High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto. He is based on Baltimore Police Department Shift Lieutenant Gary D`Addario, a member of the BPD homicide unit described in David Simon`s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets which served as the inspiration for the series as a whole.