Yaphet Kotto, 1939-2021

March 16, 2021 6:16 AM

Actor Yaphet Kotto has died at the age of 81. He was known for a variety of roles, including Alonzo Mosely in "Midnight Run", Parker in "Alien", Al Giordello in "Homicide: Life on the Street." Also, a few years ago he posted a heck of a story about a road trip he took with Robert Mitchum.
posted by rmd1023 (95 comments total)

He was good even when the movies weren't. ("Live and Let Die," I am looking at you.) And, Hollywood being Hollywood and Kotto being a very large Black man, he was often shunted into stereotypical roles - criminals, drug dealers, dictators (both fictional and real-life). One of the things I liked about him in "Homicide" is that the role allowed him a lot more range than many of his movie roles.

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posted by rmd1023 at 6:20 AM on March 16, 2021 [14 favorites]

So long, Dr. Kananga.
posted by chavenet at 6:21 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

It works for me in incognito mode, but I know one person who had a bit of trouble with that facebook link. If it helps, I found it linked from here.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:26 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Halloween Jack at 6:30 AM on March 16, 2021

Aw no! Goodbye, Gee. And thank you.
posted by cadge at 6:34 AM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by evilDoug at 6:36 AM on March 16, 2021

Black Jewish History Month: Yaphet Kotto

Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a nurse and army officer, and Avraham Kotto (originally named Njoki Manga Bell), a businessman from Cameroon. Kotto’s father, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s, was, according to Kotto, an observant Jew who spoke Hebrew, and Kotto’s mother reportedly converted to Judaism before marrying his father. Kotto has said that his paternal family originated from Israel and migrated to Egypt and then Cameroon, and have been African Jews for many generations.

Being Black and Jewish gave other children even more reason, he has said, to pick on him growing up in New York City. “It was rough coming up,” Kotto said. “And then going to shul, putting a yarmulke on, having to face people who were primarily Baptists in the Bronx meant that on Fridays, I was in some heavy fistfights”.

May his memory be a blessing.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 6:36 AM on March 16, 2021 [40 favorites]

G. is for gravitas: He was excellent in "Homicide: Life on the Street."
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:38 AM on March 16, 2021 [10 favorites]

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posted by mephron at 6:39 AM on March 16, 2021

In "Midnight Run," his frustration ("I'm Mosely!") was so fierce and so relatable -- it makes me laugh every time.

Thanks for all the joy, sir.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:39 AM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

I really want a glimpse of the alternate universe where he accepted the role of Captain Picard.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 6:53 AM on March 16, 2021 [23 favorites]

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posted by nubs at 6:54 AM on March 16, 2021

I was a huge Homicide fan when it was on the air, and Alien is one of my favorite movies. Kotto and Stanton are the secret weapons of that movie. Giordello and Parker couldn't be more different, but he embodied both of them so convincingly.

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posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:00 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by riruro at 7:09 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Gelatin at 7:10 AM on March 16, 2021

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Giordello... and lots of the rest of the cast of 'Homicide' were the vanguard of what we today think of as 'High-end' television. A great character, brought to life by a great artist.
posted by From Bklyn at 7:16 AM on March 16, 2021 [7 favorites]

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posted by Don.Kinsayder at 7:16 AM on March 16, 2021

He was solid in every role I ever saw him in. Even when being himself he was fantastic: I recall his appearance in Michael Moore’s now-obscure TV series TV Nation. In the premiere episode, they had Kotto trying to hail a NYC cab half a block from a fellow named Louis Bruno to see if taxi drivers preferred to pick up a nearby distinguished Black actor or would pass by him to collect a white convicted felon. No surprises here. After the first few efforts, they try to sweeten the deal: the footage of Motto waving taxis down with flowers and a big heart-shaped box of candy and still being ignored was glorious.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:22 AM on March 16, 2021 [13 favorites]

Have You Ever Seen The Blues?
posted by Catblack at 7:26 AM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by supermedusa at 7:31 AM on March 16, 2021

ricochet biscuit: I remember that segment! I just searched and it turns out, it's on youtube.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:31 AM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

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z"l
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:37 AM on March 16, 2021

always talkin about the bonus situation...
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posted by j_curiouser at 7:51 AM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

"We reach a certain age where we realize we know less about life than we did when we were 17..."
posted by nubs at 7:52 AM on March 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

This is the song of his I was looking for earlier...

Have You Dug His Scene?
posted by Catblack at 7:53 AM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by adekllny at 8:02 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by droplet at 8:02 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by pseudophile at 8:04 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Splunge at 8:08 AM on March 16, 2021

You get the full share, Parker.
posted by lon_star at 8:14 AM on March 16, 2021 [8 favorites]

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posted by tommasz at 8:16 AM on March 16, 2021

"I'm Mosely!" Such an underrated actor.
posted by praemunire at 8:19 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

He was one of that small society of Bond villains who were scary and intimidating in their own right and not just because of their weapons or whatever.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:22 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by FallibleHuman at 8:22 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by crocomancer at 8:26 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Meatbomb at 8:34 AM on March 16, 2021

It's hard to pick a funniest part of Midnight Run, but when he snaps on I'm Mosely is definitely up there.

Holy cow that Mitchum story.

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posted by Mchelly at 8:35 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

Another worthy performance of Kotto's is in the 1978 film "Blue Collar," in which he, Harvey Keitel, and Richard Pryor play auto workers who get mixed up in some union-related criminality.

He was good in just about everything, though. RIP.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 8:42 AM on March 16, 2021 [6 favorites]

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posted by Going To Maine at 8:49 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Sphinx at 8:52 AM on March 16, 2021

wonderful actor. Surprised that I evidently think of him as the age he was in Homicide. That was a long time ago! He was perfect in that role.
posted by thelonius at 8:52 AM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

I never saw him do anything I didn't really, really, like. Dude gave 110% to every role, I think.

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posted by Thorzdad at 8:53 AM on March 16, 2021

Man, time...one great actor. My sweet spot of cinema was the early 70's. The grittiness, the realism, the types of films that were made. His work covers so many films in this period. Incredible.

I just watched Across 110th Street this past weekend.

The theme song by Bobby Womack is just great too.

Rest In Power.
posted by zerobyproxy at 9:13 AM on March 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

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posted by explosion at 9:21 AM on March 16, 2021

He was great in "Report to the Commissioner" (lots of recognizable actors) but then, he was always great.

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posted by detachd at 9:33 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by LobsterMitten at 9:35 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by AugustWest at 9:45 AM on March 16, 2021

I am not on FB. I cannot get access to that article without logging in. Anyone know if it is posted anywhere else besides FB?
posted by AugustWest at 9:46 AM on March 16, 2021

Also he was in "Raid on Entebbe" because he was in every-damn-thing.

You know, it's dawning on me that Yaphet Kotto is the Black Kevin Bacon.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:01 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 10:07 AM on March 16, 2021

AugustWest - I was able to look at it from a computer in incognito mode without logging in to Facebook. If you're using a mobile phone, it may force you to the app.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:09 AM on March 16, 2021

I prefer to think that he is soaking up the Maui sun with last year's winners, Whitman, Price, and Haddad.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:20 AM on March 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

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posted by gauche at 10:21 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by coolxcool=rad at 10:25 AM on March 16, 2021

He can’t be 81! He was in so many films I watched in my youth!

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Oh. Right.

Thanks for all those afternoons, sir.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:27 AM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

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posted by lord_wolf at 10:30 AM on March 16, 2021

RIP, Gee.

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posted by CommonSense at 10:30 AM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Joey Michaels at 10:37 AM on March 16, 2021

The link is here for a non login version. Needed to be mobile even if you are using a browser. Great story. Jason Robarts. Who?
posted by AugustWest at 10:41 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

There were a lot of things I watched solely because he was in them, after I saw him in Alien. He was mesmerizing in whatever role he played.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:11 AM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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Tons of his scenes from Homicide I can still hear perfectly in my head almost thirty years later. What a talent.
posted by jameaterblues at 11:31 AM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

I just learned that Katto passed on the roles of Lando Calrissian and Jean-Luc Picard (the latter of which boggles my mind).

RIP

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posted by LooseFilter at 11:39 AM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

RIP Yaphet.
posted by Liquidwolf at 11:45 AM on March 16, 2021

wonderful actor. Surprised that I evidently think of him as the age he was in Homicide. That was a long time ago! He was perfect in that role.
posted by thelonius at 8:52 AM

Same here! I was shocked to see he was 81. I guess for me he's frozen in time because of Homicide. He was so, so good in that show.

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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:42 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by doctornemo at 1:05 PM on March 16, 2021

And in Aliens he looks so young!!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:06 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by Krazor at 1:14 PM on March 16, 2021

As others have noted, he was in a lot of things, but for me, it will always be Live and Let Die and his scenes with Dr. Quinn, especially the one where he was giving her the third degree on if she had slept with Bond and thus destroyed her powers. Mr. Big oozed menace and was a great Bond villain.
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posted by Fukiyama at 1:25 PM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by Atom Eyes at 1:38 PM on March 16, 2021

I have had "Have You Dug His Scene" in my head all day, because it is just that damn good.

I found it on the WFMU 365 Days Project back in 2003, so if you want the MP3, there you go.
posted by Katemonkey at 1:54 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

I've watched Alien more times than I can remember, and my fondness for Yaphet Kotto's Parker grows more and more every dang time. I even named my favorite chicken after him.

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posted by ikahime at 1:58 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by Token Meme at 2:02 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by valkane at 2:35 PM on March 16, 2021

If Homicide: Life on the Streets had aired on HBO and 10 years after it's initial run he would have been drowning in Emmys.
posted by PenDevil at 2:42 PM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 2:52 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by dannyboybell at 2:54 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by jadepearl at 3:14 PM on March 16, 2021

This, naturally, hits hard.

Farewell, Mr. Kotto. You will be very much missed.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:25 PM on March 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

If Homicide: Life on the Streets had aired on HBO and 10 years after it's initial run he would have been drowning in Emmys.

It came about 3 years later, and was called "The Wire". Yaphet did show up in one episode.
posted by nubs at 3:42 PM on March 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by baltimoretim at 3:51 PM on March 16, 2021

Oh no, I literally JUST finished rewatching the Homicide series last month. It was a moderate crisis in my house when I couldn't find the series-ending movie anywhere online, though I did eventually find the DVD tucked away in our box set. I loved Homicide growing up and during lockdown part one I started a complete rewatch.

I read once that he was a little disappointed with the role of Giardello because he didn't get a huge range of storylines like he wanted. But my rewatch really cemented for me what an anchor he was for that show; even when the show got a little silly in the later years, he maintained a gravitas and nuance in the role.

(spoilers I guess for the TV movie)
It made sense for the series-ending movie that the only thing that could reunite all the characters was to search for the guy who shot Gee, but it sucked that the storyline really sidelined Kotto in the finale. (Kotto also disagreed strongly with the storyline; he kept the show accountable for a lot of the silly 90s plot decisions.) He got a good moment in the very last scene, though, walking through the squad room. I cried when I watched it last month because Gee was really the moral center of the show; now I’m all sad because it’s also my goodbye to Kotto.
posted by lilac girl at 3:55 PM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

Always liked it when he showed up in any role and to me he was the anchor of "Homicide."

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posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:10 PM on March 16, 2021

I always thought it a bit strange that they made Gee this wonderful multicultural black-italian character(who lived in both worlds, spoke italian etc) when they could of drawn on Yaphet's black-jewish reality instead - I guess they writers wanted to set some mob stuff or something
posted by mbo at 4:15 PM on March 16, 2021

R.I.P
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posted by gt2 at 4:35 PM on March 16, 2021

I guess they writers wanted to set some mob stuff or something

The character in the book the series was based on was Italian. The producers decided to cast Kotto but to keep the ethnic background, suitably modified.
posted by praemunire at 5:12 PM on March 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

It also provided an opportunity to cast Giancarlo Esposito, who is black and Italian in real life, as his son.
posted by riruro at 5:30 PM on March 16, 2021 [8 favorites]

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posted by drezdn at 5:44 PM on March 16, 2021

The first thing I saw him in was Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare when I was much too young to see such a movie, but I always remembered him from that movie any time I saw him in something else over the years.

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posted by exolstice at 6:30 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by pt68 at 8:02 PM on March 16, 2021

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posted by filtergik at 5:00 AM on March 17, 2021

And in Aliens he looks so young!!

Well, that did come out 42 years ago.
posted by y2karl at 5:40 AM on March 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by genehack at 6:19 AM on March 17, 2021

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posted by shiny blue object at 3:57 PM on March 17, 2021

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Just wanted to 3rd the recommendation for Blue Collar, that movie's a frickin delight. Just obtained Raid on Entebbe, 5 Card Stud, Truck Turner, and The Liberation of L.B. Jones, so it's looking like a mini Yaphet film festival at casa del hap.
posted by hap_hazard at 4:37 PM on March 17, 2021

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posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 7:02 PM on March 17, 2021