Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto was an American actor for film and television. His films include the science-fiction horror film Alien, the neo-noir action thriller Across 110th Street, the science-fiction action film The Running Man, the James Bond film Live and Let Die, and the action comedy Midnight Run. He also starred in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street as Lieutenant Al Giardello.
Early life
Kotto was born in New York City. His mother, Gladys Marie, was an American nurse and U.S. Army officer of Panamanian and Antiguan descent. His father, Avraham Kotto, was a businessman from Cameroon who emigrated to the United States in the 1920s. Kotto's father was raised Jewish and his mother converted to Judaism. The couple separated when Kotto was a child, and he was raised by his maternal grandparents.By the age of 16, Kotto was studying acting at the Actors Mobile Theater Studio.
Career
At age 19, Yaphet Kotto made his professional acting debut in Othello. He was a member of the Actors Studio in New York. Kotto got his start in acting on Broadway, where he appeared in The Great White Hope, among other productions.His film debut was in 1963, aged 23, in an uncredited role in 4 for Texas. He performed in Michael Roemer's Nothing but a Man and played a supporting role in the caper film The Thomas Crown Affair. He played John Auston, a confused Marine Lance Corporal, in the 1968 episode "King of the Hill", on the first season of Hawaii Five-O.
In 1967, he released a single, "Have You Ever Seen the Blues" / "Have You Dug His Scene".
In 1973, he landed the role of the James Bond villain Mr. Big in Live and Let Die, as well as roles in Across 110th Street and Truck Turner. He played a police officer, Richard "Crunch" Blackstone, in the 1975 film Report to the Commissioner. Kotto portrayed Idi Amin in the 1977 television film Raid on Entebbe. He starred as an auto worker in the 1978 film Blue Collar. The following year he played Parker in the sci-fi–horror film Alien. He followed with a supporting role in the 1980 prison drama Brubaker. In 1983, he guest-starred as mobster Charlie "East Side Charlie" Struthers in The A-Team episode "The Out-of-Towners". In 1987, he appeared in the futuristic sci-fi movie The Running Man, and in 1988, in the action-comedy Midnight Run, in which he portrayed Alonzo Moseley, an FBI agent. A memo from Paramount indicates that Kotto was among those being considered for Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a role which eventually went to Patrick Stewart.
File:Leif Erickson Yaphet Kotto The High Chaparral 1968.JPG|thumb|Kotto acting alongside Leif Erickson in the television series The High Chaparral in 1968
Kotto was cast as a religious man living in the southwestern desert country in the 1967 episode "A Man Called Abraham" on the syndicated anthology series Death Valley Days, hosted by Robert Taylor. In the story line, Abraham convinces a killer named Cassidy that Cassidy can change his heart despite past crimes. When Cassidy is sent to the gallows, Abraham provides spiritual solace. Bing Russell also appeared in this segment.
Kotto retired from film acting in the mid-1990s, though he had one final film role in Witless Protection. However, he continued to take on television roles. Kotto portrayed Lieutenant Al Giardello in the long-running television series Homicide: Life on the Street. As a black Sicilian proud of his Italian ancestry, the character was a breakout for television. He has written the book Royalty and also wrote scripts for Homicide. In 2014, he voiced Parker for the video game Alien: Isolation, reprising the role he played in the movie Alien in 1979.
Personal life
Kotto's first marriage, in 1959, was to a German immigrant, Rita Ingrid Dittman. They had three children and divorced in 1976. Later, Kotto married Toni Pettyjohn, and they also had three children together before divorcing in 1989. Kotto married his third wife, Tessie Sinahon, who was from the Philippines, in 1998.Kotto was Jewish, and versed in the Hebrew liturgy and incorporated Jewish prayers at turning points throughout his life. He said his father "instilled Judaism" in him.
In 2000, he was living in Marmora, Ontario, Canada.