RIP: Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto, whose acting career spanned 50 years on television and in feature films, died Sunday, March 14, 2021, at the age of 81.  No cause of death was given.

Kotto began his career in 1962 with a role in the feature film Nothing But a Man.  After that he alternated between roles in television and feature films.  It is hard to say which was Kotto’s best known role because he had so many.  Some would say it was when he played the villain, Mr. Big, in the James Bond film, Live and Let Die.  Others would point to his starring role as President Idi Amin in Raid on Entebbe.  Who can forget his standout performance as Parker in Alien?  Others would know Yaphet Kotto best from his role as Al Giardello in Homicide: Life on the Street.

I probably first saw Yaphet Kotto in one of his many guest starring roles on television.  Mr. Kotto appeared on many of my favorite tv programs: Tarzan, The High Chaparral, Mannix, Daniel Boone, The Name of the Game, Gunsmoke, and Night Gallery.  Keep in mind, those were just the shows I watched, Yaphet Kotto appeared on many others.  Some of my favorite feature film performances by Yaphet Kotto include: Live and Let Die, Brubaker, The Running Man and of course, my all-time favorite Yaphet Kotto role, Parker in Alien.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Yaphet Kotto’s family, friends and fans.