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