The descendent of African kings and British royalty, charismatic African-American actor Yaphet Kotto began studying the performing arts at age 16 at the Actor's Mobile Theater Studio in NYC. Three years later, he made his professional debut in the title role of "Othello". He also inherited two stage roles created by James Earl Jones: boxer Jack Johnson in the Broadway production of "The Great White Hope" and Troy Maxson in the Washington (DC) and London stage productions of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Fences" (1990). Kotto's imposing physical presence lent itself well to the
