Yaphet Cotto (films Alien and Running Man) is rightfully considered the "black" pride of Broadway in the 50s. The actor’s film career began in 1952. I especially remember the work of Cotto Yafet in the television movie "The Slaughter Department", where he played Lieutenant Giardello ...
Biography
In 1937, a boy was born into an African-American family - Japhet Frederick Cotto. It happened in New York. Yaphet's parents were Jewish. Father, Abraham, made money as a businessman. Mom - Gladys, worked as a nurse.
Abraham left his homeland and emigrated to America in the 1920s. He claimed that Grandfather Yafeta was the ruler of the Cameroonian city of Dual in the 19th century.
In 1940, the boy’s parents broke up, and his mother raised her son alone. Yaphet graduated from high school, and at 16 entered the theater studio to study acting. He was determined to become famous.
Theater and film actor
At age 19, Japhet Cotto began a theatrical career. The first professional work was the role of Othello in the famous play. The guy eagerly played both on Broadway and on the stages of small theaters. In his opinion, it was much better than embodying ordinary roles in the movie.
But the actor still had to participate in television projects in order to feed the family. Since 1952, he has received episodic roles in the TV series Days in the Valley of Death, Haze from the trunk, and Bonanza.
In 1964, the young man received an offer to star in the film "Nothing But a Man." This was his first significant work. Then followed the participation in the Oscar-winning "Thomas Crown Scam".
The year 1973 begins with the role of the "bad guy" in the next series of "Bond" - "Live and Let Die." Cotto played Mr. Big, who deserves to die in the finale of the picture.
Until the beginning of the 80s, Cotto Japhet starred in such films as The Tiger Eye, Brubaker, Star Chamber. The actor appeared in the first part of the horror Ridley Scott's “Alien”.
The next 10 years were saturated with work in film and television in famous projects. In Running Man, Yafin plays Schwarzenegger’s friend, William Laughlin. Participation in the blockbuster raises Cotto's fame to a new level. Therefore, the next role should also be in the well-known picture - "catch up before midnight." Yafin worked with Robert De Niro as an FBI agent.
This was followed by the action movie "The Last Point" and "Intention to Kill", where the actor got the opportunity to be on the first roles and play captain Jackson.
In the final installment of Freddy Krueger, Cotto appears as Doc. He is generally lucky for roles in horror films or in police films, as evidenced by the work in the television project "The Slaughter Department" and its continuation, "Law and Order." In both cases, Japhet plays the head of the murder department, Lieutenant Al Giardello. Participation in the television series lasted all 7 seasons.
The last work of Yafet in the cinema was the 2008 film "Stupid Defense."
Despite his busy acting career, Cotto Japhet is the producer, screenwriter and director of the movie Restriction. The picture was called a "black biker film."
A family
Cotto Japhet was married three times. The first wife is Rita Ingrid Dittman. The wedding took place in 1960. The family existed for 15 years and gave rise to 3 children, this is the daughter Natasha, sons Robert and Frederick.
Exactly one week after the divorce, the actor marries again. This time at Antoinette Pettijon Cotto. He lived with her for more than 20 years and has two daughters from his marriage - Salina and Sarada.
In 1998, the actor married Tessa Sinahon. The couple are happy together to this day. They spend a lot of time in the Philippines, have a house in Baltimore.
Interesting Facts
- In Hebrew, the name "Yaphet" is translated as "beautiful."
- The actor, together with his wife, is the managing club of artists who are already at a respectable age. The organization is located in the Philippines. Participants monitor their diet, relax and tidy their appearance.
- On the set of Alien, director Ridley Scott "clashed" with only one actor - Cotto Yafet. The black giant really did not want the death of his character and offered the director hundreds of options on how to avoid this.
- In 1997, the actor published an autobiography. Among many, it claims that Japhet Cotto is descended from Queen Victoria herself.
- Most often, the actor plays detectives or police officers. The son of Yaphet, Frederick, serves in the California police.
- In 1980, Yaphet was offered the role of Lando Caprissian in episode 5 of the Star Wars saga. But the superstitious actor refused because of fear that the hero would be killed, and his spirit would restlessly fly around the planets.
During his career in more than 70 films, Yaphet Cotto (the full filmography includes about 100 roles) has taken part from the main characters to episodic moments. The actor went through a glorious and difficult path for a black man in cinema.