18 Great Actors Totally Wasted In James Bond Movies

17. Yaphet Kotto

Rami Malek No Time To Die
United Artists

Played: Kananga in Live and Let Die.

The late Yaphet Kotto is another much-loved character actor who felt wasted in his Bond appearance.

The issue with Pleasance was the lack of screen-time, but with this one, the issue is that the character just wasn't that interesting. Kananga's just a bit bland and while his villainous scheme is refreshingly realistic, the only point at which he's particularly compelling is during his absolutely hilarious death scene ("He always did have an inflated opinion of himself.").

Yaphet Kotto's performance is solid, but with a better character, Kotto would've really been able to display his full range. This wasn't the last time a strong actor would be wasted as the villain in a Roger Moore film either...

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.