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
Vanishing Point (1971)
as Super Soul's Engineer (uncredited)
Uncut Gems (2019)
as Neighbor 33F
Coming to America (1988)
as Cleo McDowell
Ricochet (1991)
as Reverend Styles
Coming 2 America (2021)
as Cleo McDowell
Lock Up (1989)
as Captain Meissner
Voodoo Moon (2006)
as Dutch
Me Time (2022)
as Gil
American Lowrider (2013)
as Slick
Two Evil Eyes (1990)
as Det. Legrand
Night Trap (1993)
as Capt. Hodges
Remembering Roots (2002)
as Self
Madea's Witness Protection (2012)
as Pastor Nelson
The Last Rifleman (2023)
as Lincoln Jefferson Adams
Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)
as Jud
The Beastmaster (1982)
as Seth
Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015)
as Earl
Touched by Love (1980)
as Tony
American Flyers (1985)
as Dr. Conrad
Shark's Paradise (1986)
as Taxi Driver
The Players Club (1998)
as Freeman
Because of Charley (2021)
as Grandpa
Disappearing Acts (2000)
as Mr. Swift
My Baby's Daddy (2004)
as Uncle Virgil
Let's Do It Again (1975)
as Kansas City Mack
The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
as Coach Sam Archer
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
as Biker
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
as (archive footage)
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980)
as Bumpy Johnson
Hologram Man (1995)
as Wes Strickland
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times" (2019)
as Fred Davis
For Better or Worse (1995)
as Gray
Shadowboxing (2005)
as Хилл
Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988)
as Mr. Mack
Something to Sing About (2000)
as Rev. Washington
Dance of the Dwarfs (1983)
as Esteban
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016)
as Self
The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)
as Marine Corporal
Christmas Belles (2019)
as Pop Pop
Mac (1992)
as Nat
The Rockford Files: Shoot-Out at the Golden Pagoda (1997)
as Booker Hutch
Block Party (2022)
as Dennis
Countdown (2004)
as Admiral Melory
The Truth About Santa Claus (2020)
as Bob
Zombie Hamlet (2012)
as Edgar Mortimer
Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration (2015)
as Self / Gordy Howard (archive footage)
Cops and Robin (1978)
as Officer Bill Bundy
Act of Faith (2014)
as Mr. Brady
The Watermelon Heist (2003)
as Old Man Amos
All Over Again (2007)
as Coach Zeller
Willa (1979)
as Virgil
Tamales and Gumbo (2015)
as The Patron
Devotion (—)
as Roger
Future Cop: Cops and Robin (—)
as Officer Bundy
Future Cop (1976)
as Officer Bill Bundy
Mercy for Angels (2015)
as God
The Beastmaster Chronicles (2020)
as Self
Christmas in Miami (2021)
as Chief Host
Ascension Day (2007)
as Henry
Information Processing (—)
as Self
John Amos: Roots of an American Legend (—)
as Self