John Amos
American actor
Who was John Amos?
John Allen Amos Jr. (December 27, 1939 – August 21, 2024) was an American actor. John Allen Amos Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey on. He was the son of John A. Amos Sr., an auto mechanic, and Annabelle Amos. Amos grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, and graduated from East Orange High School in 1958. He attended Long Beach City College and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology; he played for both schools' football teams. His other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of the Mayor of Washington DC Ethan Baker in the series The District. In film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as The Beastmaster (1982), Coming to America (1988), and Coming 2 America (2021).
Historical significance
He was best known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times. His other well known roles were as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots and for portraying Captain Meissner in Lock Up (1989) and Major Grant in Die Hard 2 (1990). Amos was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award.
