Amos had harbored football dreams out of college as a path to economic freedom and signed a contract with the Denver Broncos before getting injured; he drifted around various minor and professional football leagues before flaming out. Throwback Thursday Interview: John Amos Reveals How Departure From 'Good Times' Went Down - Essence "I left because I was told that I had become a 'disruptive element,'" the actor told the. John tied the knot with Lehman in 1978, but their marriage ended in divorce 19 months later. Amos director, writer, producer, editor and daughter Shannon Amos a director, writer and producer. In addition to that, he is an Honorary Master Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard. hitType: 'event', After decades of inoffensive family sitcoms, some producers, such as Norman Lear, began pushing the envelope. Despite his disruptive end on the show, Amos is still recognized as one of the best paternal figures on television. Having kids wipe their finger along your cheek to see if the black came off, or saying about my nose, Geez, can you breathe through that thing or walk through it?, But Amos says the teachers at those schools encouraged his thespian instincts and pushed him to explore his creativity. And the differences I had with the producers of the show I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. and his chicken hat and saying dy-no-mite every third page when just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children., John Amos on March 10, 2011. eventAction: 'load' I wanted to right every wrong with every line.". Making his legit stage debut in a 1971 L.A. production of the comedy "Norman, Is That You? John has been married twice and is a father of two children. While the elder Amos makes appearances on both of his children's social media accounts, K.C. J ohn Amos carries eight decades of American history in his sturdy 6-foot frame. I left because I was told that my services were no longer needed because I had become a disruptive element,'" the actor says. He tried his best to avoid the dim-headed lugs and crime-motivated characters that came his way. He is also popular for his appearing on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. }); let gads_event; And it got confrontational and heated enough that ultimately my being killed off the show was the best solution for everybody concerned, myself included.. | Photo: Getty Images. During the re-staging of the Good Times episode The Politicians which originally aired in November 1975 as part of the shows third season actors like Andre Braugher, Viola Davis, and Tiffany Haddish inhabited the legendary TV roles for one night. In a surprise nod to the original series which ran between 1974 and 1979 original cast member John Amos made an appearance on the live broadcast. Being born in Newark, raised in East Orange, I had a way of voicing my differences against the script that werent acceptable to the creative staff. He played the character of Hunter Dolan in Hunter (1984-85). }); if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ } ); Amos also played the role of Anthony Anderson in All About the Andersons in 2003. Nothing else exists. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Two marriages and two children later, Amos has been a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey. } Me, the experience of working and living at the time as an African American. His second marriage was to actress Lillian Lehman . Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. He also appeared in a commercial for McDonalds. These were teenagers who werent a threat to society: they just caught a bad break at a bad time, he recalls. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), For example, he shared a photo of him and his friends posing all smiles in front of his gigantic book-themed 80th birthday cake last year. }) eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Amos appeared in pilots for some of Lear's later shows, including 1994's 704 Hauser Street, again playing a hardworking patriarch who moves into the house previously inhabited by All in the Family's Archie Bunker. It showed her lovingly dancing with her father toLuther Vandross' Dance with My Father. Celebrities Who Have Hosted the Oscars the Most Times, Everything to Know About 'How I Met Your Father' Season 2, House of Representatives vote to impeach. In a Vlad TV interview, John gave more insight into his firing from the cast and his relationship with Lear afterward. ': What Happened to the Stars of the Iconic Series through the Years, Meet John Amos' Kids with a 'Renaissance Woman' to Whom His Marriage Was Banned in 16 States, John Amos 2nd Wife Always Had a Response to Strange Women Telling Her How Much They Loved Her Husband, John Wayne Welcomed Son at 56 & Knew He Would Miss Him Growing Up He Did Not Let Him Go to School. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { His clashes with the writers often marred John's time on the show. He even had a recurring role in Two and a Half Men as well as Netflixs The Ranch. See Him Now at 82. }); But while the show would air for an additional three years without Amos, his career would hardly stop there. Even if you dont know his name, youve surely seen him onscreen, whether youre a baby boomer or a member of Gen Z. John Amos (born December 27, 1939) played the part of James Evans Sr. in the first three seasons of Good Times. Nonetheless, he wasnt expecting to receive a call from Normal Lear while the show was on break. I had suffered those indignities in real life integrating those two schools, of being told that I was a physical anomaly, Amos says. took the time to honor his father on Father's Day and described John as his hero. In 1974, Amos was cast in the Norman Lear sitcom Good Times, in which he played the patriarch of one of the first two-parent Black households on network television. } else { The no-nonsense and responsible Thelma, who was also a terrible cook, was played by BernNadette Stanis, who went on to author five books: 'Situations 101: Relationships', 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly'; 'For Men Only'; 'Situations 101: Finances'; and 'The Last Night'. He aimed it at my Dad & told him to get his White trash and their nigger child off his property. Amos was born on December 27, 1939, to Annabelle P. and John A. Amos, Sr. in Newark, New Jersey. As proof of his excellence as an actor, John was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2020, an honor he well and truly deserved. However, it was not because of a third party, and they did not have any children together. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. With the 'Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times' special heading our way, it only makes sense to wonder where the main cast of the original that we so loved and adored is these days. But while the show would air for an additional three years without Amos, his career would hardly stop there. },false) media-tech companies with hubs around the world. Good Times Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. John has a great relationship with his kids. On February 18, K.C. At a fundraiser for a good cause in Denver, Colorado, in July 2021, John was captured on film by his son KC, who then posted it on Instagram. He is extremely versatile in the roles that he has played both on television as well as on the big screen. } sound information and advice to make the smartest, healthiest choices. He portrayed James Evans, a hard-working middle-aged dad of three children. He said Lear explained that the rest of the cast and the production company described him in those terms. He wrote and has frequently directed the show, which continues to play into the 2007-2008 season.In recent years, John has enjoyed recurring parts on "The West Wing" and "The District", and is more recently appearing in the offbeat series Men in Trees (2006) starring Anne Heche. eventAction: 'click_ads' His depictions of those parts were also informed by a job he had taken soon after college: as a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, working with defendants at the Brooklyn House of Detention. 'James Evans' from Good Times. ", The post continued, On Feb 21st, 1965, just 2 months after their marriage, Malcom Ex would be assassinated. pg.acq.push(function() { if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { On a historic night in which Donald Trump became just the third U.S. president ever to be impeached, a 1975 . navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); With each woman, he had two children. Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. }); 2 years later, on April 4th 1968, Martin Luther King would be gunned down. He captioned the video: "5 trips to # & each visit to the island just gets better.". }); }); Didnt care. From 1974 to 1976, John Amos touched millions of lives as the iconic patriarch James Evans, Sr., on Good Times until he was unceremoniously dumped from the cast midway through its run. He is most famous for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series "Good Times.". So it was a win-win all the way around., Perhaps Amos best known role is Coming to Americas Cleo McDowell. His filmography is expansive: The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Still, they continued and had Shannon a year before being recognized as a legal couple following the famous Supreme Court "Loving vs. So it was all a way of preparation., And Amos was particularly happy when his West Wing character Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got the chance not only to flex his military power but also his ability to effect social change. Mary was quite a skilled comedienne, but her forte was really underplaying. He was nominated for a Emmy in 1977 for his role on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning ABC-TV miniseries Roots. }) I was younger, I was angry, I was mad at the world. He married his third wife, Elisabete De Sousa, in 1982 and lived with her in Tewksbury Township, New Jersey. He portrayed James Evans, a hard-working middle-aged dad of three children. | Photo: Getty Images. Instead of reprising his iconic role as patriarch James Evans, the 79-year-old actor played Alderman Fred Davis, a man running for local office. is a director, writer, and producer, the same occupations his sister holds. ga('ads.send', { Uncut Gems. Amos has been a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.[4]. Can you think of a better job than one where you know youre going to be laughing all day, and theyre serving you food, and then you go back to laughing some more?, he recalls about the original film. He believed the scripts were not authentic enough to portray the Black-American experience and felt he knew better about such families than the show's white writers. On the bright side, he won the recurring role of the sporadically-unemployed husband of maid Florida Evans (played by Esther Rolle) on Norman Lear's Maude (1972) starring Bea Arthur. He went to Long Beach City College and completed his graduation from Colorado State University. On Tuesday night, he was reunited with legendary television producer Norman Lear . John described his surprise appearance as a beautiful and tearful moment because all the old wounds had been healed. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons Images. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ The iconic actor has held many recent roles and reprised his role as Cleo McDowell in the "Coming to America" sequel, "Coming 2 America," released in March 2021. As part of ABCs second installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience, produced by Jimmy Kimmel among others, a cast of current A-listers took on roles from the 1970s Norman Lear sitcom, as well as All In the Family. }); NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: December 27 is dedicated to John Amos, who turned 83 during the holiday season. "It was a matter of me maturing, and [understanding the impact of] the post-traumatic stress syndrome I'd suffered as a result of playing football and boxing," Amos told Vulture in 2015. He portrayed the character of Percy Fitzwallace in the critically acclaimed show The West Wing. Most of us Old Schoolers . When I went back to work, I couldnt finish the day because I kept belching every 30 seconds.. He continued to work in both TV and film, returning to his former role as The Mary Tyler Moore Show's weatherman, Gordy, for the show's final season and later taking on more notable roles, including Seth in Beastmaster, Cleo McDowell in Coming to America, antagonist Major Grant in Die Hard 2, Percy Fitzwallace in The West Wing, and Ed in Two and a Half Men. He said they did not talk for months but worked together again years later on three different pilots. On June 16, 2020, Shannon shared her parents' wedding picture and described how they fell in love while attending Colorado State University. },false) Hence, they had to kill him off. You could go from being employed constantly at a handsome salary for a relatively long period of time and then may not work for five years, he says. }); lip-syncing to a song while having a nice time together. John Amos Reveals He Was Fired From Good Times For Trying To Make It More Authentic (Video) At a crucial point in American television, Good Times presented one of the first beloved Black TV . READ THIS NEXT:See '70s Teen Idol Robby Benson Now at 66. As we pulled into a gas station in Arizona, a white man came out of the service station w/ a loaded shot gun. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! }); I took the exam to be a New York police officer long before I got any roles as a police officer in the entertainment industry. His first marriage to Noel Mickelson in 1965 ended ten years later. Do yourself a favor and skip these at your next parent-teacher conference. Despite what happened on Good Times, Amos and one of the show's executive producers, the legendaryNorman Lear, would go on to resolve their differences and work together again creatively, something Amos attributes to "maturing" in how he expressed his beliefs. ga('ads.send', { }); Other series which John has either appeared in supporting or guest roles include CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The District, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, and Maude. eventAction: 'view' John also toiled through a number of action-themed films that focused more on grit and testosterone than talent.He found one answer to this acting dilemma on the proscenium stage. His first marriage was to equestrian Noel Mickelson. A 44-year-old script of "Good Times" provided surprising prescience Wednesday. Weeks after Season 4 of Good Times began airing without him, Amos appeared as the older Kunta Kinte in the record-setting ABC miniseries, Roots. Amos is a veteran of the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard and Honorary Master Chief of the United States Coast Guard.[2][3]. From 1974 to 1976, John Amos touched millions of lives as the iconic patriarch James Evans, Sr., on Good Timesuntil he was unceremoniously dumped from the cast midway through its run. We adhere to structured guidelines for sourcing information and linking to other resources, including My parents took me on cross country road trip. Rolle and John desired to give the Black-American family they represented a positive image with their casting. The show had six seasons on CBS from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. He also said John taught him to discover his passion, develop it, and give it back in a way that will be meaningful to others. Magazines, Digital While Braugher has taken over the role for ABC's re-imagining of the . "You don't retire in my position," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2017. They said, What are you doing right now? Offers may be subject to change without notice. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); In an interview with the American Archive of Television, Amos explained that he always saw the series like an opportunity to present a good example for African American families, especially for the kids. He was kicked off the show after a conflict with producers. It was an actors heaven, Amos says. 'Sex and the City' Cast: Where Are They Now? One time, a Pepsi commercial nearly cost him another acting job: I broke away on my lunch hour and started drinking these 16-ounce Pepsis. He is that character and he exudes that, and you in turn are obligated to give it back to him the same way., Amos isnt in Coming 2 America for long, but he commands a pivotal scene in which he advises Prince Akeem (Murphy) on his future. On February 8, 1974, CBS premieredGood Times the weekly sitcom that served as the first-ever TV show to highlight the full scope of a Black family. John said Lear realized that he was right about some things but was not the most diplomatic guy to voice his grievances. Amos had also served in the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard. If youre blessed to still have your Dad, we challenge you to create a precious moment. John felt the show would have gotten a great deal of mileage out of Thelma and Michael's aspirations to become a Supreme Court justice and surgeon. A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. ga('ads.send', { ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. Good Times star John Amos turns 83 as he celebrates his long life with his six loving children. Amos is not just a great father but also an adoring lover and a husband. Many wondered why the shows producers would make such a decision and, over the years, rumors surfaced that they and Amos could not reach an agreement in their contractual negotiations. He once revealed what drove the series creator to kill his character without remorse. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { Amos has been married two times. Also featured in the Good Times live staging cast were SNL alum Jay Pharaoh, This Is Us Asante Blackk, and Corinne Foxx, daughter of Jamie Foxx, who starred in the first iteration of Live in Front of a Studio Audience back in May. Much to the chagrin of the shows supporters, James Evanswas killed during the height ofGood Times popularity. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our He wanted to portray an African American family surviving in the ghettoes in a positive light, but the writers took a different direction, and he was eventually fired after the third season. (Detroit rapper Royce da 59 even confessed to being raised by Gregory [his brother] and James Evans on I Play Forever). He has two children from that marriage. He has guest-starred in numerous shows, including the likes of Psych, The A-Team, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Lie to Me, Murder, he Wrote, among others. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Instagram/officialjohnamos | Getty Images. hitType: 'event', John Amos at the 2nd Annual Giant Night of Comedy on September 26, 2016 in New York. He shared a picture of her holding her horse named Oneday, known for his endurance. Being born on 27 December 1939, John Amos is 83 years old as of todays date 5th March 2023. ga('ads.send', { var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-72659260-1&cid=e7986e3b-8b16-40c6-a0f0-b8bdee3adc57&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=4989053684412828883'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ interview with the American Archive of Television. Good Times Season 3 Episode 24 The Rent PartyMarch 2, 1976The Evans organize a fund-raising party for the project's favorite senior citizen, who has fallen b. Each and every working experience that I had as a young man and then later in my life served me in good stead as an actor, because they all gave me hands-on experience.. He has also been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards and the NAACP Image Award. },false) hitType: 'event', On May 11, John shared a throwback picture of himself and his mom, Annabelle Amos. Amos holds a unique position in that he has won more TV Land Awards than anybody else, winning them for his roles in Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the miniseries Roots. Amos, who is also known for his work in Die Hard 2 and The West Wing, is set to reprise his role alongside Eddie Murphy in next years long-awaited comedy sequel to 1988s Coming to America. On-screen, he was married to Florida Evansplayed by Esther Rolleand they had three grown children: J.J.; Thelma; and Michael. He also starred in the motion pictures Coming to America, Lock Up and Die Hard 2. In addition, John directed two well-received productions, "Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" and "Twelve Angry Men", in the Bahamas. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb. John Amos was only 34-year-old when he earned the role as the middle-aged father of family, James Evans, on the first African American sitcom with two parents and a functioning family. One of his is Shannon, who is an entrepreneur. For more celebrity updates sent right to your inbox,sign up for our daily newsletter. He had the opportunity to address institutional grievancesbut he never had to raise his voice or become demonstrative in his feelings to the point that it became so one-sided. The Roots actors son KC also shares a great bond with his father. Working with Eddie Murphy: I cant describe it to you. In 1979, Rolle also won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special for 'Summer of My German Soldier'. He is one of the greatest actors in American history and surely deserves the best. If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of John Amoss short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, todays net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. And when he arrived at The Mary Tyler Moore Show, he says the cast and crew welcomed him with open arms. John Amos may be his real name, but even though its been more than 30 years since the last new episode of Good Times aired, he's still James Evans to most of us. John, who is an Emmy-nominated actor who played Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on the first five seasons of The West Wing. In his 2017 Sway in the Morning interview, he described his motivation for writing the empathy-themed book: