YAPHET KOTTO BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Yaphet Kotto was born on November 15th, 1939 in New York City, New York with the birth name Yaphet Frederick Kotto, born to Gladys Marie and Avraham Kotto.  At the age of three his parents marriage ended in divorce and he had a difficult childhood receiving a lot of criticism from other children for his heritage of being not only African American but also of Jewish heritage.

He developed an interest in acting from a young age as a way of helping him express himself.  At the age of sixteen, he began studying at the Actor's Mobile Theater Studio and by nineteen years old he performed in his first stage production of, "Othello". 

Later Kotto also became a member of the Actors Studio in New York and began receiving roles on Broadway appearing in such productions as, "The Great White Hope". 

He is most well know for his roles in the films, "Live and Let Die" (1973) starring Roger Moore as James Bond with Jane Seymour, David Hedison and Bernard Lee, Lien" (1979), "Brubaker" (1980) starring Robert Redford, Tim McIntire, Nathan George, David Keith, Everett McGill, Murray Hamilton, Matt Clark, M. Emmet Walsh, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman and Nicolas Cage and "The Running Man" (1987).  Kotto is also known for his role on the television series, "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993-2000).

His film career began in 1963 when he was cast in, "4 For Texas" starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, Ursula Andress, Charles Bronson, Victor Buono, Richard Jaeckel, Ellen Corby, Jack Elam and Mike Mazurki with a cameo appearance by The Three Stooges (Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Curly Joe DeRita), which soon followed with roles on, "Nothing But a Man" (1964), "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968) starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke and Jack Weston, "Man and Boy" (1971), "The Limit" (1972), "Friday Foster" (1975), "Blue Collar" (1978), "Fighting Back" (1982) and "The Star Chamber" (1983).

Along with working as a film actor, Kotto has also appeared on a variety of television series such as, "The Big Valley", "Cowboy in Africa", "Death Valley Days", "Mannix", 'Gunsmoke", "Roots", "Bonanza", "The A-Team", "For Love and Honor", "Hill Street Blues" and "Law & Order".

In addition to his career as an actor he is also a published author with two novels, "Royalty" and "The Second Coming of Christ".  Most recent roles include the television movies, "Homicide: The Movie" (2000), "The Ride" (2000), "Stiletto Dance" (2001) and his last role was in 2008 in the film, "Witless Protection" starring Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better known as Larry the Cable Guy, Jenny McCarthy, Joe Mantegna and Eric Roberts.   

Yaphet Kotto has married a total of three times, first to Rita Ingrid Dittman in 1962 and they had three children before their marriage came to an end in 1975.  He then married Antoinette Pettyjohn in 1975 and they also had two children before the marriage came to an end.  He is currently married to Tessie Sinahon since 1998.  Together he and his wife run a retreat for artists in Southern Leyte, Philippines called, "The Running Man Institute". 

Filmography

2008         Witless Protection
2001         Stiletto Dance 
2000         The Ride
2000         Homicide: The Movie 
1999         Dead Badge
1993-1999     Homicide: Life on the Street 
1997         Law & Order
1997         The Defenders: Payback 
1996         Two If by Sea
1996         The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
1996         Almost Blue
1995         Out-of-Sync
1995         Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan
1994         The Puppet Masters
1994         The Corpse Had a Familiar Face 
1993         SeaQuest 2032
1993         The American Clock

1993         Extreme Justice
1993         It's Nothing Personal 
1992         Intent to Kill 
1992         Civil Wars
1992         Chrome Soldiers
1991         The Trials of Rosie O'Neill 
1991         Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
1991         Hangfire
1990         After the Shock 
1990         Father Dowling Mysteries 
1989         Tripwir
1989         The Jigsaw Murders
1989         Ministry of Vengeance
1989         Prime Target
1989         A Whisper to a Scream
1988         Terminal Entry
1988         Midnight Run
1987         Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel
1987         Murder, She Wrote
1987         The Running Man
1987         In Self Defense
1987         Desperado
1987         Tomorrow's a Killer
1986         Eye of the Tiger
1986         Harem
1986         The Park Is Mine
1985         Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985         Badge of the Assassin
1985         Hill Street Blues
1985         Warning Sign
1985         Playing with Fire
1983-1984     For Love and Honor
1983         Women of San Quentin
1983         For Love and Honor
1983         The Star Chamber
1983         The A-Team
1983         Fantasy Island
1982         Fighting Bac
1982         A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion
1980         Rage! 
1980         Brubaker
1980         Othello
1979         Alien
1978         Blue Collar
1977         Roots
1976         Raid on Entebbe 
1976         The Monkey Hu$tle
1976         Drum
1976         Crunch 
1975         Friday Foster
1975         Sharks' Treasure
1975         Report to the Commissioner
1974         Truck Turner
1973         Live and Let Die
1972         Across 110th Street
1972         The Limit
1972         Bone
1971         Rod Serling's Night Gallery
1971         Man and Boy
1970         Night Chase 
1970         Gunsmoke 
1970         The Name of the Game 
1970         The Liberation of L.B. Jones
1968-1969     Daniel Boone
1969         Mannix 
1969         Hawaii Five-O 
1968         The High Chaparral 
1968         Bonanza 
1968         5 Card Stud
1968         The Thomas Crown Affair
1966-1967     The Big Valley 
1967         Tarzan 
1967         Cowboy in Africa 
1967         Death Valley Days 
1964         Nothing But a Man
1963         4 for Texas