John Amos
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John Amos (December 27, 1939 – August 21, 2024) was an American actor and retired football player. He is best known for his role as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries "Roots" and for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series "Good Times." He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. On film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as "The Beastmaster" (1982), "Coming to America" (1988), "Lock Up" (1989), "Die Hard 2" (1990) and "Coming 2 America" (2021). Prior to acting, he played on the Colorado State Rams football team and in 1964, he signed a free agent contract with the American Football League's Denver Broncos and in 1967 signed a free agent contract with the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. Both of these contracts did not land him a spot on the teams and played a final season in the Continental Football League with the Victoria Steelers before pursuing acting.
Known for
Credits
Die Hard 2 (1990)
as Major Grant
Uncut Gems (2019)
as Neighbor 33F
Coming to America (1988)
as Cleo McDowell
Coming 2 America (2021)
as Cleo McDowell
Lock Up (1989)
as Captain Meissner
Ricochet (1991)
as Reverend Styles
The Beastmaster (1982)
as Seth
Two Evil Eyes (1990)
as Det. Legrand
Me Time (2022)
as Gil
Madea's Witness Protection (2012)
as Pastor Nelson
Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)
as Jud
Vanishing Point (1971)
as Super Soul's Engineer
American Lowrider (2013)
as Slick
Disappearing Acts (2000)
as Mr. Swift
The Players Club (1998)
as Freeman
Remembering Roots (2002)
as Self
Voodoo Moon (2006)
as Dutch
For Better or Worse (1995)
as Gray
The Last Rifleman (2023)
as Lincoln Jefferson Adams
Hologram Man (1995)
as Wes Strickland
Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015)
as Earl
Let's Do It Again (1975)
as Kansas City Mack
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
as Biker
Mac (1992)
as Nat
Touched by Love (1980)
as Tony
Shadowboxing (2005)
as Хилл
Night Trap (1993)
as Capt. Hodges
American Flyers (1985)
as Dr. Conrad
Something to Sing About (2000)
as Rev. Washington
Countdown (2004)
as Admiral Melory
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times" (2019)
as Fred Davis
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980)
as Bumpy Johnson
My Baby's Daddy (2004)
as Uncle Virgil
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016)
as Self
Shark's Paradise (1986)
as Taxi Driver
Christmas Belles (2019)
as Pop Pop
Because of Charley (2021)
as Grandpa
Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration (2015)
as Self / Gordy Howard (archive footage)
The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
as Coach Sam Archer
The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)
as Marine Corporal
All Over Again (2007)
as Coach Zeller
Ascension Day (2007)
as Henry
Zombie Hamlet (2012)
as Edgar Mortimer
Information Processing (—)
as Self
Dance of the Dwarfs (1983)
as Esteban
Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988)
as Mr. Mack
The Watermelon Heist (2003)
as Old Man Amos
Cops and Robin (1978)
as Officer Bill Bundy
Tamales and Gumbo (2015)
as The Patron
The Truth About Santa Claus (2020)
as Bob
Block Party (2022)
as Dennis
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
as (archive footage)
Future Cop (1976)
as Officer Bill Bundy
Willa (1979)
as Virgil
Future Cop: Cops and Robin (—)
as Officer Bundy
The Rockford Files: Shoot-Out at the Golden Pagoda (1997)
as Booker Hutch
Devotion (—)
as Roger
John Amos: Roots of an American Legend (—)
as Self
Act of Faith (2014)
as Mr. Brady
Christmas in Miami (2021)
as Chief Host
Mercy for Angels (2015)
as God
The Beastmaster Chronicles (2020)
as Self