LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Amos, who played the patriarch of the family in the successful 1970s comedy “Good Times” and received an Emmy nomination for his role in the 1977 miniseries “Roots”, has passed away at the age of 84.
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Amos' publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death on Tuesday. There were no further details available at the moment.
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He portrayed James Evans Sr. in "Good Times," which featured one of the first African American families on American television. Produced by Norman Lear and co-created by actor Mike Evans, who also co-starred in "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," it aired from 1974 to 1979 on CBS.
"That program was the closest representation to the reality of the life of an African American family living in those circumstances," Amos told Time magazine in 2021.
His character, along with his wife Florida, played by Esther Rolle, originated in another Lear show, "Maude." James Evans often had two manual jobs to support his family, which included three children. Jimmie Walker became a rising star as the eldest son, J.J.
Such was the impact of the program that Alicia Keys, Rick Ross, Wu-Tang Clan are among the musicians who mentioned Amos or his character in their lyrics.
Amos and Rolle were eager to portray a positive image of a Black family, struggling against all odds in a public housing project in Chicago. But they felt frustrated to see Walker's character becoming ridiculous and his role expanding.
"The fact is that Esther's criticisms, as well as those of John and others, some of them very sharp 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 critically acclaimed seasons and high ratings, Amos was fired. He had become critical of the white writing team of the series, feeling that they were creating stories that were not authentic for the black characters.
"There were several instances where I said, 'No, you don't do these things. It's an anathema to black society. I'll be the expert on that, if you don't mind,'" he told Time magazine. "And it became contentious and heated enough that ultimately, my removal from the program was the best solution for everyone involved, including myself."
The character of Amos died in a car accident. Walker lamented the situation. "If the decision had depended on me, I would have preferred for John to stay and for the program to continue being more of an ensemble," he wrote in his memoirs. "No one wanted me in the spotlight all the time, including myself."
Amos and Lear later reconciled and shared a hug on a live television reunion special of "Good Times" in 2019.
Amos quickly recovered and landed the role of adult Kunta Kinte, the main character in "Roots", based on the novel by Alex Haley set during and after the era of slavery in the United States. The miniseries was a success with critics and audiences, and Amos received one of his 37 Emmy nominations.
"I knew it was a role that would change my life, as an actor and from a humanistic perspective," he told Time magazine. "It was the culmination of all the misconceptions and stereotypical roles that I had experienced and seen being offered to me. It was like a reward for having endured those humiliations."
His given name was John Allen Amos Jr., born on December 27, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, he 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 pursuing acting, he moved to New York and worked as a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, where he worked with defendants at the Brooklyn Detention Center.
He had a brief career in professional American football and played in several 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. He worked as a writer in advertising and comedy before transitioning in front of the camera.
Amos's first significant role on television was as weatherman Gordy Howard on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1970 to 1973. He was the only black character on the series and provided a contrast to the pompous news anchor Ted Baxter.
Among Amos' film credits are "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 appeared in the 1994 video of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre "Natural Born Killaz".
He was a frequent guest on "The West Wing" and his other television 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.