John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times" and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 84.
He died Aug. 21 of natural causes in Los Angeles. Amos’ publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death Tuesday.
He played James Evans Sr. on “Good Times,” which featured one of television’s first Black two-parent families. Produced by Norman Lear and co-created by actor Mike Evans, who co-starred on “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons,” it ran from 1974-79 on CBS.
“That show was the closest depiction in reality to life as an African American family living in those circumstances as it could be,” Amos told Time magazine in 2021.
Among Amos’ film credits were “Let’s Do It Again” with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy and its 2021 sequel, “Die Hard 2,” “Madea’s Witness Protection” and “Uncut Gems” with Adam Sandler. He was in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz.”
Amos' “Good Times” character, along with wife Florida, played by Esther Rolle, originated on another Lear show, “Maude.” James Evans often worked two manual labor jobs to support his family that included three children, with Jimmie Walker becoming a breakout star as oldest son J.J.
Such was the show's impact that Alicia Keys, Rick Ross, the Wu-Tang Clan are among the musicians who name-checked Amos or his character in their lyrics.
“Many fans consider him their TV father,” his son Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement. “He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor. My father loved working as an actor throughout his entire life He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero.”
The elder Amos and Rolle were eager to portray a positive image of a Black family, struggling against the odds in a public housing project in Chicago. But they grew frustrated at seeing Walker's character being made foolish and his role expanded.
“The fact is that Esther's criticism, and also that of John and others — some of it very pointed and personal — seriously damaged my appeal in the Black community,” Walker wrote in his 2012 memoir “Dyn-O-Mite! Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times."
After three seasons of critical acclaim and high ratings, Amos was fired. He had become critical of the show’s white writing staff creating storylines that he felt were inauthentic to the Black characters.
“There were several examples where I said, ‘No, you don’t do these things. It’s anathema to Black society. I’ll be the expert on that, if you don’t mind,‘” he told Time magazine. “And it got confrontational and heated enough that ultimately my being killed off the show was the best solution for everybody concerned, myself included.”
Amos' character was killed in a car accident. Walker lamented the situation. “If the decision had been up to me, I would have preferred that John stay and the show remain more of an ensemble,” he wrote in his memoir. “Nobody wanted me up front all the time, including me.”
Amos and Lear later reconciled and they shared a hug at a “Good Times” live TV reunion special in 2019.
Amos quickly bounced back, landing the role of an adult Kunta Kinte, the centerpiece of “Roots,” based on Alex Haley’s novel set during and after the era of slavery in the U.S. The miniseries was a critical and ratings blockbuster, and Amos earned one of its 37 Emmy nominations.
“I knew that it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic standpoint,” he told Time magazine. “It was the culmination of all of the misconceptions and stereotypical roles that I had lived and seen being offered to me. It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities.”
Born John Allen Amos Jr. on Dec. 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, he was the son of an auto mechanic. He graduated from Colorado State University with a sociology degree and played on the school’s football team.
Before pursuing acting, he moved to New York and was a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, working with defendants at the Brooklyn House of Detention.
He had a brief professional football career, playing in various minor leagues. He signed a free-agent contract in 1967 with the Kansas City Chiefs, but coach Hank Stram encouraged Amos to pursue his interest in writing instead. He had jobs as an advertising and comedy writer before moving in front of the camera.
Amos’ first major TV role was as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-73. As the show’s only Black character, he played straight man to bombastic anchor Ted Baxter.
He was a frequent guest star on “The West Wing,” and his other TV appearances included “Hunter,” “The District,” “Men in Trees,” “All About the Andersons,” “Two and a Half Men,” and “The Ranch.”
In 2020, Amos was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. He served in the New Jersey National Guard.
He is survived by daughter Shannon, a former entertainment executive, and and Kelly Christopher, a Grammy-nominated video music director and editor. They were from his first marriage to Noel Mickelson, whom he met in college. His second marriage to actor Lillian Lehman also ended in divorce.
Associated Press Writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
10 Comments
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bass4funk
So sad, Amos was a great man, and a great actor. Absolutely loved him on “Good times” just a fantastic show. Showcasing the struggles of a working class Black family, it just broke all stereotypes and gave America an understanding and different perspective of what the Black nuclear families with their lives and daily struggles had to go through and endure. Great actor, great man, Mr. Amos.
Rest in peace.
Chico3
He was a great one! I really enjoyed watching him on Good Times as James, the hard knox no nonsense father. As a kid, I was afraid to have him for a father. I also enjoyed him working at "McDowell's". RIP
Chico3
@ bass4funk - You're definitely right. Back in the 70s, times were a struggle for many ethnicities, including Blacks and Hispanics. I also watched "Chico and the Man". But in Good Times, I definitely learned from the perspectives of the characters on these shows. Like I said in my post, he was a great actor.
bass4funk
Absolutely! “Chico and the Man” so many memories, just great and classic shows, we will never get TV so pure and that good ever again, sad actually.
YeahRight
I always liked it when he was on. He was a great actor and I will miss him.
starpunk
He was terrific. He broke the mold for Black American actors, no stereotypes for this guy. He was just an average Joe in a Chicago family trying to make ends meet, just like in all ethnicities in America. After he was 'killed off' the show wasn't the same.
Yet through it all the shows like this one and the others Lear made were funny too, an element sore3ly lacking today. This man was a fine actor, a pioneering Black American actor and a serious one - not a 'TV jester'. That says something right there. May he RIP.
robert maes
I be am sorry to hear he died but as an actor I found him very limited and not very talented but with a good agent
Mocheake
Loved the guy. He said one of my all-time favorite lines in Die Hard with Bruce Willis after they started to see eye to eye.. Went something like this: John McClain (Willis): I was wrong about you being an a-hole.
Major (Amos): No, you were right. I'm just your kind of a-hole. Classic line! RIP. Also lost Dikembe Mutombo and Pete Rose this week. RIP to them too.
I am thinking of you.
He was a great actor. Roots was a great book. It should be read by all.
starpunk
Two great athletes. thing about Rose is that since the early 90s he's been blacklisted for sports betting and now all of a sudden, he gets respect again since he's dead. Fickle US media and public.
Fershure. 'Roots' inspired many people (incl. myself) to explore their own ethnic roots, and I mean Americans of all kinds, not just Black Americans. Much can be learned from that epic book. Also, it was adapted for a miniseries on ABC-TV a few years later. Check that one out too.