John Amos, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as the older Kunta Kinte in the 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died at 84, TheWrap has learned.
A representative for the actor confirmed to TheWrap that the actor — additionally known for playing patriarch James Evans Sr. on the CBS sitcom “Good Times” — died of natural causes.
TheWrap spoke with the actor, as well as his late “Roots” costar Louis Gossett Jr, in 2022 for the anniversary of the landmark miniseries. The project won nine Emmys out of a record 37 nominations and an Emmy for Gossett, but Amos and many of the other Black actors did not see a comparable boost to their careers.
“The truth is, we did not receive the commensurate job offers,” Amos told TheWrap in 2022. “The inequities that existed in the industry as regards to race still existed, even after ‘Roots,’ because few, if any of us – with the exception of stellar talents like Mr. Gossett and LeVar [Burton]– were able to capitalize on the success of ‘Roots.’ But most of us in the cast, supporting and even starring actors, did not enjoy the same accolades and acclaim as our white counterparts.”
Amos added, “I’m grateful for ‘Roots,’ but I realized ‘Roots’ was going to change the game in terms of the education of the viewing audience, and it was going to change the game in terms of opportunities, but not so dramatically that we could say, ‘Well now the struggle is over.’ It continues to this day.”
Amos was born on Dec. 27, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, where he attended East Orange High School in 1958. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology. However, he had a brief NFL career when he signed on as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in 1964. His time playing football ended and his acting tenure began in 1970 when he landed a role on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” on which he starred for three years. But his biggest break came when he nabbed his “Good Times” character James Evans Sr. At the time, he was only 34 playing the father of Jimmie Walker, who was only eight years his junior. “Good Times” executive Norman Lear removed Amos from the show after the actor expressed issues with the all-white writers’ room’s inauthentic portrayal of Black Americans.
In 1977, Amos booked one of his standout roles in ABC’s TV miniseries adaptation of Alex Haley’s book “Roots,” in which he played the adult Kunta Kinte. During the ’80s and ’90s, Amos balanced his film and TV career, starring in several projects, including “Coming to America,” “Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story,” “All in the Family” and “The West Wing.”
Earlier this year, an investigation into the alleged elder abuse of Amos by his son Kelly “K.C.” Amos was closed due to a lack of evidence after the actor’s daughter, Shannon, claimed her brother wasn’t properly caring for their father at the time. The probe was shut down after authorities spoke to both parties and labeled the matter a family dispute.
The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news of Amos’ passing.
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