Remembering some of the best quotes by Yaphet Kotto

An African-American actor known for his work in the 1973 James Bond movie ‘Live and Let Die , ‘Alien’  and US TV police drama ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’, Yaphet Kotto passed away aged 81. An inspiring figure to his community and revered by people across the globe, he was a man of wisdom. Remembering the legend that he was, we bring to you some of his most famous quotes of all time.

1. “I’m afraid that I’m either going to have to write myself something or direct something if I’m going to get somewhere.”

2. “I like doing business in a black city.”

3. “All I’m being offered now are parts that are authority figures. I’ve done that. And that’s not what I want. I want something different.”

Yaphet Frederick Kotto was born in New York City on 15 November 1939. He began studying acting at 16 and played parts on stage before his screen career took off. Kotto’s first major role was as Jocko, one of a group of African-American railroad workers suffering oppression and discrimination in a racist small town near Birmingham, Alabama in the early 1960s. Later as he rose to fame and went on to portray bigger roles, whether he played a villain or a police detective, his impeccable craft made his works unforgettable.

Kotto was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for his role as President Idi Amin in the TV movie of the true story about the freeing of hostages at Entebbe airport in Uganda called “Raid on Entebbe” (1977). His last film was ‘Witless Protection’ that released in 2008.

The industry indeed lost a gem.