Yaphet Kotto, the distinctive and distinguished actor, has passed away at age 81. Kotto was born in Harlem and began to study acting at age 16. He made his big screen debut in 1964 in the acclaimed race-themed drama "Nothing But a Man" opposite Ivan Dixon, a fellow African-American whose star would rise on the basis of the film. Kotto also appeared in "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968) and was a regular presence in guest star roles on top TV series such as "Gunsmoke", "Daniel Boone", "Night Gallery", "The Big Valley", "Hawaii Five-0", "Mannix" and "The High Chapparal". He was nominated for an Emmy award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 1976 TV production of "Raid on Entebbe". Kotto simultaneously kept landing good parts in major movies such as "5 Card Stud", "The Liberation of L.B. Jones" and "Across 110th Street". In 1973, he appeared in what is perhaps his most memorable role, opposite Roger Moore in the James Bond film "Live and Let Die". In it, he played the villain Dr. Kananga, who uses his Caribbean base of operations and the symbolism of voodoo to terrify the local population and gain control of an international drug smuggling operation. In 1979, Kotto played another prominent role in the classic science fiction film "Alien", appearing as a member of a doomed space flight crew that is being systematically killed by a monstrous being from another planet. Kotto's other films include "Report to the Commissioner", "Friday Foster", "Drum", "Midnight Run", "Brubaker", "The Star Chamber" and "The Running Man". In the 1990s, he was one of the stars of the long-running hit TV series "Homocide: Life on the Streets". For more about his life and career, click here.