Known from “Prince of Zamunda”: ​​US actor John Amos is dead

Known from “Prince of Zamunda”
US actor John Amos is dead

October 1, 2024, 11:37 p.m

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John Amos is dead. The US actor became known for his role as the head of the family in the sitcom “Good Times”, and later for his part in “The Prince of Zamunda”. He became an icon in the African-American community through his embodiment of Kunta Kinte in “Roots.” Amos was 84 years old.

American actor John Amos has died at the age of 84. His spokeswoman Belinda Foster confirmed this without giving any details. Amos played the role of the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and received an Emmy nomination for his role in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.”

In “Good Times,” Amos starred as James Evans Sr., who often had to work two jobs to support his family. The series was one of the first on US television to feature a two-parent black family. “This series was the most realistic portrayal of the life of an African-American family living under these circumstances,” Amos told Time Magazine in 2021. He was fired after three seasons because he criticized the show’s white writing team for storylines that he felt didn’t suit the black characters.

Amos quickly recovered from this career setback and landed the role of the adult Kunta Kinte in the series “Roots”, which was based on the novel by Alex Haley and set during and after the period of slavery in the USA. The miniseries was a critical and audience success, and Amos received one of the 37 Emmy nominations.

Amos also appeared in films such as 1975’s “Let’s Make Another Thing” with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, as Cleo McDowell alongside Eddie Murphy in “The Prince of Zamunda” and as Major Grant in “Die Hard 2.” “. He has had guest star roles on the series “The West Wing”, “Two and a Half Men” and “The Ranch”.