintain the great
American lifestyle they had hoped for when emigrating from their homeland.
Through these harsh times, and feeling relative strangers to the USA, the Savalas'
survived on having such strong family beliefs. Like many of the era, Telly
and brother Gus thought up new and innovative ways to help their family earn
their money - the Savalas boys sold everything from newspapers to shoe-shining
services to support the family.
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By 1940, Telly Savalas had graduated high school and
for a short period worked as a lifeguard but bowed out of this profession
after a nightmarish experience. From 1941 to 1946, Savalas served in the
US Army, but unlike every other aspect of his life, Telly preferred not
to discuss his career in the forces. He was, however, awarded the Purple
Heart for his efforts during World War II.
Savalas enrolled in Columbia
University School of General Studies and took a keen interest
in Radio and Television. In 1948, he graduated from
university with a love for onscreen performance and entertainment,
yet surprisingly didn't pursue his career directly. At
age 28, Savalas got a job at a popular radio station hosting
a talk show know as the Coffeehouse.
In the 1950's, Savalas expanded his
career onto the small screen, appearing in various bit
parts in television shows such as: "And Bring Home
A Baby", "The Untouchables", "The
Man From U.N.C.L.E", and "The Twilight Zone".
It wasn't until he was in his late 30s that he made the move to feature films, appearing in the likes of "Mad Dog Col" (1961) and "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) for which he was rewarded with an Oscar nomination for his character Feto Gomez.
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In 1973 Savalas began work on the TV production he would
forever be remembered for. Telly played the hard-talking NYC
cop Theo Kojak for 5 years and over 60 episodes. Although Savalas' career
spanned
40 years and over 100 productions, he will forever be fondly
remembered as Kojak. His last production was comedy "Backfire!" (1995)
- released a year after his death.
Telly Savalas passed away on the 22nd of January 1994, one day after celebrating his 72nd birthday with his extended family. Aristottle "Telly" Savalas was laid to rest in Los Angeles under the headstone inscribed: "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways - I to die and you to live. Which is better God only knows."
