He also starred in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) as Lieutenant Al Giardello.

[4] His mother, Gladys Marie, was an American nurse and U.S. Army officer of Panamanian and West Indian descent.

His father, Avraham Kotto (who was, according to his son, originally named Njoki Manga Bell), was a businessman from Cameroon who emigrated to the United States in the 1920s.

[10] He performed in Michael Roemer's Nothing but a Man (1964) and played a supporting role in the caper film The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

[11] He played John Auston, a confused Marine Lance Corporal, in the 1968 episode "King of the Hill", on the first season of Hawaii Five-O.

A memo from Paramount indicates that Kotto was among those being considered for Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a role which eventually went to Patrick Stewart.

Kotto portrayed Lieutenant Al Giardello in the long-running television series Homicide: Life on the Street.

[16] Kotto was versed in the Hebrew liturgy and incorporated Jewish prayers at turning points throughout his life.

He also expressed support for Black Lives Matter and shared content adjacent to the beliefs of QAnon.