YAPHET KOTTO
Yaphet Frederick Kotto (born November 15, 1937 in New York City) is an African-American Jewish actor. His father was from Cameroon.
Kotto got his start in acting on Broadway, where he appeared in The Great White Hope, among other things. His film debut was in 1963 in an uncredited role in 4 For Texas , but his first big break came in Nothing But a Man in 1964. Other leading roles were in Live and Let Die and Alien.
He played Baltimore police Lieutenant Al Giardello in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.
Ironically, his son, Fredrick Kotto , is a real-life police officer with the city of San Jose, California.