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John Amos
Acting
Biography
John Amos (December 27, 1939 β 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 β¦
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John Amos (December 27, 1939 β 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.
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BODY OF WORK
John Amos's Filmography
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The Last Rifleman
as Lincoln Jefferson Adams
Me Time
as Gil
Block Party
as Dennis
Christmas in Miami
as Chief Host
Because of Charley
as Grandpa
Coming 2 America
as Cleo McDowell
The Truth About Santa Claus
as Bob
The Beastmaster Chronicles
as Self
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
as Fred Davis
Uncut Gems
as Neighbor 33F
Christmas Belles
as Pop Pop
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
as Self
Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration
as Self / Gordy Howard (archive footage)
Tamales and Gumbo
as The Patron
Mercy for Angels
as God
Bad Asses on the Bayou
as Earl
Act of Faith
as Mr. Brady
American Lowrider
as Slick
Madea's Witness Protection
as Pastor Nelson
Zombie Hamlet
as Edgar Mortimer
No Poster
All Over Again
as Coach Zeller
Ascension Day
as Henry
Voodoo Moon
as Dutch
Dr. Dolittle 3
as Jud
Shadowboxing
as Π₯ΠΈΠ»Π»
Countdown
as Admiral Melory
My Baby's Daddy
as Uncle Virgil
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as (archive footage)
The Watermelon Heist
as Old Man Amos
Remembering Roots
as Self
Disappearing Acts
as Mr. Swift
Something to Sing About
as Rev. Washington
The Players Club
as Freeman
The Rockford Files: Shoot-Out at the Golden Pagoda
as Booker Hutch
Hologram Man
as Wes Strickland
For Better or Worse
as Gray
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
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
as Bumpy Johnson
Touched by Love
as Tony
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 President's Plane Is Missing
as Marine Corporal
The World's Greatest Athlete
as Coach Sam Archer
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
as Biker
Vanishing Point
as Super Soul's Engineer (uncredited)
Devotion
as Roger
No Poster
Future Cop: Cops and Robin
as Officer Bundy
No Poster
John Amos: Roots of an American Legend
as Self
No Poster
Information Processing
as Self