Yaphet Kotto
Encyclopedia
Yaphet Frederick Kotto (born November 15, 1937) is an African-American actor
, known for numerous film roles (including the science-fiction/horror film Alien
and as a James Bond villain in Live and Let Die
), and his starring role in the NBC
television series Homicide: Life on the Street
(1993-2000).
, the son of Gladys Marie, a nurse and army officer, and Avraham Kotto (originally named Njoki Manga Bell), a businessman from Cameroon
. In his autobiography titled Royalty, Kotto writes that his father was "the crown prince of Cameroon". Kotto stated that he found out that his family was royal in adult life while studying his family's lineage, and also stated that he is a descendant of Queen Victoria. Kotto's father, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s, was, according to Kotto, an observant Jew who spoke Hebrew
, and Kotto's mother reportedly converted to Judaism
before marrying his father. Kotto also stated that his great-grandfather King Alexander Bell ruled the Douala
region of Cameroon
in the late 19th century and was also a practicing Jew. Kotto has said that his paternal family originated from Israel
and migrated to Egypt
and then Cameroon, and have been African Jew
s for many generations. His claim of being a descendent of Queen Victoria has been denied by the Buckingham Palace
press office.
Being black and Jewish gave other children even more reason, he has said, to pick on him growing up in New York City. "It was rough coming up," Kotto said. "And then going to shul, putting a yarmulke on, having to face people who were primarily Baptists in the Bronx meant that on Fridays, I was in some heavy fistfights".
. He also 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 in an uncredited role in 4 For Texas
. He performed in Michael Roemer
's Nothing But a Man
in 1964 and played a supporting role in the 1968 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 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
. Kotto portrayed Idi Amin
in the 1977 television film Raid on Entebbe
. He also 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" in the A-Team
episode "The Out-of-Towners". In 1987, he appeared in the futuristic sci-fi movie The Running Man
and in the 1988 action-comedy Midnight Run
, in which he portrayed Alonzo Mosely, an FBI agent.
He played Lieutenant Al Giardello
in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street
.
He has written two books: Royalty, and The Second Coming of Christ, and also wrote scripts for Homicide: Life on the Street.
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for numerous film roles (including the science-fiction/horror film Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
and as a James Bond villain in Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
), and his starring role in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1993-2000).
Early life
Kotto was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of Gladys Marie, a nurse and army officer, and Avraham Kotto (originally named Njoki Manga Bell), a businessman from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. In his autobiography titled Royalty, Kotto writes that his father was "the crown prince of Cameroon". Kotto stated that he found out that his family was royal in adult life while studying his family's lineage, and also stated that he is a descendant of Queen Victoria. Kotto's father, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s, was, according to Kotto, an observant Jew who spoke Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and Kotto's mother reportedly converted to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
before marrying his father. Kotto also stated that his great-grandfather King Alexander Bell ruled the Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
region of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
in the late 19th century and was also a practicing Jew. Kotto has said that his paternal family originated from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and migrated to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and then Cameroon, and have been African Jew
African Jew
Some Jewish communities in Africa are among the oldest in the world, dating back more than 2700 years. African Jews have ethnic and religious diversity and richness. African Jewish communities include:...
s for many generations. His claim of being a descendent of Queen Victoria has been denied by the Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
press office.
Being black and Jewish gave other children even more reason, he has said, to pick on him growing up in New York City. "It was rough coming up," Kotto said. "And then going to shul, putting a yarmulke on, having to face people who were primarily Baptists in the Bronx meant that on Fridays, I was in some heavy fistfights".
Career
By the age of 16, he was studying acting at the Actor's Mobile Theater Studio, and at 19, he made his professional acting debut in OthelloOthello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
. He also was a member of the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Kotto got his start in acting on Broadway, where he appeared in The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
, among other productions.
His film debut was in 1963 in an uncredited role in 4 For Texas
4 for Texas
4 for Texas is a 1963 American western comedy starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, Ursula Andress, and featuring screen thugs Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by the Three Stooges...
. He performed in Michael Roemer
Michael Roemer
Michael Roemer is a film director, producer and writer. He has won several awards for his films. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. A professor at Yale University, he is the author of Telling Stories.- Early years :...
's Nothing But a Man
Nothing But a Man
Nothing But a Man is a film made in 1964 and directed by Michael Roemer. The story is about a black railroad worker, who falls in love with a black school teacher, who is the town’s preacher’s daughter. The story depicts the struggle of their strife for “a meaningful place” in their society. It...
in 1964 and played a supporting role in the 1968 caper film The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 film by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Award for Best Song with Michel Legrand's "Windmills of Your Mind"...
. 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
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
. In 1973 he landed the role of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
villain Mr. Big
Mister Big (James Bond)
Mr. Big is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film Live and Let Die. In the film, Big is portrayed by actor Yaphet Kotto. The novel and film versions of Mr. Big are extremely different, with the film incarnation bordering on being a completely new character...
in Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
, as well as roles in Across 110th Street
Across 110th Street
Across 110th Street is a 1972 American crime-drama film starring Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, and Anthony Franciosa, and directed by Barry Shear...
and Truck Turner
Truck Turner
Truck Turner is a 1974 blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Jerry Wilkes and Oscar Williams...
. Kotto portrayed Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
in the 1977 television film Raid on Entebbe
Raid on Entebbe (film)
Raid on Entebbe is a 1977 TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of hostages at Entebbe Airport in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. It was the last movie to be released featuring Academy Award-winning actor Peter Finch who died just...
. He also starred as an auto worker in the 1978 film Blue Collar
Blue Collar (film)
Blue Collar is a 1978 film; the directorial debut of screenwriter Paul Schrader. This drama stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto.-Plot:...
.
The following year he played Parker in the sci-fi
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
–horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
. He followed with a supporting role in the 1980 prison drama Brubaker
Brubaker
Brubaker is an American 1980 film about a prison in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker who attempts to reform the system....
. In 1983, he guest-starred as mobster "Charlie" in the A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
episode "The Out-of-Towners". In 1987, he appeared in the futuristic sci-fi movie The Running Man
The Running Man (film)
The Running Man is a 1987 American action film loosely based on Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown, and Richard Dawson....
and in the 1988 action-comedy Midnight Run
Midnight Run
Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film starring Robert De Niro as a bounty hunter and Charles Grodin as his prisoner....
, in which he portrayed Alonzo Mosely, an FBI agent.
He played Lieutenant Al Giardello
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
.
He has written two books: Royalty, and The Second Coming of Christ, and also wrote scripts for Homicide: Life on the Street.
Personal life
Kotto married Tessie Sinahon in July 1998. They currently live in Baltimore, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Filmography
- 4 for Texas4 for Texas4 for Texas is a 1963 American western comedy starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, Ursula Andress, and featuring screen thugs Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by the Three Stooges...
(1963) - Nothing But a ManNothing But a ManNothing But a Man is a film made in 1964 and directed by Michael Roemer. The story is about a black railroad worker, who falls in love with a black school teacher, who is the town’s preacher’s daughter. The story depicts the struggle of their strife for “a meaningful place” in their society. It...
(1964) Jocko - 5 Card Stud5 Card Stud5 Card Stud is a 1968 Western, released by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Henry Hathaway, the script, based on a novel by Ray Gaulden, was written by Marguerite Roberts, who also wrote the screenplay of True Grit for Hathaway the following year...
(1968) — Little George (Mama's bartender) - The Thomas Crown AffairThe Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 film by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Award for Best Song with Michel Legrand's "Windmills of Your Mind"...
(1968) — Carl - The Liberation of L.B. JonesThe Liberation of L.B. JonesThe Liberation of L.B. Jones is a 1970 American drama film directed by William Wyler, his final project in a career that spanned 45 years.The screenplay by Jesse Hill Ford and Stirling Silliphant is based on Ford's 1965 novel The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones. The novel, in turn, was based on...
(1970) — Sonny Boy Mosby - Across 110th StreetAcross 110th StreetAcross 110th Street is a 1972 American crime-drama film starring Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, and Anthony Franciosa, and directed by Barry Shear...
(1972) — Lt. Pope - Live and Let DieLive and Let Die (film)Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
(1973) — Kananga/Mr. Big - Truck TurnerTruck TurnerTruck Turner is a 1974 blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Jerry Wilkes and Oscar Williams...
(1974) — Harvard Blue - Report to the CommissionerReport to the CommissionerReport to the Commissioner is a 1974 crime drama film starring Michael Moriarty and based on a 1972 book by James Mills. The story involves a rookie cop in the New York City Police Department who is assigned a special missing person case but in fact is meant to be a wild-goose chase to back up an...
(1975) — Richard 'Crunch' Blackstone - Sharks' TreasureSharks' TreasureSharks' Treasure is a 1975 American adventure film written, produced and directed by Cornel Wilde and starring Cornel Wilde and Yaphet Kotto.-Plot:...
(1975) — Ben Flynn - Friday FosterFriday Foster (film)Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim...
(1975) — Colt Hawkins - DrumDrum (1976 film)Drum is the 1976 sequel to the film Mandingo, and released by United Artists. Starring Warren Oates, Pam Grier , and Ken Norton and directed by Steve Carver, it parodies nineteenth century American slavery like its predecessor...
(1976) — Blaise - Monkey Hustle (1976) — C.C. Foxx
- RootsRoots (TV miniseries)Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
(1977) TV miniseries - Raid on EntebbeRaid on Entebbe (film)Raid on Entebbe is a 1977 TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of hostages at Entebbe Airport in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. It was the last movie to be released featuring Academy Award-winning actor Peter Finch who died just...
(1977) (TV) — President Idi Amin Dada - Blue CollarBlue Collar (film)Blue Collar is a 1978 film; the directorial debut of screenwriter Paul Schrader. This drama stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto.-Plot:...
(1978) — Smokey James - AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
(1979) — Parker - BrubakerBrubakerBrubaker is an American 1980 film about a prison in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker who attempts to reform the system....
(1980) — Richard 'Dickie' Coombes - The Star ChamberThe Star ChamberThe Star Chamber is a 1983 American thriller film written by Roderick Taylor and directed by Peter Hyams. It stars Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook...
(1983) — Det. Harry Lowes - Terror in the AislesTerror in the AislesTerror in the Aisles is a 1984 documentary film about horror films featuring clips from Friday the 13th I and/or II, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween I and II, Jaws 1 and 2, Alien, John Carpenter's The Thing, The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and The Birds. The film is hosted by...
(1984) documentary — archival footage - Warning SignWarning Sign (film)Warning Sign is a 1985 science fiction-horror film directed by Hal Barwood and starring Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan, and Yaphet Kotto.-Plot:...
(1985) - Eye of the TigerEye of the Tiger (film)Eye of the Tiger is a 1986 action/drama film, starring Gary Busey, Yaphet Kotto, Denise Galik, Seymour Cassel, William Smith and Judith Barsi. The movie was directed by Richard C...
(1986) — J. B. Deveraux - The Park is MineThe Park Is Mine (1986 film)The Park Is Mine, is a 1986 made-for-TV movie directed by Steven Hilliard Stern,starring Tommy Lee Jones as a Vietnam War veteran. Mitch takes control of Central Park in New York City, in what many would call an act of domestic terrorism, to honor those who died and served in the Vietnam War and...
(1986) — Eubanks - The Running ManThe Running Man (film)The Running Man is a 1987 American action film loosely based on Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown, and Richard Dawson....
(1987) — William Laughlin - Midnight RunMidnight RunMidnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film starring Robert De Niro as a bounty hunter and Charles Grodin as his prisoner....
(1988) — FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely - TripwireTripwire (film)Tripwire is a 1990 American film directed by James Lemmo.It is an action/adventure movie about a terrorist and government secret agent personal vendetta that began when a train hijacking goes badly awry and the terrorist son is accidentally killed. The original music score was composed by Richard...
(1990) — Lee Pitt - Freddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
(1991) — Doc - Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1993–1999) — Lieutenant Al Giardello - The Puppet MastersThe Puppet Masters (film)The Puppet Masters is a 1994 science fiction film, adapted by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, and David S. Goyer from Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 novel of the same title, in which a trio of American government agents attempts to thwart a covert invasion of Earth by mind-controlling alien parasites...
(1994) — Ressler - Two If by SeaTwo If by SeaTwo If by Sea is a 1996 romantic comedy feature starring Sandra Bullock, Denis Leary, Stephen Dillane and Yaphet Kotto. It was directed by Bill Bennett and written by Ann Lembeck, Mike Armstrong and Denis Leary.- Plot :...
(1996) — FBI Agent O'Malley - Witless ProtectionWitless ProtectionWitless Protection is a 2008 comedy film from Lionsgate, starring Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better known as Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy written and directed by Chicago native Charles Robert Carner. Whitney plays "Larry", a small-town deputy in Mississippi...
(2008)
Further reading
- The Royalty: A Spiritual Awakening (1997), autobiography; ISBN 0-9655950-1-3