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