Born in New York in 1939, Yaphet Frederick Kotto is most well known for his role as Parker in Alien (1979) and Homicide: Life on the Street (1993). His background is quite fascinating; his father was a Cameroonian Jew and his mother was a converted Jew from Panama. Kotto has stated that it made it even harder for him to grow up under such circumstances, but it never stopped him from being a devout Jewish man.

Kotto, in conjunction with Stanton, bring a blue collar working joe feel to the Nostromo in Alien, men who want to do their job and get paid. Kotto heads the engineering wing of the crew and frequently orders Stanton around.

Here’s to Mr. Kotto! “I think we oughtta discuss the bonus situation…”