Yaphet Kotto, best known for his performance in the James Bond film Live And Let Die, has died at the age of 81.

The actor played the villainous Dr Kananga in the 1973 film, sharing the screen with Sir Roger Moore.

His other acting credits included playing the chief engineer in Alien and portraying Ugandan President Idi Amin in the TV movie Raid On Entebbe, which earned him an Emmy nomination.

The news of Yaphet’s death was announced by his wife on Facebook, who revealed he had died on Monday night.

“You played a villain in some of your movies but for me you’re a real hero and to a lot of people also,” she said.

“A good man, a good father, a good husband and a decent human being, very rare to find.”

She added: “One of the best actors in Hollywood, a Legend. Rest in Peace Honey, I’m gonna miss you everyday, my best friend, my rock.”

Yaphet was born in New York, and began studying acting as a teenager.

He landed his first professional role in a production of Hamlet at the age of 19, going on to appear in a number of other Broadway plays.

In 1973, he landed his biggest role in Live And Let Die, after which Yaphet appeared in films like The Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the comedy Midnight Run, in which he co-starred with Robert De Niro.

He also acted in TV shows like The A-Team and Homicide: Life On The Street, in which he played Lieutenant Al Giardello for seven years, before going on to star in its spin-off film in 2000.

Yaphet’s final on-screen credit was in 2008, when he appeared in the crime comedy Witless Protection.