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Actor John Amos passed away in August of natural causes his son said yesterday. Mr. Amos was 84 and was an accomplished character actor. He appeared as James Evans Sr in the sitcom Good Times (1974-79), the father of a black family living in the Chicago housing projects. After three seasons of critical acclaim and high ratings, Amos was fired. He had become critical of the show’s white writing staff creating storylines that he felt were inauthentic to the Black characters. Amos’ character was killed in a car accident. He quickly bounced back, landing the role of an adult Kunta Kinte, the centerpiece of “Roots,” based on Alex Haley’s novel set during and after the era of slavery in the U.S. The miniseries was a critical and ratings blockbuster, and Amos earned one of its 37 Emmy nominations.
Amos’ first major TV role was as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-73. As the show’s only Black character, he played straight man to bombastic anchor Ted Baxter. Among Amos’ film credits were: “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 was in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz.” He was a frequent guest star on “The West Wing,” and his other TV appearances included “Hunter,” “The District,” “Men in Trees,” “All About the Andersons,” “Two and a Half Men,” and “The Ranch.”
RIP
Amos’ first major TV role was as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-73. As the show’s only Black character, he played straight man to bombastic anchor Ted Baxter. Among Amos’ film credits were: “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 was in Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s 1994 video “Natural Born Killaz.” He was a frequent guest star on “The West Wing,” and his other TV appearances included “Hunter,” “The District,” “Men in Trees,” “All About the Andersons,” “Two and a Half Men,” and “The Ranch.”
RIP
