Teddie Kossof attended Southern Illinois University on a football scholarship before deciding he would rather study design.
His father suggested he first enroll in beauty school, however, and get his license — and that is where Teddie discovered his path.
He graduated from the Skokie School of Beauty Culture and also studied at L’Oreal Academy in Paris, France, for three years.
“I jumped right into the beauty industry with both feet,” says Teddie.
Teddie attributes his early success to sheer determination and a willingness to put himself out there in the public eye, whether it was winning competitions, attending beauty shows or his own personal marketing campaign that involved cold calls, visits to television stations and tireless networking.
It all paid off in 1980 when Revlon selected him to star in a national TV commercial that aired during the Academy Awards — and replayed for more than a year afterward.
“It was just me touching someone’s hair and saying how beautiful it was,” says Teddie. “But that brought a flood of business into the salon. I had calls from all over the country.”
Naturally, Teddie built up an extensive celebrity client list that included Mary Tyler Moore, Maya Angelou, Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, and James Earl Jones.
“The one that stands out is Fergie, Duchess of York,” says Teddie. “I lived it for three days with her because she had to have her hair done twice a day.”
Aside from his devotion to the beauty industry, the hair guru has maintained a passion for art, pursuing a number of hobbies that include photography and painting.
“I was always interested in art, and shape and form. I started painting about six years ago,” says Teddie. “They are abstract… eclectic. A lot of emotion goes into the things I do. I have about 40 paintings now — selling nothing. It’s my own thing.”
Teddie also owns a Harley-Davidson Trike Motorcycle, and enjoys taking it on the road with his son, Alan.
“I love cars,” says Teddie. “One of my favorites was always the 928-S4, the most unappreciated Porsche ever built. I’ve had over a hundred cars in my life. When I was a young, foolish hairdresser, I used to buy a car every six months, if it was cheap.”
Teddie passed along his obsession with cars to Alan, and bringing Alan into the salon when he was a kid to sweep floors, wash towels, and eventually shampoo hair. Now, father and son are co-owners of the family business, and Teddie couldn’t be happier. “He earned it,” says Teddie. “I’m very proud of him.”
