‘Good Times’ and Emmy-nominated ‘Roots’ star John Amos dies at 84 – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – 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 years old.

Amos’ publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death on Tuesday. No other details were immediately available.

He played James Evans Sr. on “Good Times,” which featured one of television’s first black two-parent families. Producer Norman Lear and co-created by actor Mike Evans, who also appeared in “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons,” the film aired on CBS from 1974-79.

“This show was the closest to reality portrayal of an African American family living in these conditions,” Amos told Time magazine in 2021.

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FILE – John Amos poses for a portrait on May 11, 2016 in New York City. Amos, who starred as the family patriarch in the hit 1970s comedy “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 84 years old. (Photo: Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File)

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His character, along with his wife Florida, played by Esther Rolle, originated in another Lear show, “Maude.” James Evans often worked two menial jobs to support his family of three children; Jimmie Walker became a breakout star as JJ’s oldest son.

The series made such an impact that Alicia Keys, Rick Ross and Wu-Tang Clan were among the musicians who name-checked Amos or his character in their lyrics.

Amos and Rolle were eager to portray the positive image of a Black family struggling against adversity in a public housing project in Chicago. However, they were disappointed to see Walker’s character dumbed down and his role expanded.

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 criticized the show’s white writing staff for creating stories he felt were inauthentic for Black characters.

“There were a few instances where I was like, ‘No, you’re not doing those things.’ For the black community, this is a curse. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be the expert on this,” he told Time magazine. “And it got so confrontational and heated that ultimately my removal from the program was the best solution for everyone involved, including me.”

Amos’ character died in a car accident. Walker lamented the situation. “If it were up to me, I would prefer John to stay and the show to remain more of an ensemble,” he wrote in his memoirs. “No one, including me, wanted me first all the time.”

Amos and Lear later reconciled and hugged each other during the “Good Times” live TV reunion special in 2019.

Amos quickly returned to play the adult Kunta Kinte, the centerpiece of “Roots,” an adaptation of Alex Haley’s novel set during and after slavery in the United States. The miniseries was a critical and ratings hit, and Amos won the award out of 37 Emmy nominations.

“As an actor and from a humanist perspective, I knew this was a life-changing role for me,” she told Time magazine. “This was the culmination of all the misunderstandings and stereotypical roles I had experienced and seen being offered to me. “This was like a reward for being subjected to these insults.”

John Allen Amos Jr. was born on December 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, and was the son of an auto mechanic. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology and played on the school’s football team.

Before starting acting, she moved to New York and worked as a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice and worked 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 with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967, but manager Hank Stram encouraged Amos to pursue his interest in writing instead. Before getting in front of the camera, he worked as a commercial and comedy writer.

Amos’s first major TV role was as weatherman Gordy Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-73. As the show’s only Black character, he played a straight man to flamboyant host Ted Baxter.

Amos’ film credits include “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. Ice Cube and Dr. He appeared in Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz”.

He made frequent guest appearances on “The West Wing” and other TV shows include “Hunter,” “The District,” “Men in Trees,” “All About the Andersons,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Two and a Half Men”. “Farm.”

Amos was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2020. He served in the New Jersey National Guard.

Associated Press Writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.

First Publication Date: October 1, 2024, 11:42