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. pg.acq.push(function() { As per reports, Amos shares his children with three different women. He has guest-starred in numerous shows, including the likes of Psych, The A-Team, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Lie to Me, Murder, he Wrote, among others. }); She also posted a heartwarming tribute to her. His first marriage to Noel Mickelson in 1965 ended ten years later. (CBS) Consistency is one of the biggest paradigms in television comedy, and no show has maintained it better than the 70s sitcom 'Good Times'. 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. John Amos at the 2nd Annual Giant Night of Comedy on September 26, 2016 in New York. I was younger, I was angry, I was mad at the world. Working with Eddie Murphy: I cant describe it to you. It was like a reward for having suffered those indignities., As Amoss career entered its third decade, he settled into many roles of authority, including police officers and military leaders. Each and every working experience that I had as a young man and then later in my life served me in good stead as an actor, because they all gave me hands-on experience.. } 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." Amos affable and talented weatherman Gordy was often the straight man in his scenes, genially absorbing a maelstrom of antics. John Amos, who starred in the original 1970s sitcom, made a cameo in ABC's updated restaging of a classic Good Times episode By Benjamin VanHoose Published on December 19, 2019 09:20 AM K.C. One of them read, This video needs a tear jerker warning. Amoss second marriage to Lillian Lehman was between 1978-79. gads_event = event; The Real Reason John Amos Was Fired From Good Times. Amos had previously been a McDonalds employee at one of their first Canadian outposts, so he gladly took on the commercial; almost two decades later, he was thrilled to close the loop by playing McDonalds rival Cleo McDowell in Coming to America. Viewers received a special treat on Wednesday night during a star-studded live restaging of a classic episode of Good Times. Braugher, 57, filled Amos shoes for the broadcast, honoring a role that made the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor interested in the entertainment business in the first place. He married his first wife Noel Jean Mickelson despite a ban on interracial marriages. Amos appeared roughly a dozen times over the course of the show's first three seasons, and even though he left to take a regular gig on Good Times in 1974, his character was vital enough. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. The Man from Enterprise: The Biography of John Amos by Shubin, Seymour Hence, they had to kill him off. The source of his revenue is his appearance on hit Television shows like Good Times. On a historic night in which Donald Trump became just the third U.S. president ever to be impeached, a 1975 . The check didnt bounce. She was employed in Newport as chief . In a surprise nod to the original series which ran between 1974 and 1979 original cast member John Amos made an appearance on the live broadcast. 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. The actor, who is best known for his role as James Evans Sr in CBS' 'Good Times', is a father of six children, who love and respect him immensely. As a student, he had been part of the inaugural desegregating classes of two schools in New Jersey. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons Images. I danced with my father at his 80th Birthday and he asked, Whos leading, you or me? Blessings my friend. Another chimed in, I felt your energy of joy while your head was on his chest listening to his heartbeat., However, its not just Amos and Shannon who spent some good time together. It meant so much to me on so many levels, Amos says. Do yourself a favor and skip these at your next parent-teacher conference. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. His height is 1.81 m tall, and his weight is 79kg. }) eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Therapists say it can damage your connection. I had suffered those indignities in real life integrating those two schools, of being told that I was a physical anomaly, Amos says. eventAction: 'load' "You just fail to show up to work one day. 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. Still, they continued and had Shannon a year before being recognized as a legal couple following the famous Supreme Court "Loving vs. They would be forced to introduce me to the existence of racism and my innocent view of the world was forever changed, she concluded. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { He portrayed James Evans, a hard-working middle-aged dad of three children. 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. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ 'In Living Color' Cast: Where Are They Now? 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. ga('ads.send', { },false) 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. Shannon is also fond of her father. When I went back to work, I couldnt finish the day because I kept belching every 30 seconds.. pg.acq.push(function() { window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { 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. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ On February 18, K.C. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online. Amos was born on December 27, 1939, to Annabelle P. and John A. Amos, Sr. in Newark, New Jersey. 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. },false) The show would become a cultural touchstone for a generation, especially for Black viewers: Alicia Keys, Rick Ross, the Wu-Tang Clan and many other artists have name-checked Amos or his character James Evans in their lyrics. However, it was not because of a third party, and they did not have any children together. His first marriage, from 1965 to 1975, was to artist and equestrian Noel Mickelson, with whom he has two children: Shannon Amos, a writer/producer and founder of Afterglow Multimedia, LLC, and Grammy-nominated director K.C. eventAction: 'click_adunit' John Amos may be days away from celebrating his 80th birthday, but so many of his wishes have already come true. 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In a chat with Vulture, he said being the first Black father of a complete family on television meant he shouldered a huge responsibility. Didnt care. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. At the time of their divorce, neither of them commented on the reason for their split. And I saw them become old men in front of my eyes. 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. Here are excerpts from the conversation. Rolle and John desired to give the Black-American family they represented a positive image with their casting. "You don't retire in my position," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2017. Queira shares a striking resemblance with her mom. However, at the time John and his ex-wife started dating, interracial marriage was illegal. All Rights Reserved. I wanted to right every wrong with every line.". The actor and his kids have portrayed their bond via several posts on their social media. He also guest starred on an episode of Psych as West Wing co-star Dul Hill's uncle. She also had two children: Rani DuBois, and Raj Kristo Gupta, who died of cancer in 1987 at 36. His filmography is expansive: The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Obituaries from the Perry County Times (3/4/23) - pennlive.com ga('ads.send', { He captioned the video: "Spinning wheel started spinning and we forgot to only pantomimes.". Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. One can describe him as a walking Hollywood encyclopedia. In addition, John directed two well-received productions, "Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" and "Twelve Angry Men", in the Bahamas. }); NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: December 27 is dedicated to John Amos, who turned 83 during the holiday season. Good Times' John Amos Makes Surprise Appearance on Live Special On the bright side, he won the recurring role of the sporadically-unemployed husband of maid Florida Evans (played by Esther Rolle) on Norman Lear's Maude (1972) starring Bea Arthur. ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { His character remained on the periphery, however, and he left the show after three discouraging seasons. ", John went on to earn a Los Angeles Drama Critics nomination for "Best Actor". if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { }); 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!' You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. The no-nonsense and responsible Thelma, who was also a terrible cook, was played by BernNadette Stanis, who went on to author five books: 'Situations 101: Relationships', 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly'; 'For Men Only'; 'Situations 101: Finances'; and 'The Last Night'. I mean, the writers got tired of having their lives threatened over jokes.. He is most famous for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series "Good Times.". Amos. But. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our I took the exam to be a New York police officer long before I got any roles as a police officer in the entertainment industry. In a Vlad TV interview, John gave more insight into his firing from the cast and his relationship with Lear afterward. Even if you dont know his name, youve surely seen him onscreen, whether youre a baby boomer or a member of Gen Z. Much to the chagrin of the shows supporters, James Evanswas killed during the height ofGood Times popularity. Amos, who is also known for his work in Die Hard 2 and The West Wing, is set to reprise his role alongside Eddie Murphy in next years long-awaited comedy sequel to 1988s Coming to America. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, John Amos Looks Back on 50 Years in Hollywood. March 5, 2021 11:00 AM EST. This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. },false) In 2017, Amos released his first children's book, A World Without Color, a children's tale of a young boy living in the gray, mundane town of Bleakersville before it comes to be inhabited by characters who bring color to it. 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. Come over to the studio, do a walk-through with Adam, real casual-like, Amos recalls. It was very, very sobering., Amos says the job gave him a greater appreciation for the whole judicial system and the inequities in it. Every time I played a correction officer or a law enforcement officer, whether it be military or civilian, I had those experiences to draw on.