John Amos, father of 'Good Times' and an Emmy nominee for blockbuster 'Roots,' dies at 84

LOS ANGELES (AP) – John Amos, who played the family man on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned a Amy Nominations for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots” died. He was 84.

He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on August 21. Amos' publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death on Tuesday.

He played James Evans Sr. on “Good Times,” 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 on CBS from 1974-79.

Amos told Time magazine in 2021, “The show was the closest depiction of life as an African American family living in that situation.”

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”, “Media's Witness Protection” and “Uncut Gems” with Adam. Sandler. He is Ice Cube and Dr. Dre was in the 1994 video for “Natural Born Killage”.

The “Good Times” character of Amos, with wife Florida, played the role of Esther, originated in another Lear show, “Maude”. James Evans often worked two manual labor jobs to support his family which included three children, becoming a breakout star as Jimmy Walker's eldest son JJ.

The show's influence was such that Alicia Keys, Rick Ross, Wu-Tang Clan are among the musicians who name-checked Amos or his character in their songs.

“Many fans think of him as their TV dad,” his son Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement. “He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding work in television and film as an actor. My father loved to work as an actor all his life, he was my father, my best friend and my hero.”

Elder Amos and Rolle were interested in portraying a positive image of a black family fighting against the odds in a public housing project in Chicago. But they were disappointed to see Walker's character being fooled and his role expanded.

“The reality is that the criticisms of Esther, and of John and others — some of them very subtle and personal — seriously damaged my appeal in the black community,” Walker wrote in his 2012 memoir “Dine-O-Might! Good Times, Bad Times, Ours.” time.”

After three seasons of critical acclaim and high ratings, Amos was fired. He became critical of the show's white writing staff for creating storylines that he felt were unauthentic for the black characters.

“There were several instances where I said, 'No, you don't do these things. It is anathema to the black community. If you don't mind, I'll be an expert on that,'” he told Time magazine. “And it became confrontational and heated enough that ultimately killing me off the show was the best solution for everyone involved, myself included.”

Amos' character was killed in a car accident. Walker lamented the situation. “If the decision were up to me, I would have preferred John to stay and the show to have one more reunion,” he wrote in his memoir. “Nobody wanted me in front all the time, including me.”

Amos and Leah later reunited and they shared a hug in a “Good Times” live TV reunion special in 2019.

Amos quickly bounced back by landing the role of Kunta Kinte, an adult at the center of “Roots,” based on Alex Haley's novel during and after slavery in the U.S. The miniseries was a critical and ratings blockbuster, earning Amos one of its 37 Emmy nominations.

“I knew it was a life-changing role for me as an actor and from a human perspective,” he told Time magazine. “It was the culmination of all the misconceptions and stereotypical roles I've lived and been offered. It was like a reward for enduring this humiliation.”

John Allen Amos Jr. was born on December 27, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, 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 acting, she moved to New York and was a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, working with inmates at the Brooklyn House of Detention.

He had a brief professional soccer career, playing in various minor leagues. He signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967, but coach Hank Strahm encouraged Amos to pursue an interest in writing instead. Before coming in front of the camera, he had jobs as an advertisement and comedy writer.

Amos' first major TV role was as Gordie Howard, meteorologist on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-73. As the show's only black character, he played the straight man to bombastic anchor Ted Baxter.

He was a frequent guest star on “The West Wing” and his other TV appearances include “Hunter”, “The District”, “Men in Trees”, “All About the Andersons”, “Two and a Half Men” and “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 daughters Shannon, a former entertainment executive, and Kelly Christopher, a Grammy-nominated video music director and editor. They date from her first marriage to Noel Mickelson, whom she met in college. His second marriage to actor Lillian Lehman also ended in divorce.

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Associated Press writer Caitlin Huamani contributed to this report.