Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto

1939-11-16 New York City, New York, U.S.A 74 Credits

Biography

Yaphet Frederick Kotto (November 16, 1939 – March 15, 2021) was an American actor known for numerous film roles, as well as starring in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-99) as Lieutenant Al Giardello. His films include the science-fiction and horror film Alien (1979), and the Arnold Schwarzenegger science-fiction and action film The Running Man (1987). He portrayed the main villain Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die (1973). He appeared opposi...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

2018

as Self

6.6
Acting

A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," ...

Witless Protection

Witless Protection

2008

as Ricardo Bodi

4.5
Acting

When a small-town sheriff witnesses what he believes to be an attempted kidnapping, his effort to save the beautiful damsel in distress sets him down ...

The Beast Within: Making Alien

The Beast Within: Making Alien

2003

as (archive footage)

8.2
Acting

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Alien,” the terrifying classic about a spaceship crew trapped with a hideous monster that's hunting them on...

Best Ever Bond

2002

as Mr. Big / Dr. Kananga (archive footage) (uncredited)

5.0
Acting

Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.

BaadAsssss Cinema

BaadAsssss Cinema

2002

as Self

6.1
Acting

With archive film clips and interviews, this brief look at a frequently overlooked historical period of filmmaking acts as an introduction rather than...

Stiletto Dance

Stiletto Dance

2001

as Captain Rick Sands

5.1
Acting

Two undercover police officers must try to prevent a multi-million dollar nuclear arms deal among several mob factions.

The Ride

The Ride

2000

as Carter

2.0
Acting

Originally intended as a pilot for a drama series on Canadian channel Showcase, this TV movie follows the daily lives of drivers for an urban cab comp...

Homicide: The Movie

Homicide: The Movie

2000

as Al Giardello

6.8
Acting

Retired police lieutenant Al Giardello is running for mayor when he is suddenly shot at a press conference. All of the detectives, past and present, c...

Inside 'Live and Let Die'

Inside 'Live and Let Die'

1999

7.5
Acting

A behind the scenes look at the James Bond film "Live and Let Die"

The Defenders: Payback

1997

as Judge Williams

2.7
Acting

Television movie remake of the 1960s courtroom drama series, "The Defenders." After the death of his eldest son and his partner in the law firm of Pre...

Two If by Sea

Two If by Sea

1996

as FBI Agent O'Malley

5.0
Acting

Frank O'Brien, a petty thief, and his 7-year-long girlfriend Roz want to put an end to their unsteady lifestyle and just do that last job, which invol...

The World of James Bond

The World of James Bond

1995

6.0
Acting

Elizabeth Hurley hosts a one hour documentary on the history of the James Bond film series to tie in with the seventeenth Bond film, GoldenEye.

Out-of-Sync

Out-of-Sync

1995

as Quincy

4.3
Acting

A DJ and ex-con is forced to work with the police in an undercover drug sting targeting his boss.

Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan

Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan

1995

as Marty Talbot

5.0
Acting

Inspired by the the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning, Miami-based journalist, Edna Buchanan, who investigates the murder of a man with ties to the Miami...

Dead Badge

Dead Badge

1995

as Captain Hunt

6.8
Acting

After a cop dies, his shield goes back on duty. They call it a "dead badge" - a way to honor a fallen officer. Badge #2424 used to belong to Many Tor...

The Puppet Masters

The Puppet Masters

1994

as Ressler

5.8
Acting

The Earth is invaded by alien parasites—AKA 'slugs'—that ride on people's backs and control their minds.

The Corpse Had a Familiar Face

The Corpse Had a Familiar Face

1994

as Detective Martin Talbot

3.5
Acting

The Corpse had a Familiar Face is a 1994 American TV-Movie with Elizabeth Montgomery, playing Edna Buchanan, a Miami's criminal journalist.

Almost Blue

Almost Blue

1993

as Terry

6.9
Acting

The young jazz saxophonist Morris Poole is at the height of his career. When his wife dies he is almost overcome by grief and blames himself. When aft...

Extreme Justice

Extreme Justice

1993

as Larson

4.9
Acting

Jeff Powers is the newest member of a very elite and very secret LAPD division. Their mission is to target important criminals and to get them to stop...

It's Nothing Personal

It's Nothing Personal

1993

as Lt. Tom Riley

Acting

An embittered ex-cop, on a quest for justice, teams up with a hard-boiled bounty hunter to go after the suspected killer of her brother in a robbery.

The American Clock

The American Clock

1993

6.5
Acting

Moe, Rose and Lee Baumler are members of an upper class family who find the world completely changed when they lose everything in the stock market cra...

Intent to Kill

Intent to Kill

1992

as Captain Jackson

4.3
Acting

A young policewoman relentlessly tries to bring down a ruthless drug kingpin whom plots his own agenda for his drug distribution empire.

Chrome Soldiers

Chrome Soldiers

1992

as Perry Beach

3.8
Acting

Five ex-soldiers go to a small town in Oregon to help a friend investigate the murder of his brother.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

1991

as Doc

5.3
Acting

Just when you thought it was safe to sleep, Freddy Krueger returns in this sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, as psychologist Mag...

Hangfire

Hangfire

1991

as Police Lieutenant

4.2
Acting

When a large group of escaped convicts take Ike Slayton, a Vietnam veteran's wife hostage, Slayton enlists the help of his old army friend in a furiou...

After the Shock

After the Shock

1990

as William McElroy

5.8
Acting

On October 17 1989, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale rocked San Francisco. Presented here are some of the stories of the brave members...

Tripwire

Tripwire

1989

as Lee Pitt

4.0
Acting

A band of ruthless international terrorists led by Josef Szabo hijack a speeding railroad train loaded with a full arsenal of powerful military weapon...

Ministry of Vengeance

Ministry of Vengeance

1989

as Mr. Whiteside

3.0
Acting

David Miller is a Vietnam vet who renounced violence and became a minister after he was forced to blow up a Viet Cong kid in self defense, but years l...

Prime Target

Prime Target

1989

as Gilmore Brown

4.7
Acting

A homicide detective assigned to investigate the serial killings of New York policewomen begins to suspect that the serial killer might be a fellow po...

The Jigsaw Murders

The Jigsaw Murders

1989

as Doctor Tyrone Fillmore

4.5
Acting

A jigsaw puzzle is the key in a detective's investigation of a gruesome murder.

A Whisper to a Scream

A Whisper to a Scream

1989

as Jules Tallard

3.2
Acting

A young girl who was frustrated in her desire to become an actress starts to work for a telephone-sex company. There she meets a fascinating man who h...

Terminal Entry

Terminal Entry

1988

as Col. Styles

4.0
Acting

The USA is attacked by a large group of well organized terrorists who communicate through a computer network via satellite. A bunch of highschool kids...

Midnight Run

Midnight Run

1988

as Alonzo Mosely, Special Agent, F.B.I.

7.2
Acting

A bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who embezzled $15 million of mob money. He is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I....

Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel

Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel

1987

as General Sorenson

7.1
Acting

Perry is suing a gutter trash newspaper that is running a story about a love affair between him and Della. The editor also has "dirt" files on an Army...

The Running Man

The Running Man

1987

as William Laughlin

6.5
Acting

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pac...

In Self Defense

In Self Defense

1987

as Lt. Tyrell

5.3
Acting

A witness is terrorized by the killer against whom she testified.

Desperado

Desperado

1987

as Bede

3.8
Acting

Cowboy Duell McCall wants to quickly deliver a herd of cattle to town, get paid and move on but romance with local girl Nora gets him involved in a fe...

Pretty Kill

Pretty Kill

1987

as Harris

1.7
Acting

A detective tries to track down a serial killer who is murdering prostitutes while at the same time having to deal with his girlfriend's mental proble...

The Park Is Mine

The Park Is Mine

1986

as Eubanks

5.5
Acting

A Vietnam vet takes forceful control of Central Park to remember those who served and died in the Vietnam War.

Eye of the Tiger

Eye of the Tiger

1986

as J.B. Deveraux

6.0
Acting

Buck is a Vietnam vet, recently released from prison. He returns home to discover the town being terrorized by a vicious motorcycle gang. When the bi...

Harem

Harem

1986

as Agha Kislar

4.8
Acting

A young British woman is kidnapped by an Arabian sheikh and held captive in his harem. At first she frantically tries to escape, but as they slowly ge...

Warning Sign

Warning Sign

1985

as Major Connolly

6.0
Acting

An accident occurs in an ultra-secret government biological weapons laboratory spreading a sinister bacteria.

Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire

1985

as Fire Chief Walker

6.0
Acting

Gary Coleman stars as a teenage arsonist. The authorities, friends, and neighbors warn his absentee parents until it is too late.

Badge of the Assassin

Badge of the Assassin

1985

as Detective Cliff Fenton NYPD

5.0
Acting

Three black revolutionaries gun down two New York City police officers. The subsequent investigation puts a white assistant DA and a black police dete...

Women of San Quentin

Women of San Quentin

1983

as Sgt. Therman Patterson

1.0
Acting

A young female prison guard finds out that her first assignment is to San Quentin, one of the toughest prisons in the country.

For Love and Honor

For Love and Honor

1983

as Sgt. China Bell

10.0
Acting

A military drama set on a Texas base focuses on the ups and downs of young paratroopers, who, while they're gearing up for possible combat assignments...

The Star Chamber

The Star Chamber

1983

as Detective Harry Lowes

6.0
Acting

As violence escalates in Los Angeles and heinous murders are committed, Steven Hardin, a young judge of the California Supreme Court, must struggle wi...

Fighting Back

Fighting Back

1982

as Ivanhoe Washington

5.7
Acting

An Italian deli owner forms a vigilante group to rid his Philadelphia neighborhood of street punks.

A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion

A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion

1982

as Denmark Vessey

6.0
Acting

Story of Denmark Vesey, who was raised as a slave but bought his freedom. He organized a plot to seize the city and free the black slaves, but this fa...

Rage!

Rage!

1980

as Ernie

7.0
Acting

In an attempt to be rehabilitated, a rapist goes to therapy while in prison.

Brubaker

Brubaker

1980

as Richard 'Dickie' Coombes

7.1
Acting

The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.

Othello

Othello

1980

as Othello

8.0
Acting

The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio...

Alien

Alien

1979

as Parker

8.2
Acting

During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew...

Blue Collar

Blue Collar

1978

as Sam 'Smokey' James

7.4
Acting

Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, three auto assembly ...

Raid on Entebbe

Raid on Entebbe

1976

as President Idi Amin - Jr.

6.0
Acting

Based on a true operation by Israeli commandos. An Air France flight is hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The airplane la...

The Monkey Hustle

The Monkey Hustle

1976

as Daddy Foxx

6.2
Acting

A new highway threatens a Chicago neighborhood, so to protest the residents throw a block party.

Drum

Drum

1976

as Blase

5.1
Acting

A mid-19th century mulatto slave is torn between his success as a pit-fighter and the injustices of white society.

Crunch

Crunch

1976

as Richard "Crunch" Blackstone

Acting

Detective goes after drug-dealers in Manhattan.

Friday Foster

Friday Foster

1975

as Colt Hawkins

6.0
Acting

Friday Foster, a magazine photographer, goes to Los Angeles International airport to photograph the arrival of Blake Tarr, the richest black man in Am...

Sharks' Treasure

Sharks' Treasure

1975

as Ben Flynn

4.6
Acting

Eccentric charter skipper Jim Carnahan and his team of hard-luck dreamers battle sharks, bandits and their own greed to recover sunken treasure

Report to the Commissioner

Report to the Commissioner

1975

as Richard 'Crunch' Blackstone

6.6
Acting

Police officer Patty Butler, alias "Chicklet," is the live-in girlfriend of Thomas 'Stick' Henderson to gather evidence. Detective Bo Lockley is instr...

Truck Turner

Truck Turner

1974

as Blue

6.5
Acting

Truck Turner and his partner Jerry, who make their living as bounty hunters in Los Angeles, are hired to hunt down Gator, a pimp who has skipped bail.

Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die

1973

as Kananga/Mr. Big

6.5
Acting

James Bond must investigate a mysterious murder case of a British agent in New Orleans. Soon he finds himself up against a gangster boss named Mr. Big...

Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary

Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary

1973

as Self

6.0
Acting

Original 1973 short promotional documentary on the making of the 8th James Bond movie Live and Let Die (1973).

Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street

1972

as Lt. William Pope

6.7
Acting

In a daring robbery, some $300,000 is taken from the Italian mob. Several mafiosi are killed, as are two policemen. Lt. Pope and Capt. Mattelli are tw...

The Limit

The Limit

1972

as Mark Johnson

Acting

In Los Angeles, black motorcycle police officer Mark Johnson patrols gang-infested neighborhoods with his white partner and best friend, Jeff McMillan...

The Limit

The Limit

1972

Director, Story, Producer

Directing Writing Producing

In Los Angeles, black motorcycle police officer Mark Johnson patrols gang-infested neighborhoods with his white partner and best friend, Jeff McMillan...

Bone

Bone

1972

as Bone

6.1
Acting

A thief breaks into the home of a wealthy, happily married Beverly Hills couple. He soon finds out, though, that the couple is neither as wealthy as h...

Man and Boy

Man and Boy

1971

as Nate Hodges

6.0
Acting

At the beginning of the 19th century a man and his son settle in Arizona which used to be a frontier state and full of criminals at that time.

Night Chase

Night Chase

1970

as Ernie Green

5.5
Acting

A man fleeing the scene after shooting his wife's lover forms an unexpected relationship with the tough cab driver he hires to drive him to the Mexica...

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

1970

as Sonny Boy Mosby

5.8
Acting

A successful African American businessman has a quarrel with a white policeman, suspecting that he is having an affair with his wife. The policeman's ...

5 Card Stud

5 Card Stud

1968

as Little George

6.2
Acting

The players in an ongoing poker game are being mysteriously killed off, one by one.

The Thomas Crown Affair

The Thomas Crown Affair

1968

as Carl

6.8
Acting

Young businessman Thomas Crown is bored and decides to plan a robbery and assigns a professional agent with the right information to the job. However,...

Nothing But a Man

Nothing But a Man

1964

as Jocko

7.4
Acting

A proud black man and his school-teacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s America.