John Amos, patriarch of ‘Good Times’ and Emmy nominee for the blockbuster ‘Roots’, dies at 84

LOS ANGELES – John Amos, who played the family patriarch in the hit 1970s comedy “Good Times” and earned a Emmy nominated for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 84 years old.

He died on August 21 of natural causes in Los Angeles. Amos’s publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death on 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 in “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons,” it aired from 1974 to 1979 on CBS.

“That show was the closest representation really to the life of an African-American family living in those circumstances,” Amos told Time magazine in 2021.

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. He appeared in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video, “Natural Born Killaz.”

The character of Amos in “Good Times,” along with his wife Florida, played by Esther Rolle, originated in another Lear show, “Maude.” James Evans often worked two manual jobs to support his family, which included three children, and Jimmie Walker became a breakout star as the eldest son, JJ.

Such was the impact of the show that Alicia Keys, Rick Ross and the Wu-Tang Clan are among the musicians who mentioned Amos or his character in their lyrics.

“Many fans consider him their television 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 life. “He was my father, my best friend and my hero.”

The elder Amos and Rolle were eager to portray a positive image of a black family, fighting against all odds in a public housing project in Chicago. But they were frustrated to see Walker’s character become a fool and his role expanded.

“The fact is that Esther’s criticism, and also that of John and others, some of it very direct 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 praise and high ratings, Amos was fired. He had become critical of the show’s white writing staff who created stories that he felt were not authentic to black characters.

“There were several examples where I said, ‘No, you don’t do these things. It is anathema to black society. I’ll be the expert on that, if you don’t mind,’” he told Time magazine. “And it became so confrontational and heated that in the end my removal from the show was the best solution for everyone involved, including myself.”

The character of Amos died in a car accident. Walker regretted the situation. “If the decision had been up to me, I would have preferred for John to stay and for the show to remain more of an ensemble,” he wrote in his memoirs. “No one wanted me in front all the time, including me.”

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 centerpiece of “Roots,” based on the Alex Haley novel set during and after the era of slavery in the U.S. The miniseries was a hit. critics and audiences, and Amos got one. of her 37 Emmy nominations.

“I knew it was a role that would change my life, as an actor and just from a humanistic point of view,” he told Time magazine. “It was the culmination of all the misconceptions and stereotypical roles I had experienced and seen being offered. It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities.”

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

Before turning to acting, he moved to New York and was a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, working with defendants at the Brooklyn Detention House.

He had a brief professional soccer career, playing 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 an advertising and comedy writer before moving in front of the camera.

Amos’s first major television role was as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 to 1973. As the show’s only black character, he played the straight man to bombastic host Ted Baxter.

He was a frequent guest star 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.

He is survived by his daughter Shannon, a former entertainment executive, and Kelly Christopher, a Grammy-nominated music video director and editor. They were from her first marriage to Noel Mickelson, whom she met in college. His second marriage to actress Lillian Lehman also ended in divorce.

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Associated Press writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.