Groundbreaking actor John Amos was at the forefront of the integration of network television in the United States, starring as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom
Good Times and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the 1977 miniseries
Roots. New Jersey-born, Amos was a social worker in New York before turning to acting. His Amos’ first major TV role was as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. His breakthrough role was as James Evans Sr on
Good Times, one of the first network TV shows to feature a black two-parent family. After three seasons of critical acclaim and high ratings, Amos was fired and his character written out of the show in a fatal car crash, Amos having become critical of the show’s white writing staff creating storylines that he felt were inauthentic to the black characters.
His next big role, as the adult Kunta Kinte, the centrepiece of Roots, earned Amos his Emmy nomination and was regarded as being a life-changing role by him. Amos was seldom out of work after that: his film credits included roles in Coming to America and its sequel and Die Hard 2. On television he had notable roles in The West Wing, Hunter, The District, Two and a Half Men, and The Ranch. Amos died on August 21 aged 84. — ODT, Agencies
