John Amos profile
Actor profile

John Amos

27th December 1939 Newark, New Jersey, USA Acting

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.

62 Movies 48 TV Shows 110 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Mac poster
Mac 17th September 1992 as Nat
Ricochet poster
Ricochet 4th October 1991 as Reverend Styles
Lock Up poster
Lock Up 4th August 1989 as Captain Meissner
Willa poster
Willa 17th March 1979 as Virgil
Ballers poster
Ballers 21st June 2015 as Deacon Eller
NYC 22 poster
NYC 22 15th April 2012 as Pappy Science
30 Rock poster
30 Rock 11th October 2006 as John Amos
Psych poster
Psych 7th July 2006 as Uncle Burton
Martin poster
Martin 27th August 1992 as Sgt. Strawn
Hunter poster
Hunter 18th September 1984 as Capt. Dolan (uncredited)
Roots poster
Roots 23rd January 1977 as Kunta Kinte