Yaphet Kotto is an American actor widely known for his work in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street. His other notable movies include 4 for Texas, 5 Card Stud, Extreme Justice, Witless Protection, and several more. He is currently married to Tessie Sinahon, who is his third wife and shares the net worth in millions.
Born as Yaphet Frederick Kotto, Yaphet Kotto was born on 15th November 1939 in the New York City, the United States. He was born with the birth sign Scorpio. Similarly, Kotto holds American nationality and belongs to Afro-American ethnicity.
Yaphet was raised in New York City by mother, Gladys Marie, and father, Avraham Kotto (Njoki Manga Bell). He attended local high school and later went to learn acting at the Actors Mobile Theatre Studio.
Talking about his relationship status, Yaphet is a married man and father of five. He is married to his now-wife Tessie Sinahon since 1998. The marriage ceremony took place on 12th July 1998 in the presence of family and friends.
Prior to his marriage with Tessie, he was married twice. He tied the knot with his first wife, Rita Dittman, who was a German immigrant in 1962. They shared three children together. However, after several personal issues, they separated and got divorced in 1975.
Similarly, a week later his divorce, Kotto tied the knot with his second wife Antoinette Pettyjohn on 29th January 1975. He shared two children with his second, however, got divorced in 1989.
Kotto currently resides in Baltimore, Mayland with his now-wife.
Yaphet learned about his royal family background during his college days. He claims that his great-grandfather, King Alexander Bell ruled the Douala region of Cameroon in the late 19 century.
Similarly, he wrote that his father was the crown prince of Cameroon in his autobiography titled Royalty, Kotto. In addition, according to Kotto, Princess Nakande, daughter of King Douala Manga Bell had an affair with Britain’s Edward VII while he was the prince of Wales.
However, his claim of being a descendant of Queen Victoria was denied by the Buckingham Palace press office.
As an actor, Kotto has a net worth of $5 million as of 2019. He gardens his fortune from his acting career. Besides, he also earns from his sponsorships, endorsements deals, and paid partnership.
The average salary of an actor ranges around $50,249 annually with a bonus of $1,015. He surely earns around average based on his experience.
Talking about his career, he made his Broadway debut from The Great White Hope. Since he has appeared in several movies and tv shows. His other notable film works include Nothing But a Man, The Thomas Crown Affair, Live and Let Die, Truck Turner.
Kotto’s tv series work includes Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Mannix, Daniel Boone, Murder, She Wrote, The Corpse Had a Familiar Face and many more.
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