Birthday Wishes: Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto, born 1939, is 74 today. Though now retired from film and television, Kotto had a long and industrious career spanning four decades, culminating in a seven year stint as Lieutenant Al Giardello on the acclaimed NBC series Homicide: Life On The Street, based on the book by David Simon (of The Wire).

Kotto’s career began when he was 19, after three years of training in the Actor’s Studio in New York, where he made his stage debut in a production of Othello. His film debut was an uncredited role in the 1963 film 4 for Texas, but he began to gain recognition with supporting performances in 1964’s Nothing but a Man, one of the strongest films ever made about blue-collar life in America, and the original Thomas Crown Affair with Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen. He gained mainstream notoriety in the 70’s by playing major and supporting roles in several blaxploitation films, including Friday Foster, Across 110th Street and Truck Turner. He also found success in major films by playing Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big in the James Bond film Live and Let Die, and Parker in Alien, a notable film for subverting the typical “black person dies first” trope of horror films of the period. He also had a role in the infamous TV miniseries Roots.

He slowed down in the 80’s, but clocked infamous appearances at the end of the decade in The Running Man and Midnight Run. He reprised his role in the latter film in 2008’s Witless Protection, his last credited role to date. Kotto’s named also served as the title to a track by rap artist Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, for his upcoming album Because the Internet.

Also born today:

Sydney Tamiia Poitier (40)

Francois Ozon (46)

Judy Gold (51)

Beverly D’Angelo (62)

Bob Gunton (68)