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John Amos

Known for: 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.

Filmography 37

Rødder 1977TV show as Older Kunta Kinte
Bag lås og slå 1989Movie as Captain Meissner
The Last Rifleman 2023Movie ViaplayApple TV StoreSF Anytime +3 as Lincoln Jefferson Adams
Night Trap 1993Movie as Capt. Hodges
Let's Do It Again 1975Movie Amazon Video as Kansas City Mack
The Funny Side 1971TV show as Minority Husband
Zombie Hamlet 2012Movie as Edgar Mortimer
Hologram Man 1995Movie as Wes Strickland