And on top of being a walking Hollywood encyclopedia, the actor has also charted the course of an American century in many other ways, from being one of the first young Black students at mostly white schools following Brown v. Board of Education to playing with the Denver Broncos to being a social worker at the Brooklyn House of Detention. BernNadette Stanis Was a Virgin When She Wed a Man 'Who Wasn't Very Kind in Words' Inside Their Marriage, Marlo Thomas Spouse Was a Virgin before Marriage to Mom of His 5 Kids & a Lousy Lover Afterward, Norman Lear's 2nd Wife Got $100 Million Divorce Settlement after Working up the Courage to Leave Him, Bob Saget's Longtime Home Gets $770K Price Cut Nobody Is Ready to Buy House He Lived in until His Tragic Death, Michael Learned Wanted Her 'Waltons' Character to Be Imperfect In Reality She Struggled to Raise Her 3 Sons, 'Law & Order's' Camryn Manheim Turns 61 - Meet Her Son Milo Who Is All Grown-up & Is Also an Actor, Vicki Lawrences Love Story with Husband of 47 Years Started after Co-star Saw Him Walking in Corridor, Twins Send Dad to Nursing Home, Learn He Left Inheritance to Janitor Who Is Their Carbon Copy Story of the Day, Meet McMillan & Wife Star Susan Saint James Stunning Family with Husband Who Is a TV Wunderkind, Charlie Barnett Felt Broken after His Chicago Fire Exit - Inside Other Sudden Departures from the Show, Raymond Burr Adopted 27 Kids during Last 40 Years of His Secretive Life after Loss of 10-Year-Old Son, James MacArthur Called Wife of 25 Years Hard Boiled Yet Their Marriage Was Better than Anything', Charlie Sheen Could Not Understand the Chaos He Created in His Life Because of His Addictions, David Soul Was Still a Kid When He Married for the 1st Time He Fathered 5 Sons & Daughter. Youre there. hitType: 'event', John Amos has had an illustrious career both as a sportsman and as an actor. He captioned the video: "Spinning wheel started spinning and we forgot to only pantomimes.". 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. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! eventAction: 'load' Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, John Amos Looks Back on 50 Years in Hollywood. John Amos at the 2nd Annual Giant Night of Comedy on September 26, 2016 in New York. "You just fail to show up to work one day. Eventually, he played on the Colorado State Rams football team. eventAction: 'render' "Good Times" alum, John Amos had no hair out of place in the recent photos he shared on Instagram. 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 ). John Amos Reveals He Was Fired From Good Times For Trying To Make It More Authentic (Video) At a crucial point in American television, Good Times presented one of the first beloved Black TV . As a child I didnt know my parents were different colors. I wasnt even interested in being an actor and I was fascinated by everything that was involved in what it took to make these shows., He added: And the stories, I think, they continue to resonate. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { | Photo: Getty Images. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 2022 Galvanized Media. 2 years later, on April 4th 1968, Martin Luther King would be gunned down. I knew what it was to be a bottom-of-the-rung laborer; a garbage man on an open-backed truck, Amos says. For them, it was love at first sight. The Cast of 'Hanging with Mr. Cooper:' Where Are They Now? He is one of the greatest actors in American history and surely deserves the best. Celebrities Who Have Hosted the Oscars the Most Times, Everything to Know About 'How I Met Your Father' Season 2, House of Representatives vote to impeach. Randy Chrisley Is Todd Chrisley's Brother Who Was Diagnosed with Cancer in 2014, Johnny Depp's Weight Gain & Changes in Appearance over the Years, 'Whos the Boss? I said, sure, why not?. let gads_event; And our convictions were predicated on the experience, he remembers. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), gads_event = event; His second marriage was to actress Lillian Lehman . It was the culmination of all of the misconceptions and stereotypical roles that I had lived and seen being offered to me. Instagram/officialjohnamos | Getty Images. (Rolle, who had been adamant that the show feature a two-parent family, would play a widowed Florida for one season before also leaving. A stand-up comic on the Greenwich Village circuit, the work eventually took him West and, ultimately, led to his hiring as a staff writer on Leslie Uggams' musical variety show in 1969. While Braugher has taken over the role for ABC's re-imagining of the . But Amos also remembers growing frustrated by the incongruity of the shows white writers like Lear penning Black storylines he felt were inauthentic. Past Commencement Speakers & Honorary Degree Recipients. She was employed in Newport as chief . John Amos Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio-Wiki, Lillian Lehman(m. 19781979),Noel J. Mickelson(m. 19651975). 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. In a Zoom interview, Amos watched some of the most iconic scenes from across his career and reflected on the life experiences that impacted those rolesand the impact those roles in turn had on his life. My early departure from the show, I felt that with two younger childrenone of whom aspired to become a Supreme Court Justicethat would be Ralph Carter (Michael Evans) and the other, Bern Nadette Stanis (Thelma Evans) who aspired to become a surgeon, Amos stated. She also had two children: Rani DuBois, and Raj Kristo Gupta, who died of cancer in 1987 at 36. As of March 2023, John Amos has an estimated net worth of $4 million. 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. }); Do yourself a favor and skip these at your next parent-teacher conference. Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. He began his career playing Gordy Howard, the weatherman in The Mary Tyler Moore Show(1970-73). The bad news, Lear told Amos, you wont be with us.. 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. ga('ads.send', { Theres life left in the old boy yet., The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. His character remained on the periphery, however, and he left the show after three discouraging seasons. Her television work included 'Moesha', 'The Steve Harvey Show', 'A Different World', and 'The Wayans Bros'. I wanted to right every wrong with every line.". She was born Dec. 3, 1926, in Newport to Raymond and Eva Himes. I had suffered those indignities in real life integrating those two schools, of being told that I was a physical anomaly, Amos says. Amos was also the only major Black cast member of the show, an experience that may have been new to him in the realm of entertainment, but not in his life. 'Downton Abbey' Cast: Where Are They Now? The experience made him excited to be involved in the franchise in any capacity going forward. His on-screen wife on the show was Esther Rolle. John has narrated his sacking from the show in several interviews. After about the third one, I turned into a human fountain, he recalls. And the differences I had with the producers of the show I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. and his chicken hat and saying dy-no-mite every third page when just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children., John Amos on March 10, 2011. hitType: 'event', His filmography is expansive: The Mary Tyler Moore Show. J ohn Amos carries eight decades of American history in his sturdy 6-foot frame. 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. The show had six seasons on CBS from February 8 . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), A Complete List of Christmas Movies Coming to Hallmark, Lifetime & More in 2019, The Black Shows That Revolutionized TV, from 'Julia' and 'The Jeffersons' to 'Empire', Janet Jackson Was 'Like a Little Sister' to 'Good Times' Costar BernNadette Stanis: 'Sweet as Pie'. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), hitType: 'event', 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Ray Romano turns 65 surrounded by a loving wife and four children, Al Roker looks chipper wearing matching pajamas in family photo on Christmas after leaving hospital, Shannon put up the heartwarming post in October. He has two children from that marriage. Despite his disruptive end on the show, Amos is still recognized as one of the best paternal figures on television. He portrayed James Evans, a hard-working middle-aged dad of three children. I was younger, I was angry, I was mad at the world. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); On May 5, he also shared a picture that showed him posing with the cast of "The Last O.G." Good Times. Amos has been married three times. The sitcom star was unceremoniously fired after pushing back on the direction of the show. He has also been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards and the NAACP Image Award. ga('ads.send', { The Real Reason John Amos Was Fired From Good Times. He has been in the industry since the 1970s and plays incredibly relevant roles even in the present day. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Being born on 27 December 1939, John Amos is 83 years old as of todays date 5th March 2023. 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 A lot has happened to "Good Times" actor John Amos since he departed from the show. So it was all a way of preparation., And Amos was particularly happy when his West Wing character Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got the chance not only to flex his military power but also his ability to effect social change. 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}} If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing Everything changed that day. } eventAction: 'click_ads' Amos has been married two times. }); Shannon is also fond of her father. During this historic point in American television, John Amos delivered a groundbreaking portrayal of James Evans, the revered patriarch of the iconic Evans clan. For more celebrity updates sent right to your inbox,sign up for our daily newsletter. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Amos director, writer, producer, editor and daughter Shannon Amos a director, writer and producer. John Amos carries eight decades of American history in his sturdy 6-foot frame. What really could have been passed off as pedestrian comedy became an actors lesson in how you get people togetherCloris Leachman, Mary and so many wonderful, wonderful actors with good materialto become a life form, almost., Even though Amos was sharing space with comedic legends, finding steady work wasnt always easy. In the midst of it all, their love would produce a child (me). 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. Me, the experience of working and living at the time as an African American. Uncut Gems. It meant so much to me on so many levels, Amos says. Amos affable and talented weatherman Gordy was often the straight man in his scenes, genially absorbing a maelstrom of antics. John, who is an Emmy-nominated actor who played Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on the first five seasons of The West Wing. He took on Shakespeare as Sir Toby Belch in "Twelfth Night" at Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare and earned strong notices in the late August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Fences" at the Capital Repertory Company in Albany, New York. After the fourth season ofGood Times, his on-screen wife, Esther Rolle (Florida Evans), also left the sitcom for similar reasons and spoke about her disdain for the stereotypical J.J Evans character in a 1975Ebony magazine interview. K.C also celebrated his mom's love for horses in an Instagram post he made in January 2017. Well, if youre ready, lets start. }); Still, they continued and had Shannon a year before being recognized as a legal couple following the famous Supreme Court "Loving vs. He wanted to portray an African American family surviving in the ghettoes in a positive light, but the writers took a different direction, and he was eventually fired after the third season. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms. The episode finds the Evans family in political disagreement as they lean individually toward voting for Davis or his opponent, played by recent Emmy winner for When They See Us, Jharrel Jerome. 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. . According to a 1975 Ebony article, co-stars Amos and Esther Rolle (Florida) were vocally opposed to the negative characterization of Black youth they felt J.J. represented, as well as other scenarios and characterizations on the show. My Dad met & fell in love w/ my Mom while attending college at Colorado State University. One of his is Shannon, who is an entrepreneur. He also starred in the motion pictures Coming to America, Lock Up and Die Hard 2. Hence, he was not going to portray something less than redeeming. 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. We adhere to structured guidelines for sourcing information and linking to other resources, including On June 12, 1967, the court issued a unanimous decision in the Lovings favor and overturned their convictions. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On February 8, 1974, CBS premieredGood Times the weekly sitcom that served as the first-ever TV show to highlight the full scope of a Black family. 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. See Him Now at 82. }); John described his surprise appearance as a beautiful and tearful moment because all the old wounds had been healed. eventAction: 'click_ads' Big John, I got some good news and some bad news. The series soldiered on for three more seasons with Amos, but his presence was always missed. But if theres a buck to be made selling the McDowells product, then rest assured, I will be there in the form of Cleo McDowell. I like playing bad guys. Much to the chagrin of the shows supporters, James Evanswas killed during the height ofGood Times popularity. In addition to that, he is an Honorary Master Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard. In a lengthy post, she wrote, IT WAS ILLEGAL IN 16 STATES FOR WHITES TO MARRY BLACKS WHEN MY PARENTS GOT MARRIED IN 1965. Good Times Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Jamie Foxx's 2 Daughters: Everything to Know. 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. John Amos may be days away from celebrating his 80th birthday, but so many of his wishes have already come true. He is an illustrious actor who has been nominated for Primetime Emmy Award and the NAACP Image Award. Their marriage violated Virginias Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which criminalized marriage between people classified as white and people classified as colored.'". He is most famous for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series "Good Times.". }); He continued to work in both TV and film, returning to his former role as The Mary Tyler Moore Show's weatherman, Gordy, for the show's final season and later taking on more notable roles, including Seth in Beastmaster, Cleo McDowell in Coming to America, antagonist Major Grant in Die Hard 2, Percy Fitzwallace in The West Wing, and Ed in Two and a Half Men. If youre blessed to still have your Dad, we challenge you to create a precious moment. }); NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: December 27 is dedicated to John Amos, who turned 83 during the holiday season. 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. John has a great relationship with his kids. He also appeared in an episode of The Righteous Gemstones and the movie Block Party. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. However, it was a tumultuous time in the world around them. As proof of his excellence as an actor, John was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2020, an honor he well and truly deserved. His depictions of those parts were also informed by a job he had taken soon after college: as a social worker at the Vera Institute of Justice, working with defendants at the Brooklyn House of Detention. Married four times and a mother of two daughters, Stanis' latest credits are from 2015, in the TV show 'Black Jesus' and the film '36 Hour Layover'. }); John Amos Played James Evans, Sr. on "Good Times." ga('ads.send', { Photo of the Evans family from the television program Good Times. 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. Now in his eighties, Amos continues to act, and recently reprised his role as fast food chain owner and father-in-law to Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem in 2019's Coming 2 America. John Amos has two children by his former wife Noel Amos and two children. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ It went on to win for Outstanding Variety Special, which made Lear the oldest Emmy winner ever. John has also appeared in many movies including Lets Do It Again (1975), Vanishing Point (1971), Touched by Love (1980), American Flyers (1985), Die Hard 2 (1990), The Players Club (1998), Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006) among many others. 'James Evans' from Good Times. pg.acq.push(function() { A 44-year-old script of "Good Times" provided surprising prescience Wednesday. https://comedyhype.com/ - In 1974 Good Times would premiere showcasing black family life like never before. I thought that somewhere, God is proving that he has a sense of humor, he says. Amos has one grand child,a grand-daughter, Quiera Williams. All Rights Reserved. eventAction: 'render' However, he noticed that the writers were losing focus on his other two kids on the show, Bernadette Stanis, who portrayed Thelma, and Ralph Carter, who played Michael. The check didnt bounce. pg.acq.push(function() { We are one of the worlds fastest growing While Amos did bring out the reality of a struggling family man in the 70s, he went on to quit the show after three of its six-year run owing to creative disputes with Lear. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' At the time of their divorce, neither of them commented on the reason for their split. My role was to try to acquire pretrial freedom for indigent defendants. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), While the elder Amos makes appearances on both of his children's social media accounts, K.C. Amos and daughter Shannon Amos. 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. Think of the word "princess" as more of a nickname and less of an adjective. In 1971, Amos was asked to take part in a singing-and-dancing commercial for the growing burger chain McDonalds, which had only started selling the Big Mac nationally three years prior. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLEs free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As Salon reports, shows like "All In The Family" offered a gritty and unflinching look at issues such as racism . In the post's caption, he urged fans to watch the show and said he enjoyed working with the cast. }); eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The State of Virginia, became a landmark civil rights case. Shannon spoke about it on her Instagram page while sharing a throwback photo of the couple. In a strange scene in a movie full of them, Amos plays a version of himself who slams the door on Sandlers character Howard, who asks if his son can use Amos bathroom. With the 'Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times' special heading our way, it only makes sense to wonder where the main cast of the original that we so loved and adored is these days. During the re-staging of the Good Times episode The Politicians which originally aired in November 1975 as part of the shows third season actors like Andre Braugher, Viola Davis, and Tiffany Haddish inhabited the legendary TV roles for one night. gads_event = event; It was brought to the fore on November 30, 2020, when Shannon shared several images of herself and her daughter as she celebrated the latter's 29th birthday. ga('ads.send', { The U.S. Supreme court struck down laws banning interracial marriage. Even if you dont know his name, youve surely seen him onscreen, whether youre a baby boomer or a member of Gen Z. Two marriages and two children later, Amos has been a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), However, at the time John and his ex-wife started dating, interracial marriage was illegal. The 1970s represented a period of drastic changes in the TV landscape. Nonetheless, he wasnt expecting to receive a call from Normal Lear while the show was on break. 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. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { He is extremely versatile in the roles that he has played both on television as well as on the big screen. All I knew was their love. He was from the inner city of Newark, NJ she was from the small mid-west town of Esterville, Iowa. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { Amos had also served in the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { Amos also played the role of Anthony Anderson in All About the Andersons in 2003. On Tuesday night, he was reunited with legendary television producer Norman Lear . window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Capping his theatrical career was the 1990 inaugural of his one-man show "Halley's Comet", an amusing and humanistic American journey into the life of an 87-year-old who recalls, among other things, World War II, the golden age of radio, the early civil rights movement, and the sighting of the Comet when he was 11. He has found it a constant uphill battle to further himself in an industry that tends to diminish an actor's talents with severe and/or demeaning stereotypes and easy pigeonholing. He is also a Golden Gloves Boxing Champion. She was best known for her role in the 'Good Times' parent show 'Maude', where she starred for two seasons, before venturing off to the sitcom that earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1976. The Roots actors son KC also shares a great bond with his father. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. 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}} The first Live in Front of a Studio Audience scored huge ratings and earned three Emmy Award nominations. As Good Times grew in popularity, it increasingly focused on the the "dy-no-mite"-spouting elder son J.J., portrayed by comedian Jimmie Walker. I only saw them as my parents the two people who loved me. 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. 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.
how old is john amos from good times