Posted on 10/01/2024 11:48:45 AM PDT by Borges
John Amos, the star of “Good Times,” “Roots” and more, died on Aug. 21 in Los Angeles of natural causes, his representative confirmed to Variety on Tuesday. He was 84.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” said his son Kelly Christopher Amos in a statement. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over. Many fans consider him their TV father. 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…. most recently in ‘Suits LA’ playing himself and our documentary about his life journey as an actor, ‘America’s Dad.’ He was my dad, my best friend, and my hero. Thank you for your prayers and support at this time.”
Born on December 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, Amos’ acting career picked up when he landed the role of weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore show” in 1970. From there, he brought his comedic talents to CBS’ “Good Times,” a spinoff of “Maude” and “All in the Family,” and played father James Evans Sr. in 1974. The Norman Lear program made history as the first TV show to follow a African American, two-parent. household. The hardworking and devoted father figure role resonated with audiences.
After three seasons, however, Amos was displeased with the direction of the show and portrayal of his character’s son, James “J.J.” Evans Jr. He was fired after Season 3, and Season 4 began by killing James Evan Sr. off-screen. Amos received an Emmy nomination in 1977 for his role as adult Kunta Kinte in the ABC historical miniseries “Roots.”
The series, about slavery in the United States, won nine Emmys, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award and received massive viewership in the country. More than 130 million people tuned into the series, which was more than half of the population of the U.S. in 1977. The final episode holds the record for the third-highest-rated episode for any type of TV series and the second-most-watched series finale in history. Amos also appeared in shows like “About the Andersons,” “The West Wing,” “Two and a Half Men” and “The Ranch.” His final television role will arrive in the forthcoming series “Suits LA.” On film, he had roles in Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America” and its 2021 sequel “Coming 2 America,” “Die Hard 2,” “The Beastmaster,” “Lock Up” and “Me Tyme.” He and his son also produced the upcoming documentary about his life, titled “America’s Dad.” “We are so proud to have represented John,” said Julia Buchwald, President of Buchwald. “He was not only a remarkable talent but also a deeply kind and generous soul. His impact on the industry and those who knew him will never be forgotten.” Outside of film and TV, Amos wrote, produced and starred in a one-man play, titled “Halley’s Comet.” He also appeared on Broadway in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean.” Before he began acting, he played college football at Colorado State University and suited up for the 1967 NFL offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs.
I liked Hugh Beaumont
and also William Schallert
><
Same here.
Best line I remember from his Good Times role was with a government bureaucrat who told him that he understood where he was at.
His reply, “How do you know where I’m at if you ain’t been where I been. You understand where I’m coming from?
"That's because we're poor. And if you made a list of all the things people wanted to be, being poor would be near the bottom of the list--right above sick and dead!"
Yes, three great TV fathers. Was reading about him and his children, and how the daughter was not happy with the son’s treatment of him. R.I.P. to a very talented man.
Dang.
He was the glue that held that show together.
Me too. I remember when John Amos threw off that cape he was wearing and I thought Holy Sh*t! That dude is built!
The story was actually pretty good.
Rip Torn was in it too as the bad guy. I was in a fantasy/sci-fi stage of my life, and I loved "Beast Master." Also "Dragon Slayer" and "Lady Hawke".
Haha, Chelsea’s dad was Stacy Keach. Stacy Keach and John Amos as gay lovers. Too funny.
He never really looked old enough to be Jimmie Walker’s father.
>>>Yes, he was only 8 yrs older than Walker.
Also, remarkable, Amos was nearly 20 yrs younger than Esther Rolle (Florida)
RIP, Mr. Amos. I remember him most in “Good Times,” but he was a good actor in everything he did.
Happy he is dead. Be with Jesus, man, the ultimate goal!
Your family will miss you, of course!
You said it better than I would have. Amen.
Myself and the wife back in 2011 were taking a trip from L.A. to Lake Tahoe via Reno. John sat down next to me (in a wheelchair with an assistant) at the LAX Terminal. We struck up a conversation as I recognized him, he seemed a good guy.
He was an Football player back in the day and I mentioned my Uncle who was a USC, NYG and Rams player back in the day and he mentioned he knew my Uncle to some degree. To be honest I would not have guessed he would had made it another 13 years as he seemed frail. I guess its possible he was recovering from some medical procedure and it was a temporary situation?
Yeah I remember him from Die Hard 2. :)
I loved Good Times as a kid. When the father died I was actually upset.
“He was good on “Coming To America” being the McDowell’s guy.’
He stole the show. funniest role in the whole movie. “They got the Big Mac; I got the Big Mick.”
All movies that resonated with me too. Discovered Heinlein and Alan Dean Foster then, and read the Pier’s Anthony Xanth series like it was dogma. Now we’re left with the ruination of Star wars and comics presented as sci Fi, while the last good fantasy stories from Tolkien have been woke. Depressing
Those aren't Tolkien's stories. Amazon bought the rights to some characters from some of Tolkien's works, (basically an index of characters) but none of his writing or plots.
They are vomiting up this new "Woke" garbage themselves. Tolkien had nothing to do with any of their stories other than to create the Character names they are now abusing to make their worthless shows.
And yeah, Heinlein was awesome till about the early 1980s when he lost his d@mn mind. Same thing with Piers Anthony, who was also a fantastic writer until he lost his d@mn mind.
Caution, don't read "Firefly" by Piers Anthony. You won't like him ever again.
His "Incarnations of Immortality" were flirting with the abnormal, and his Proton/Phaze series moved him closer to the edge. "Firefly" showed he went over it.
Star Wars only had two good movies, and the second was much weaker than the fist. Everything starting with the Teddy Bear movie was just trash, with increasing levels of suckage with each new iteration.
There is a video on Youtube that makes a very good argument that the real creative genius behind Star Wars was Lucas's wife.
After seeing what he created once she left, I fully believe that.
Another great writer that lost his d@mn mind was Keith Laumer. One who kept his all the way to the end was Jerry Pournelle.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.