Tragic day for the television industry. John Amosknown for acting as a family man in Good Times and for his unforgettable role as Kunta Kinte in the series Rootshas died at the age of 84. It was her representative, Belinda Foster, who announced the sad news to the CNN. Although it was only now that she announced it, the publicist affirms that the actor He died at his home in Los Angeles ”of natural causes” last August.
His son, Kelly Christopher Amos, has also confirmed the death in a statement: “It is with deep sadness that I inform you that my father has passed away. He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold (…) and he was loved throughout. around the world. Many fans consider him their television father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor.
Despite being well known among a large part of television viewers, Amos’ great passion was always playing football. Although he had the opportunity to dedicate himself to it professionally, he did not succeed and, after working as a social worker for a time, in 1972 he had the opportunity to make the leap to television with the program The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, his big important role came when he was able to play James Evan, the patriarch in Good Times.
John Amos on the set of the series ‘Good Times’. / CBS Photo Archive
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After two years, he had a loud dispute with the series’ writers over his way of portraying a black family and left the series. He told it himself in an interview on Vlad TV four years ago: “I felt like I knew more about what a black family should be like and how a black father should act than our writers, none of whom were black.”
Despite having perhaps abandoned his role too soon, he soon got his other big opportunity when he played the slave Kunte Kinte in the acclaimed 1977 series roots, thanks to which he was nominated for an Emmy. “I knew it was a role that would change my life, as an actor and from a humanistic point of view […] It was the culmination of all the misconceptions and stereotypical roles I had experienced and been offered. It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities,” he told Time in 2021.
John Amos and Leslie Uggams on the set of ‘Roots’, 1977 / ABC Photo Archives
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In addition to this work that catapulted him to fame in Hollywood, he was also part of other casts in films such as The Jungle 2 (1990) or in other well-known television series such as The West Wing of the White House (1999-2006), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), Hunter (1984-1991) o The Bill Cosby Hour (1984-1992).
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