John Allen Amos Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the
CBS television series ''
Good Times
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...
''. Amos's other television work includes ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moo ...
'', a recurring role as
Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on ''
The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
'', and the role of Washington, D.C., Mayor Ethan Baker in the series ''
The District
''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department.
Pr ...
''. Amos has appeared on Broadway and in numerous films in his five-decade career. He has been nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
and an
NAACP Image Award
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
. On film, he has played numerous supporting roles in movies such as ''
The Beastmaster'' (1982), ''
Coming to America'' (1988), ''
Die Hard 2
''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...
'' (1990) and ''
Coming 2 America
''Coming 2 America'' is a 2021 American romantic comedy film that serves as a sequel to the 1988 film ''Coming to America'' starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Craig Brewer, from a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David ...
'' (2021).
Early life
John A. Amos Jr. was born on December 27, 1939, in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, the son of Annabelle and John A. Amos Sr., an auto mechanic. He grew up in
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...
, and graduated from
East Orange High School
East Orange High School was a comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from 1891 to 2002 in East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. For most of its existence, the scho ...
in 1958. He enrolled at
Long Beach City College and graduated from
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...
, qualifying as a
social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
with a degree in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
.
Amos also played on the
Colorado State Rams football
The Colorado State Rams football program (established 1893) represents Colorado State University and is a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference. Since joining the Mountain West, the Rams have been ...
team.
After college, he was a Golden Gloves boxing champion.
Football career
In 1964, Amos signed a free agent contract with the
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
's
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
. Unable to run the 40-yard dash because of a pulled hamstring, he was released on the second day of training camp. He then played with the Canton Bulldogs and Joliet Explorers of the
United Football League. In 1965, he played with the Norfolk Neptunes and Wheeling Ironmen of the
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to becom ...
. In 1966, he played with the Jersey City Jets and Waterbury Orbits of the
Atlantic Coast Football League
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional american football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid ...
.
In 1967, Amos signed a free agent contract with the American Football League's
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
. Coach
Hank Stram told him, "You're not a football player, you're a man who is trying to play football." He returned to the Continental League, where he played that year with the
Victoria Steelers
The Spokane Shockers were a professional American football team based in Spokane, Washington. The team was founded in 1967 as the Victoria Steelers of the Continental Football League but transferred to Spokane during the 1967–68 offseason. While ...
.
Acting career
Amos became well known in his first major TV role, playing
Gordy Howard, the weatherman on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show,'' from 1970 until 1973. Upon the death of
Betty White, Amos and
Joyce Bulifant
Joyce Collins Bulifant (born December 16, 1937) is an American actress and author. In addition to recurring roles on television, including '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as Marie Slaughter, Bulifant is recognized for film roles in '' The Happies ...
(who played Marie Slaughter) became the last surviving semi-regular cast members of that show (not counting child actors). In 1971, he appeared with
Anson Williams
Anson Williams (born Anson William Heimlich, September 25, 1949, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor, singer, and director, best known for his role as gullible, well-intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series ...
in a commercial for
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
. But he is best known for his portrayal of
James Evans Sr., the husband of
Florida Evans
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...
, first appearing three times on the sitcom ''
Maude'' before continuing the role in 61 episodes of ''Good Times'' from 1974 to 1976.
''Good Times'' (1974–1976)
Although cast as a hard-working middle-aged father of three, Amos was 34 when the show began production in 1973, only eight years older than the actor who played his oldest son (
Jimmie Walker) and 19 years younger than his screen wife (
Esther Rolle). Much like Rolle, Amos wanted to portray a positive image of an African-American family, struggling against the odds in a poor neighborhood, but saw the premise slighted by lower comedy, and he expressed dissatisfaction.
During his tenure on ''Good Times'', Amos openly clashed with the writers of the show, due to the scripts' lack of authenticity in portraying the African-American experience. This led to his dismissal by executive producer Norman Lear at the end of season 3 in 1976. In a 2017 interview, Amos said he had told the writers, who, according to Amos, did not understand African-Americans, "That just doesn't happen in the community. We don't think that way. We don't act that way. We don't let our children do that."
In 1980, he starred in the TV film ''
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story''. Amos played an
Archie Bunker
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathemati ...
-style character in the 1994 sitcom ''
704 Hauser'', a modern spin-off of ''
All In The Family
''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...
'', but it was canceled after only five episodes (in the series he played a different character than he did in the ''All in the Family'' spin-off ''Maude''). He also portrayed Captain Dolan on the TV show ''
Hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
'' from 1984 to 1985. He co-starred in the
CBS police drama ''
The District
''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department.
Pr ...
''. Amos was a frequent guest on ''
The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
'', portraying Admiral
Percy Fitzwallace
The television series ''The West Wing'' is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC.
During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars List of awards and nominations received by The West W ...
, who serves as
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
for most of the show. He played Buzz Washington in the
ABC series ''
Men in Trees''. Amos co-starred with
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...
in the short-lived TV series ''
All About the Andersons'' in 2003. In 2010, Amos also appeared as recurring character Ed on ''
Two and a Half Men
''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, t ...
'', and in 2016 as another recurring character, also (coincidentally) named Ed, on the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
sitcom ''
The Ranch''. He has guest-starred in a number of other television shows, including ''
Police Story'', ''
The A-Team
''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...
'', ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...
'', ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...
'', ''
In the House'', ''
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
'' as Sgt. Hamilton Strawn (Tommy's father), ''
Touched by an Angel'', ''
Psych
''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened obser ...
'', ''
Sanford And Son
''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the Unit ...
'', ''
My Name Is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Ja ...
'', ''
Lie to Me'', and ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...
''. He has also appeared as a spokesman for the Cochran Firm (a national personal injury law firm). Amos wrote and produced ''Halley's Comet'', a critically acclaimed one-man play that he has performed around the world. Amos performed in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's ''
Gem of the Ocean
''Gem of the Ocean'' (2003) is a play by American playwright August Wilson. Although the ninth play produced, chronologically it is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, ''The Pittsburgh Cycle'', dramatizing the Afri ...
'' on
Broadway and later at the McCarther Theatre in
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...
.
Film roles, music
Amos starred in the TV Miniseries Roots, as the adult Kunta Kinte, based on the book and real life family history of author Alex Haley. Amos was featured in Disney's ''
The World's Greatest Athlete'' (1973) with
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the ...
and
Jan-Michael Vincent, and also starred as Kansas City Mack in ''
Let's Do It Again'' (1975) with
Bill Cosby and
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...
. His other film appearances include ''
Vanishing Point'' (1971), ''
The President's Plane Is Missing'' (1973), ''
Touched by Love'' (1980), ''
The Beastmaster'' (1982), ''
Dance of the Dwarfs
''Dance of the Dwarfs'' is a 1983 American horror adventure film directed by Gus Trikonis and starring Peter Fonda and Deborah Raffin. It is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Geoffrey Household.
Plot
In an unnamed South American na ...
'' (1983), ''
American Flyers
''American Flyers'' is a 1985 American sports drama film about bicycle racing directed by John Badham and starring Kevin Costner, David Grant, Rae Dawn Chong, Alexandra Paul, Luca Bercovici and Janice Rule.
It was written by Steve Tesich ...
'' (1985), ''
Coming to America'' (1988), ''
Lock Up'' (1989), ''
Two Evil Eyes'' (1989), ''
Die Hard 2
''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...
'' (1990), and ''
Ricochet'' (1991). He appeared in the 1995 film ''
For Better or Worse'' and played a police officer in ''
The Players Club'' (1998). He played Uncle Virgil in ''
My Baby's Daddy'' (2004), and starred as Jud in ''
Dr. Dolittle 3
''Dr. Dolittle 3'' is a 2006 American fantasy comedy film and the third film in the ''Dr. Dolittle'' series. It stars Kyla Pratt, the original daughter in the remake series, as Maya. Starring alongside Pratt are Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle ...
'' (2006). In 2012, Amos had a role in the movie ''
Madea's Witness Protection'', as Jake's father. He also appeared in
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...
and
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...
's 1994 video for "
Natural Born Killaz."
In 2009, he released ''We Were Hippies,'' an album of original
country songs by Gene and Eric Cash.
In 2021, Amos starred in ''Because of Charley,'' as the patriarch of an estranged step-family riding out the hurricane that tore through Florida in 2004.
Awards
In addition to his Emmy nomination for ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'', Amos has also been nominated for a CableACE award, an NAACP Image Award, and a DVD Exclusive Award. Amos has won three
TV Land Awards
The TV Land Icon Awards was an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with the Emmys. Created by Executive Producer Michael Levitt, the awards were hosted and bro ...
, taking home trophies for his roles on ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moo ...
'', ''
Good Times
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Afric ...
'' and the TV miniseries ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
''.
In 2020, Amos was inducted into the
New Jersey Hall of Fame
The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond.
The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by ...
.
Personal life
Amos is a veteran of the
50th Armored Division
The 50th Armored Division was a division of the Army National Guard from July 1946 until 1993.
History
On 13 October 1945 the War Department published a postwar policy statement for the entire Army, calling for a 27-division Army National Guard ...
of the
New Jersey National Guard and Honorary
Master Chief of the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...
.
Amos has been married twice. His first marriage, from 1965 to 1975, was to artist and equestrian Noel Mickelson, with whom he has two children: Shannon Amos, a writer/producer and founder of Afterglow Multimedia, LLC, and Grammy-nominated director K.C. Amos. His second marriage, from 1978 to 1979, was to actress
Lillian Lehman.
Amos lived for many years in
Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
Tewksbury Township is a township located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and is located within the New York Metropolitan Areabr>As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 5,993, reflecting an increase of 452 (+8.2%) from ...
.
, he resides in
Westcliffe, Colorado.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amos, John
1939 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
Actors from East Orange, New Jersey
African-American male actors
African-American players of American football
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American football running backs
American male television actors
Colorado Democrats
Colorado State Rams football players
Continental Football League players
East Orange High School alumni
Kansas City Chiefs players
Living people
Long Beach City College alumni
Male actors from Newark, New Jersey
New Jersey National Guard personnel
New Jersey Democrats
People from Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey
United Football League (1961–1964) players
United States Army soldiers