Ariana Savalas (born January 9, 1987) is an American host, burlesque performer, singer, and songwriter. She has performed in burlesque cabarets worldwide, including as the emcee and singer for Dita Von Teese and the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris.
Fusing her original music with elements of traditional vaudeville and cabaret,[7] Savalas has been named a "Burlesque Icon" [8] and described by Las Vegas Magazine as "the musical burlesque queen" and "the mistress of the modern Moulin Rouge".[9]
She is the daughter of Greek-American actor Telly Savalas.
Early life
Savalas was born in Los Angeles, California, but was raised in Minnesota following the death of her father Telly Savalas in 1994.[1] She attended an all-girls Catholic convent school in her teenage years before graduating early and moving to London to pursue a career in performance. She studied Shakespeare and acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and was a member of Playhouse West, a repertory theater directed by Jeff Goldblum.[10] She eventually graduated from Harvard University years later and has a masters degree from the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute in Italy.[11]
Before turning to burlesque, Savalas toured and recorded in Europe as a pop singer in her teens with European producer Jack White.[12] She made a guest appearance as Bobby Lainsford on the CBS hit drama Criminal Minds in 2010. Savalas began her music career in Los Angeles as a singer/songwriter playing venues on the Sunset Strip,[13] such as the Whisky a Go Go and Hard Rock Cafe.
Savalas was introduced to Scott Bradlee in 2015 and began collaborating on online videos and touring with the band soon after. They have performed at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Greek Theater, and the O2 Academy in London.[18] Savalas was their first female emcee, and hosted the first-ever PMJ PBS special "Postmodern Jukebox: The New Classics". Savalas has garnered praise for her singing and also for her skill at jazz whistling.[19]
Burlesque
Ariana Savalas at Faena Theater
Savalas began incorporating her own music into live shows, drawing influences from the Weimar Republic era of German Cabaret and the Moulin Rouge. Her 2019 live album, "The Ménage a Tour! Live from Las Vegas" was a showcase of music, songwriting, dance, comedy, and burlesque.[20] Savalas released a single and music video for her original song "Legendary Lover" in early 2020.
The Dead Dance
Savalas released her debut full studio record, The Dead Dance, in early 2020. The album was released exclusively under Cargo Records in Germany and digitally worldwide.[citation needed] The first single, "Memory", features trumpet player Brian Newman.[21]
Dark Lady
Savalas released her sophomore full studio record, "Dark Lady", in 2024. The first single, "What Do You Wanna Know", was produced by Savalas' long time friend Steve Power. The album was inspired by Shakespeare's Dark Lady sonnets.
^BWW News Desk (March 1, 2010). "Ariana Savalas Comes To The Metropolitan Room 3/19". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved April 11, 2016. After touring Europe, Ariana was accepted by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London to study Shakespeare and acting. Following her RADA training, she moved to Los Angeles to work with Robert Carnegie at the prestigious Playhouse West Theater, planning to return to London in the fall of that year. After just one month in Los Angeles, with no previous professional acting experience, she auditioned for and won the title role of Miriam Shafer in the feature film?Miriam,?a true story of a Lithuanian Holocaust survivor. The part required the 18-year-old Ariana to play a grueling range of emotions while portraying Miriam from age 15 through 50 years old. Her most recent film is Akrasia by Polish director Xavier Tatarkiewicz.?
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^admin (December 28, 2012). "Herb Alpert's Vibrato, Grill, Jazz, Etc. Presents Ariana Savalas – "Sophisticated Lady"". Arcadia Weekly. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016. Following in her father's footsteps, she also had a guest appearance on one of television's top cop shows CBS' "Criminal Minds." Ariana also appears on famed jazz harp player/pianist (and wife of Mike Stoller of renowned songwriting team Leiber & Stoller) Corky Hale's latest CD release, "Corky Hale…And Friends – I'm Glad There Is You," singing her rendition of the song, "I See Your Face."
