John Amos
John Allen Amos Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor. 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. Amos' other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of Washington, DC Mayor Ethan Baker in the series The District. Amos has appeared on Broadway and in numerous films in his five-decade career.
John Amos | |
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Amos at "Their Voices, Their Stories - Black
Veterans Who Served on Iwo Jima", March 2011. | |
| Born | John Allen Amos Jr. December 27, 1939 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Colorado State University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Known for | Kunta Kinte (adult) – Roots James Evans Sr. – Good Times |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. On film, he has 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 his acting career, Amos played college football at Colorado State University. He also had a brief professional football career which included spending a portion of the 1967 offseason for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs.