Celebrity Nooz: Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto (Actor) - Alien

Updated: 10/18/11

Name: Yaphet Kotto

Birth Name: Yaphet Frederick Kotto

Born: November 15, 1937, New York City, New York

Claim To Fame: He is well-known for his role in the science-fiction/horror film Alien.

Family Life: He married Tessie Sinahon in July 1998. He has three children with his first wife Rita Ingrid Dittman, and two children with his second wife Antoinette Pettyjohn.

Info: Kotto began studying acting at the age of 16 at the Actor's Mobile Theater Studio. His professional acting debut came at age 19 in Othello, and he began acting in Broadway productions. He was also a member of the Actors Studio in New York.

He began acting in films in 1963 with an uncredited role in 4 for Texas. A long list of credits followed, including roles in 1968's The Thomas Crown Affair and as the James Bond villain Mr. Big in 1973's Live and Let Die.

He appeared in the 1977 television film Raid on Entebbe in the role of Idi Amin. In 1979, he played the role of Parker in the sci-fi?horror film Alien. In 1987, he appeared in the futuristic sci-fi movie The Running Man and in the 1988 action-comedy Midnight Run, in which he portrayed Alonzo Mosely, an FBI agent.

Kotto played Lieutenant Al Giardello in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1999. He is also the author of two books: Royalty, and The Second Coming of Christ, and also wrote scripts for Homicide: Life on the Street.

Trivia: Wrote in his autobiography that his father was "the crown prince of Cameroon".

Also stated that his great-grandfather King Alexander Bell ruled the Douala region of Cameroon in the late 19th century and was also a practicing Jew.

Has said that his paternal family originated from Israel and migrated to Egypt and then Cameroon, and have been African Jews for many generations.

Has a Bay Area hardcore punk band named after him.

Campaigned for Steve Forbes during his bid for the Republican nomination for the Presidency in the 2000 primaries.

Where Are They Now: He and his wife Tessie operate an artists retreat resort in Southern Leyte, Philippines called "The Running Man Institute." The focus of the resort is to work with people in the entertainment industry to help them relax, build their creativity, and learn about holistic health.

His most recent acting role was in the 2008 comedy Witless Protection, starring Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy.

Write To Yaphet Kotto:
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Official Website: http://yaphetkotto.org/

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