Death of Yaphet Kotto, dictator of James Bond and distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II

American actor Yaphet Kotto, revealed in the 1970s as the first

 black

"

" of a James Bond and later known for his role in

, has died at the age of 81, AFP has learned from his agent.

Read also: The death at 65 of Tanya Roberts, ex-James Bond girl, officially declared

The actor was "

 ", his wife Sinahon Thessa wrote on Facebook on Monday, assuring him: "

 ".

"

 " wrote agent Ryan Goldhar in an email to AFP confirming the actor's death without specifying the circumstances.

Yaphet Kotto was born in New York to a father who immigrated from Cameroon and a nursing mother in the US military.

He made his professional acting debut in Harlem in 1960 in

Shakespeare's

with an all-black cast.

The actor had been applauded for his portrayal of dictator Dr Kananga in the James Bond film

in 1973.

In 1977, he was selected for the Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in the Dramatic Telefilm category for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada in

.

This TV movie, released in 1977, told of an Israeli commando operation in 1976 to free the passengers of a Tel Aviv-Paris flight diverted to Uganda where the hostage takers had been hosted by the dictator.

He then played Chief Tech Dennis Parker in the

1979

film

Ridley Scott's

in 1979. He also starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987 in the dystopian thriller

.

At the height of his glory, he had refused the role of Jean-Luc Picard in

(1987), a decision he would later say he regretted.

He then played Lieutenant Al Giardello in the

television series

(1993-1999) before returning to the

franchise

in 2014 by lending his voice to the character Parker in the video game

.

Married three times and father of six children, Yaphet Kotto claimed to have genealogical links with Queen Elizabeth II and had titled his biography

in 1997.