Yaphet Kotto

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations. See more awards »

Known For

Alien Parker

(1979)

Midnight Run Alonzo Mosely

(1988)

Live and Let Die Kananga / Mr. Big

(1973)

Homicide: Life on the Street Al Giardello

(1993-1999)

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Filmography

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Actor (97 credits)

2014 Alien: Isolation (Video Game)
Parker (voice)

2008 Witless Protection
Ricardo Bodi

2004 The Wire (TV Series)
Meeting Man

- Hamsterdam (2004) ... Meeting Man (uncredited)

2001 Stiletto Dance (TV Movie)
Captain Rick Sands

2000 The Ride (TV Movie)
Carter

2000 Homicide: The Movie (TV Movie)
Al 'Gee' Giardello

1993-1999 Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series)
Al Giardello

- Forgive Us Our Trespasses (1999) ... Al Giardello

- The Why Chromosome (1999) ... Al Giardello

- Lines of Fire (1999) ... Al Giardello (credit only)

- Identity Crisis (1999) ... Al Giardello

- Self Defense (1999) ... Al Giardello

Show all 122 episodes

1997 Law & Order (TV Series)
Al Giardello

- Baby, It's You (1997) ... Al Giardello

1997 The Defenders: Payback (TV Movie)
Judge Williams

1996 Almost Blue
Terry

1996 The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century (TV Mini-Series documentary)
Kaphe Kamar

- Total War (1996) ... Kaphe Kamar (voice)

1996 Two If by Sea
FBI Agent O'Malley

1995 Out-of-Sync
Quincy

1995 Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan (TV Movie)
Marty Talbot

1995 Dead Badge
Captain Hunt

1994 The Puppet Masters
Ressler

1994 The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (TV Movie)
Detective Martin Talbot

1993 SeaQuest 2032 (TV Series)
Captain Jack Clayton

- Treasures of the Tonga Trench (1993) ... Captain Jack Clayton

1993 The American Clock (TV Movie)
Isaac

1993 Extreme Justice
Larson

1993 It's Nothing Personal (TV Movie)
Lt. Riley

1992 Intent to Kill (Video)
Captain Jackson

1992 Chrome Soldiers (TV Movie)
Perry Beach

1991-1992 The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (TV Series)
Kelly

- Lady Luck (1992)

- A Conflict of Interest (1991) ... Kelly

1992 Civil Wars (TV Series)
Judge Louis Decker

- Pro Se Can You See (1992) ... Judge Louis Decker

1991 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Doc

1991 Hangfire
Police Lieutenant

1990 After the Shock (TV Movie)
William McElroy

1990 Father Dowling Mysteries (TV Series)
Lt. Fleming

- The Stone Killer Mystery (1990) ... Lt. Fleming

1989 Tripwire
Lee Pitt

1989 Ministry of Vengeance
Mr. Whiteside

1989 Prime Target (TV Movie)
Gilmore Brown

1989 A Whisper to a Scream
Jules Tallard

1989 The Jigsaw Murders
Doctor Fillmore

1988 Midnight Run
Alonzo Mosely

1987 Murder, She Wrote (TV Series)
Lt. Bradshaw

- Steal Me a Story (1987) ... Lt. Bradshaw

1987 Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel (TV Movie)
General Sorenson

1987 The Running Man
William Laughlin

1987 Terminal Entry
Col. Styles

1987 In Self Defense (TV Movie)
Lt. Tyrell

1987 Desperado (TV Movie)
Bede

1987 Tomorrow's a Killer
Harris

1986 Eye of the Tiger
J.B. Deveraux

1986 Harem (TV Movie)
Agha Kislar

1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)
Convict

- Prisoners (1985) ... Convict

1985 Badge of the Assassin (TV Movie)
Detective Cliff Fenton NYPD

1985 The Park Is Mine (TV Movie)
Eubanks

1985 Hill Street Blues (TV Series)
Calvin Matthias

- Blues in the Night (1985) ... Calvin Matthias

1985 Warning Sign
Major Connolly

1985 Playing with Fire (TV Movie)
Fire Chief Walker

1983-1984 For Love and Honor (TV Series)
Platoon Sgt. James "China" Bell / Platoon Sgt. James 'China' Bell

- The Real Thing (1984) ... Platoon Sgt. James 'China' Bell

- Bloodline (1984) ... Platoon Sgt. James 'China' Bell

- The Price of Dreams (1983) ... Platoon Sgt. James "China" Bell

- Mixed Signals (1983) ... Platoon Sgt. James "China" Bell

- Team Work (1983) ... Platoon Sgt. James "China" Bell

Show all 12 episodes

1983 Women of San Quentin (TV Movie)
Sgt. Therman Patterson

1983 For Love and Honor (TV Movie)
Sgt. China Bell

1983 The Star Chamber
Detective Harry Lowes

1983 The A-Team (TV Series)
Charles 'East-Side Charlie' F. Struthers

- The Out-of-Towners (1983) ... Charles 'East-Side Charlie' F. Struthers

1983 Fantasy Island (TV Series)
Big Gus Belly

- Return to the Cotton Club/No Friends Like Old Friends (1983) ... Big Gus Belly

1982/I Fighting Back
Ivanhoe Washington

1982 A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion (TV Movie)
Denmark Vessey

1980 Othello
Othello

1980 Rage! (TV Movie)
Ernie

1980 Brubaker
Richard 'Dickie' Coombes

1979 Alien
Parker

1978 Blue Collar
Smokey

1977 Roots (TV Mini-Series)

1976 Crunch (TV Movie)
Crunch

1976 Raid on Entebbe (TV Movie)
President Idi Amin Jr.

1976 The Monkey Hu$tle
Daddy Foxx

1976 Drum
Blaise

1975 Friday Foster
Colt Hawkins

1975 Doctors' Hospital (TV Series)
Dr. Perry Wells

- Knives of Chance (1975) ... Dr. Perry Wells

1975 Sharks' Treasure
Ben Flynn

1975 Report to the Commissioner
Richard 'Crunch' Blackstone

1974 Truck Turner
Harvard Blue

1973 Live and Let Die
Kananga / Mr. Big

1972 Across 110th Street
Lt. Pope

1972 The Limit
Mark Johnson

1972 Bone
Bone

1971 Night Gallery (TV Series)
Buckner (segment "The Messiah on Mott Street")

- The Messiah on Mott Street/The Painted Mirror (1971) ... Buckner (segment "The Messiah on Mott Street")

1971 Man and Boy
Nate

1970 Night Chase (TV Movie)
Ernie Green

1970 Gunsmoke (TV Series)
Piney Biggs

- The Scavengers (1970) ... Piney Biggs

1970 The Name of the Game (TV Series)
Wyman Jackson

- The Time Is Now (1970) ... Wyman Jackson

1970 The Liberation of L.B. Jones
Sonny Boy Mosby

1968-1969 Daniel Boone (TV Series)
Jonah / Luke

- Jonah (1969) ... Jonah

- Big, Black and Out There (1968) ... Luke

1969 Mannix (TV Series)
Gabe Johnson / Gabriel Dillon

- Death in a Minor Key (1969) ... Gabe Johnson / Gabriel Dillon

1969 Hawaii Five-O (TV Series)
Lance Corporal John T. Auston

- King of the Hill (1969) ... Lance Corporal John T. Auston

1968 The High Chaparral (TV Series)
Sgt. Major Creason

- The Buffalo Soldiers (1968) ... Sgt. Major Creason

1968 Bonanza (TV Series)
Child Barnett

- Child (1968) ... Child Barnett (as Yaphet Cotto)

1968 5 Card Stud
Little George

1968 The Thomas Crown Affair
Carl

1966-1967 The Big Valley (TV Series)
Damien / Lobo Brown

- The Buffalo Man (1967) ... Damien

- The Iron Box (1966) ... Lobo Brown

1967 Tarzan (TV Series)
Kesho

- Thief Catcher (1967) ... Kesho

1967 Cowboy in Africa (TV Series)
Musa

- Incident at Derati Wells (1967) ... Musa

1967 Death Valley Days (TV Series)
Abraham

- A Man Called Abraham (1967) ... Abraham

1967 NBC Experiment in Television (TV Series)
Grandfather

- Losers Weepers (1967) ... Grandfather

1964 Nothing But a Man
Jocko

1963 4 for Texas (uncredited)

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Writer (2 credits)

Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series) (written by - 2 episodes, 1997 - 1998) (teleplay by - 1 episode, 1999)

- Self Defense (1999) ... (teleplay by)

- Secrets (1998) ... (written by)

- Narcissus (1997) ... (written by)

1972 The Limit (story)

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Director (1 credit)

1972 The Limit

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Producer (1 credit)

1972 The Limit (producer)

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Soundtrack (1 credit)

1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode)

- Prisoners (1985) ... (performer: "Mr. Sandman")

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Thanks (2 credits)

2008 Making Witless: The Cast on the Cast (Video short) (special thanks)

2003 Freddy vs. Jason (special thanks)

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Self (15 credits)

2017 King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (Documentary)
Himself

2016 I'm Mosley!: An Interview with Actor Yaphet Kotto (Video short)
Himself

2008 Making Witless: The Cast on the Cast (Video short)
Himself

1999 Inside 'Live and Let Die' (Video documentary short)
Himself

1997 TV Nation: Volume One (Video documentary)
Himself

1996 Biography (TV Series documentary)
Himself

- Richard Pryor: Comic on the Edge (1996) ... Himself

1995 The World of James Bond (TV Movie documentary)
Himself

1994 TV Nation (TV Series documentary)
Himself

- Episode #1.1 (1994) ... Himself

1994 Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV Series)
Himself

- Episode #1.198 (1994) ... Himself

- Episode #1.92 (1994) ... Himself

1987 The Making of 'Midnight Run' (TV Short documentary)
Himself

1973 Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary (Documentary short)
Himself

1972 Salute to Oscar Hammerstein II (TV Special)
Himself

1970 The David Frost Show (TV Series)
Himself

- Episode #2.106 (1970) ... Himself

1969 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Series)
Himself - Guest

- Episode dated 21 October 1969 (1969) ... Himself - Guest

1969 The Joe Namath Show (TV Series)
Himself

- Episode #1.1 (1969) ... Himself

Show

Archive footage (14 credits)

2016 Golden Moustache (TV Series short)

- Le mec qu'on n'écoute jamais dans les films (2016)

2015 Premium Bond with Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet (TV Movie documentary)
Mr.Big

2007-2013 Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (TV Series documentary)
Parker / Doc

- Alien (1979) (2013) ... Parker

- Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (2011) ... Doc

- Alien (2007) ... Parker

2012 Top Gear (TV Series)
Mr. Big

- 50 Years of Bond Cars (2012) ... Mr. Big (uncredited)

2010 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (Video documentary)
Himself

2007 Maquillando entre monstruos (TV Movie documentary)
Parker

2003 The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (Video documentary)
Parker / Himself

2002 Best Ever Bond (TV Movie documentary)
Himself (uncredited)

2002 Baadasssss Cinema (TV Movie documentary)
Himself

2000 The Men Behind the Mayhem: The Special Effects of James Bond (Video documentary short)
Himself

2000 Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years (TV Movie documentary)
Parker

1999 The Alien Legacy (Video documentary)
Himself

1998 Anatomy of a 'Homicide: Life on the Street' (TV Movie documentary)
Lt. Al Giardello

1990 Hollywood Mavericks (Documentary)
Smokey

Personal Details

Other Works:

Appeared on ABC Radio series, Theater Five, in a half-hour play titled, "The Captive Spirit". See more »

Publicity Listings:

2 Interviews | 1 Article | 1 Pictorial | See more »

Official Sites:

Facebook

Alternate Names:

Yaphet Cotto

Height:

6' 4" (1.93 m)

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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[on Live and Let Die (1973)] There were so many problems with that script. I was too afraid of coming off like Mantan Moreland. I had to dig deep in my soul and brain and come up with a level of reality that would offset the sea of stereotype crap that Tom Mankiewicz wrote that had nothing to do with the Black experience or culture. The way Kananga dies was a joke, and well, the entire experience... See more »