Yaphet Kotto: Alien and James Bond villain actor dies at 81

[CupofJoe]

Yaphet Kotto: James Bond villain and Alien actor dies at 81

The actor played Dr Kananga in Live and Let Die, and was also a crew member in Alien.

www.bbc.co.uk

Whatever he was in and when ever I saw him, he had great screen presence and you could rarely look away.
And he turned down ST:TNG!

 

[Vince W]

Sad news. I just watched Alien again on the weekend. RIP.

 

[Rodders]

Alas, we're approaching that age where all our heroes are dying out.

He was a decent actor, too and was worthy of a bit more fame IMO.

RIP.

 

[Toby Frost]

Oh no! He was great in Alien.

 

[hitmouse]

Really good in Midnight Run, too. One of the great under-appreciated comedy thrillers.

 

[Toby Frost]

Here's an interesting podcast about Yaphet Kotto's Parker in Alien. It goes into a lot of detail about how Parker works as a character, and his role in the film. It seems that, had things worked out a bit differently, Yaphet Kotto could have been Lando Calrissian and Jean-Luc Picard!

https://www.perfectorganism.com/home/2021/5/18/164-not-drawing-any-straws-parker-and-the-legacy-of-yaphet-kotto