LOS ANGELES – Yaphet Kotto, an actor known for his performances in “Alien”, the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and the television series “Homicide: Life on the Street”, has died, his agent Ryan Goldhar confirmed to Variety. He was 81 years old.
Kotto’s wife, Tessie Sinahon, first posted about Kotto’s death on Facebook on Monday night.
“I am sad and still shocked by the death of my husband, Yaphet, 24. He died last night at around 10:30 pm Philippine time,” she wrote. “… You played a villain in some of your films, but for me you are a true hero and for many people too. A good man, a good father, a good husband and a decent human being, very rare to find. One of the best actors in Hollywood, a legend. Rest in peace, dear, I will miss you every day, my best friend, my rock. “
In 1973’s “Live and Let Die”, Kotto played a dual role portraying the corrupt Caribbean dictator Dr. Kananga, as well as his drug advocate alter ego, Mr. Big. Described in the novel as a monstrously obese boss with yellow eyes, gray skin and a head twice the size of a normal man, Kotto’s elegant version of the character dispensed with the grotesque physiques and added a charismatic dose of stylish villainy.
Kotto also played the famous coach Dennis Parker in 1979’s “Alien” and William Laughlin alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 action movie “The Running Man”. He also had a strong television career, playing Al Giardello on the NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Street” from 1993 to 1999.
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Kotto was born in New York City on November 15, 1939 and started studying acting at the age of 16 at Actors Mobile Theater Studio. At 19, he made his professional theater debut in “Othello” and continued to perform on Broadway in “The Great White Hope”. Kotto’s first film projects included “Nothing But a Man” in 1964 and “The Thomas Crown Affair” in 1968. In 1969, Kotto played a guest star role as Marine Lance Corporal in “Hawaii Five-O”.
After getting the role in “Live and Let Die”, Kotto also got roles in “Truck Turner” from 1974 and “Blue Collar” from 1978 as Smokey. After his debut in “Alien”, Kotto played a supporting role as Richard “Dickie” Coombes in “Brubaker” in 1980 and starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 action film “The Running Man”. Other Kotto TV roles include an appearance on “The A-Team” in 1983, “For Love and Honor”, “Murder She Wrote”, “Death Valley Days” and “Law & Order”.
One of Kotto’s last and longest roles was that of Al Giardello in “Homicide: Life on the Street”, for which he also has several credits as a screenwriter. He also starred in “Homicide: The Movie” in 2000 and, most recently, voiced Parker in the video game “Alien: Isolation”.
He leaves his wife and six children.