John Amos may be his real name, but even though its been more than 30 years since the last new episode of Good Times aired, he's still James Evans to most of us. In 1985, the play "Split Second" earned him the NAACP Award as Best Actor. All I knew was their love. }); Amos' first marriage to late equestrian and artist Noel J. Mickelson produced two children: daughter Shannon Amos, a writer and producer turned mindfulness instructor and shaman, and son, director and actor Kelly Christopher "K.C." John Amos Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio-Wiki, Lillian Lehman(m. 19781979),Noel J. Mickelson(m. 19651975). }); When he said, beat that with a stick, it was like tossing a gauntlet: are you going to continue with this charade of inequities, or not?, In 2018, Amos got a call from his team about appearing in a new Adam Sandler movie. on tour.The following year he returned to New York to take his first Broadway bow in "Tough To Get Help". He also said John taught him to discover his passion, develop it, and give it back in a way that will be meaningful to others. Amos has been a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.[4]. }); I was a sign of the times that we just werent going to take any more, but hadnt developed the social graces to express our disfavor. He and Lear later reconciledand the pair shared a hug at a Good Times TV reunion special on ABC in 2019. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ }); In an interview with the American Archive of Television, Amos explained that he always saw the series like an opportunity to present a good example for African American families, especially for the kids. Joel Cunningham is a writer and editor who lives in Brooklyn. Calling my daddy now! another read, while yet another person commented, So moved by this, dear Shannon. He said they did not talk for months but worked together again years later on three different pilots. Although Amos fierce opinions got him fired, fans of the show complained about missing James Evans presence on the show, and for many people, Good Times lost part of its essence when Amos left. As part of ABCs second installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience, produced by Jimmy Kimmel among others, a cast of current A-listers took on roles from the 1970s Norman Lear sitcom, as well as All In the Family. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), },false) He believed the scripts were not authentic enough to portray the Black-American experience and felt he knew better about such families than the show's white writers. Overseas he received plaudits for his appearance in a heralded production of "The Life and Death of a Buffalo Soldier" at the Bristol's Old Vic in England. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), So, when the writers started to rely too much on the non-sensical humor of J.J, Amos was outspoken about his disappointment. You could go from being employed constantly at a handsome salary for a relatively long period of time and then may not work for five years, he says. Instead of reprising his iconic role as patriarch James Evans, the 79-year-old actor played Alderman Fred Davis, a man running for local office. ga('ads.send', { The differences I had with the producers of the show, I felt that there was too much emphasis being put on J.J. and his chicken hat saying Dynomite! every third page, when just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children and the concomitant jokes and humor that could have come out of that., In aninterviewwithVladTV, Amos alsospoke in depth about the lack of diversity onGood Times writing team and how he believed the construction of those scripts lead to an inaccurate portrayal of African-Americans. Walker, a comedian, won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor In A Television Series in 1975 and 1976 for playing JJ. That show was the closest depiction in reality to life as an African-American family living in those circumstances as it could be, Amos says. John has narrated his sacking from the show in several interviews. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Although cast as a hard-working middle-aged father of three, Amos was 34 when the show began production in 1973, only eight years older than the actor who played his oldest son ( Jimmie Walker) and 19 years younger than his screen wife ( Esther Rolle ). MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. He makes the transition seamlessly, and he is an award-winning actor as well. I grew up watching John do this role, so for the three years that I think he played this role, he was really a role model, he told Entertainment Tonight. I knew that it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic standpoint, he says. Jean Elizabeth Himes, 96, of Newport passed away Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. A lot has happened to "Good Times" actor John Amos since he departed from the show. Many wondered why the shows producers would make such a decision and, over the years, rumors surfaced that they and Amos could not reach an agreement in their contractual negotiations. 's TikTok serves up a particularly generous helping of father-son bonding alongside Amos' responses to fan questions, including what it was like to work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and his advice to current and future generationsall appropriately hashtagged #kickinitwithpops. is a director, writer, and producer, the same occupations his sister holds. window.adsContainer = {"position2":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Above_Next_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position3":{"code":"Article_Mobile_300x250_ATF_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle1_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle2_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position7":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle3_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle4_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle5_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position10":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle6_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position11":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle7_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position12":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle8_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position13":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle9_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position14":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle10_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position15":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle11_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position16":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle12_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250}} ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb. #dancewithyourfatherchallenge #DanceWithYourFatherChallenge #officialJohnAmos #officialshannonamos., The adorable post attracted over 100,000 likes with lots of comments. Amos and daughter Shannon Amos. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons Images. It was THE TV role of his career, but he found other quality roles for other black actors extremely difficult to come by. Even if you don't know his name, you've surely seen him onscreen, whether you're . Following his stint with the CBS sitcom, he went on to star in the 1977 miniseries 'Roots' and earned one among his countless Emmy nominations to follow through the course of his career. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ He is most famous for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series "Good Times.". A tough, often hot-headed guy with a somewhat tender side, John would succeed far better on stage than on film and TVwith one extremely noteworthy exceptions.Born on December 27, 1939, John was first employed as an advertising copywriter, a social worker at New York's Vera Institute of Justice, and an American and Canadian semi-professional football player before receiving his calling as an actor. As per reports, Amos shares his children with three different women. We adhere to structured guidelines for sourcing information and linking to other resources, including Hence, they had to kill him off. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our }) } else { Amos had also served in the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard. John was 34 when "Good Times" began production in 1973. CBS 'Good Times' original cast members: Where are they now. In November, the father-son duo entertained their fans singing to Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now as the caption read, Always #GoodTimes Kickin it w my son @k.c.amos over the holiday.. His first marriage to Noel Mickelson in 1965 ended ten years later. I've played a lot of lovable dads in my time.". hitType: 'event', But the film was no ordinary Sandler flick: it was Uncut Gems, the Safdie Brothers chaotic and abrasive thriller which has already taken on the status of cult classic in some circles. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! The Evans' oldest child, JJ, with his goofball ladies man persona and a flair for art was made iconic by Walker and then, of course, there is the catchphrase: 'Dy-no-mite!' MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online. gads_event = event; Once focused on the importance of family values, it was shifting more and more toward the silly antics of Jimmie 'JJ' Walker, who was becoming a runaway hit on the show as the aimless, egotistical, jive-talking teenage son JJ. Can you think of a better job than one where you know youre going to be laughing all day, and theyre serving you food, and then you go back to laughing some more?, he recalls about the original film. One of his is Shannon, who is an entrepreneur. In 1979, Rolle also won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Special for 'Summer of My German Soldier'. John Amos was only 34-year-old when he earned the role as the middle-aged father of family, James Evans, on the first African American sitcom with two parents and a functioning family. A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. Amos was born on December 27, 1939, to Annabelle P. and John A. Amos, Sr. in Newark, New Jersey. With each woman, he had two children. The check didnt bounce. Didnt care. Jean E. Himes. Amos holds a unique position in that he has won more TV Land Awards than anybody else, winning them for his roles in Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the miniseries Roots. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of Most of us Old Schoolers . Other series which John has either appeared in supporting or guest roles include CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The District, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, and Maude. Along with a few parts (the mini-movie Willa (1979) and the films The Beastmaster (1982) and Coming to America (1988)), he had to endure the mediocre (guest spots on The Love Boat (1977), "The A-Team", "Murder, She Wrote" "One Life to Live"). Amos first major role, starting in 1970, was on one of the most successful sitcoms in America: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which consistently drew high ratings and would rack up 29 Emmys over its seven-year run. The 1977 show, which followed the story of the enslaved Kunta Kinte and his descendants, was an immediate cultural phenomenon, drawing an estimated 130 million viewers and prompting many frank discussions about the brutality of slavery and its continuing impact. hitType: 'event', Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by Norman Lear, the sitcom featuring the Evans family, started off as a casual and honest portrayal of the inner city African-American family life back in the mid-1970s. took the time to honor his father on Father's Day and described John as his hero. The show had six seasons on CBS from February 8 . However, it was not because of a third party, and they did not have any children together. 'James Evans' from Good Times. He is an illustrious actor who has been nominated for Primetime Emmy Award and the NAACP Image Award. John said Lear realized that he was right about some things but was not the most diplomatic guy to voice his grievances. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), But subsequent episodes were taken over by others and John was increasingly disgruntled by the lack of quality of the scripts and the direction Lear was taking the show. John Amos, better known for his role as James Evans in the 70s series Good Times, was written off the show on its fourth season. John has been married twice and is a father of two children. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { The 1970s represented a period of drastic changes in the TV landscape. (Detroit rapper Royce da 59 even confessed to being raised by Gregory [his brother] and James Evans on I Play Forever). He rose to fame with his role as James Evans Sr. in Good Times. He also guest starred on an episode of Psych as West Wing co-star Dul Hill's uncle. },false) At a fundraiser for a good cause in Denver, Colorado, in July 2021, John was captured on film by his son KC, who then posted it on Instagram. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { Despite his disruptive end on the show, Amos is still recognized as one of the best paternal figures on television. But Amos also remembers growing frustrated by the incongruity of the shows white writers like Lear penning Black storylines he felt were inauthentic. Eventually, he played on the Colorado State Rams football team. ga('ads.send', { If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of John Amoss short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, todays net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. He explained he was not jealous of Jimmie Walker but felt it was a disservice to Thelma and Michael and young people's image to say they did not matter. Amos affable and talented weatherman Gordy was often the straight man in his scenes, genially absorbing a maelstrom of antics.