John Amos (1939 - 2024)

[Zoneboy]

https://variety.com/2024/tv/obituari...ts-1236161810/

John Amos, the star of “Good Times,” “Roots” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” 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.” 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’ acting career picked up speed when he landed the role of Weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore show.” 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. 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 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.” More to come…

[Dude111]

Very sad

[Bonniegirl]

Sad to hear. Rest in peace James!

[TVLegend]

I’m done. I refuse to accept the fact that James Evans has passed away. RIP Mr. Amos.

[stevea]

RIP. I'm shocked.

[Alan Brady's Hair]

RIP

1971 McDonald's commercial:

https://youtu.be/MMeO80bnMvs?si=Z6KZfhgvZ9HDWIMa

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

RIP

1971 McDonald's commercial:

https://youtu.be/MMeO80bnMvs?si=Z6KZfhgvZ9HDWIMa

WOW, I never saw that commercial before

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

WOW, I never saw that commercial before

Fantastic actor. One of the best TV dads ever.
Biggest mistake ever was Lear firing him from Good Times. The cast needed an intervention.

[TMC]

John Amos played "unquestionably John Amos characters" on Good Times and Roots

The eras and settings were wildly different, but the men he played were unquestionably John Amos characters: solid, dependable, and alternately ...

John Amos, Good Times and Roots star, dies at 84

The Emmy-nominated actor died on Aug. 21 of natural causes, Amos’ family announced today. “It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” K.C. Amos, his son, said 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.” Amos was "the TV writer turned Emmy-nominated actor who starred as the stoic father on Good Times before he was fired from the landmark sitcom for objecting to stereotypes and admittedly letting his temper get the best of him," as Mike Barnes describes Amos in his The Hollywood Reporter obituary. Amos career began to take off in 1969 as a writer and performer in sketches on the 1969 CBS variety program The Leslie Uggams Show, where he worked alongside writer-producers Lorenzo Music and Dave Davis, who ended up working on The Mary Tyler Moore Show the following year. They tapped him to play weatherman Gordy Howard in a recurring role. That role led to a meeting with Norman Lear and a guest appearance on Maude, where Amos appeared in a three-episode stint as Florida’s husband, setting up his most memorable role on Good Times in 1974. On Good Times, Amos' James Evans struggled to find full-time work, but “he provided for his family with any job that he could find," said Amos in a 2014 interview with the TV Academy. 'We managed to survive, and America loved that show. It was close to how most Americans lived at that time.” Amos was fired after Season 3 over disagreements with executive producer Lear and his writing staff over what he described as silly, stereotypical storylines. “We had a number of differences,” said Amos. “I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. in his chicken hat, saying ‘Dy-no-mite!’ every third page. I felt just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children, one of whom aspired to become a Supreme Court justice, played by Ralph Carter, and the other, BernNadette Stanis, who aspired to become a surgeon…But I wasn’t the most diplomatic guy in those days, and (the show’s producers) got tired of having their lives threatened over jokes. So they said, ‘Tell you what, why don’t we kill him off? We can get on with our lives!’ That taught me a lesson — I wasn’t as important as I thought I was to the show or to Norman Lear’s plans." In 1977, Amos played the older version of Kunta Kinte on ABC's Roots, earning his only Emmy nomination. In the 1980s, Amos recurred on Hunter and reteamed with Lear on the short-lived 1984 CBS All in the Family spinoff 704 Hauser. Amos went on to have recurring roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The District, Two and a Half Men, The Ranch and The West Wing, where he played the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Amos co-starred with Anne Heche on the 2006-2008 ABC dramedy Men in Trees. In 2019, Amos reteamed with Lear again for Live in Front of a Studio Audience. His final TV role was on The Righteous Gemstones in 2022. "The truth of it is, when I started acting, I never thought I would live this long, much less be an actor,” Amos told TVLine with a chuckle in 2022. “I’ve had a blessed career, and I attribute that to my faith in God and the fact that I was raised right. I had the chance to portray a father on a situational comedy that so many Black fathers and men of all races could identify with and appreciate.” ALSO: John Amos died nine months after The Hollywood Reporter detailed his family’s in-fighting over "his care, his legacy and his love.”

[Yong Fang]

The weird thing to me was that he died about six weeks before in August 22, and the death was only reported around October 1. Any reason why? Did the family want his funeral private or that he died and the media didn’t notice and his family or friends had to announce he died so people would notice?

Just find this weird.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

The weird thing to me was that he died about six weeks before in August 22, and the death was only reported around October 1. Any reason why? Did the family want his funeral private or that he died and the media didn’t notice and his family or friends had to announce he died so people would notice?

Just find this weird.

Supposedly his own daughter had not known he died either until the media reported it.



Damn damn damn

[TMC]

How John Amos Changed Good Times Forever - Even After Getting Fired

As family patriarch James Evans Sr. on "Good Times," the late John Amos drastically changed the sitcom's direction despite his forced exit. Here's how.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

RIP

1971 McDonald's commercial:

https://youtu.be/MMeO80bnMvs?si=Z6KZfhgvZ9HDWIMa

Looks like this was before Mary Tyler Moore

[TMC]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Fantastic actor. One of the best TV dads ever.
Biggest mistake ever was Lear firing him from Good Times. The cast needed an intervention.

Why Was John Amos Fired from “Good Times?”

Though John Amos was an established actor by the time he landed the role of James Evans Sr. on Good Times, the star truly found his stride in the role.

Costarring Esther Rolle, Jimmie "JJ" Walker, Johnny Brown, Ralph Carter, Janet Jackson, BernNadette Stanis, Ja'net DuBois and more, Good Times premiered on CBS in 1974. The Norman Lear-produced sitcom aimed to showcase the life of a poor Black family striving for better and navigating their daily ups and downs while living in the housing projects of Chicago.

After three successful seasons, Amos was killed off the show in a move that shocked viewers. It seems the decision had been a long time coming, however, as Amos explained the struggles he had with the writers during his tenure.

"I felt like I knew more about what a Black family should be and how a Black father would act than our writers. None of whom were Black and their perception of what a Black family would be and Black father would be was totally different from mine," Amos told comedian Luenell in a 2020 interview for Vlad TV.

And while he and Lear had "a few emotional discussions," writers became a bit more open to taking notes and suggestions on how to make the show authentic and true-to-life. Still, Amos admitted his delivery of said notes perhaps wasn't always the best.

"I wasn't very tactful in my complaints about the script or script points," he said. "I wasn't the most diplomatic guy so very often it would end in me saying, 'Well, let's go outside,' and these were Hollywood writers, they weren't used to that," he recalled.

Ultimately, things got to the point where the writers of the show simply couldn't work with Amos anymore and he was let go ahead of season four.

Though Amos and Lear didn't end on the best terms when it came to Good Times, the pair would work together on three additional pilots years later and manage to establish a great relationship. The two even reunited to revisit the show on Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times in 2019.

"It was wonderful. I was tearful because all the old wounds had been healed," Amos said of the reunion with Lear, who died in December of 2023 at 101 years old.

He elaborated to PEOPLE in an early 2024 interview.

"Ultimately we were friends, and it was a tumultuous relationship, which is what I loved about it," he said. "There was conflict in it. But there was also harmony at times when we worked together. It was magic, who was mentored, I knew I was in the hands of probably the most innovative and important figure ever to grace television, or any studio production facility. He was one in a lifetime, master innovator, and he had tremendous character."