Acting
John Amos
EN, FR, RU, IT cinema · 63 credits
Born
27 December 1939
Died
21 August 2024 (aged 84)
Birthplace
Newark, New Jersey, USA
Also known as Jon Amos · Johnny Amos · John A. Amos Jr. · John Allen Amos Jr.
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
Filmography
Devotion
as Roger
Future Cop: Cops and Robin
Future Cop: Cops and Robin
as Officer Bundy
The Last Rifleman
as Lincoln Jefferson Adams
Block Party
as Dennis
Me Time
as Gil
Christmas in Miami
as Chief Host
Coming 2 America
as Cleo McDowell
Because of Charley
as Grandpa
Uncut Gems
as Neighbor 33F
Christmas Belles
as Pop Pop
Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration
as Self / Gordy Howard (archive footage)
Tamales and Gumbo
as The Patron
Act of Faith
as Mr. Brady
Althea
Executive Producer
American Lowrider
as Slick
Madea's Witness Protection
as Pastor Nelson
Zombie Hamlet
as Edgar Mortimer
All Over Again
2007
All Over Again
as Coach Zeller
Ascension Day
as Henry
Voodoo Moon
as Dutch
Shadowboxing
as Хилл
Countdown
as Admiral Melory
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as (archive footage)
My Baby's Daddy
as Uncle Virgil
The Watermelon Heist
as Old Man Amos
Something to Sing About
as Rev. Washington
Disappearing Acts
as Mr. Swift
The Players Club
as Freeman
Hologram Man
as Wes Strickland
Night Trap
as Capt. Hodges
Mac
as Nat
Ricochet
as Reverend Styles
Die Hard 2
as Major Grant
Two Evil Eyes
as Det. Legrand
Lock Up
as Captain Meissner
Coming to America
as Cleo McDowell
Bonanza: The Next Generation
as Mr. Mack
Shark's Paradise
as Taxi Driver
American Flyers
as Dr. Conrad
Dance of the Dwarfs
as Esteban
The Beastmaster
as Seth
Touched by Love
as Tony
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
as Bumpy Johnson
Willa
as Virgil
Cops and Robin
as Officer Bill Bundy
Future Cop
as Officer Bill Bundy
Let's Do It Again
as Kansas City Mack
The World's Greatest Athlete
as Coach Sam Archer
The President's Plane Is Missing
as Marine Corporal
Vanishing Point
as Super Soul's Engineer (uncredited)