“Roots,” “Good Times” and “The West Wing” actors remember

Actor John Amos, who made his name on US television in the hugely popular series Roots and Good Times, was recognized.

Amos, 84, played the strict but loving patriarch James Evans in Good Times, one of the first sitcoms about a black family in 1974.

But he was fired after three seasons following heated and protracted arguments over how the show's white writers portrayed their characters.

He then played the older Kunta Kinte in Roots, a landmark drama about an African who is shipped to America as a slave.

Amos also had roles in films like Die Hard 2, Coming To America and Uncut Gems.

His other television appearances included The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The West Wing, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 30 Rock and Two and a Half Men.

His final role will be in the upcoming series Suits LA.

As a tribute, fellow actor Martin Lawrence wrote on social media: “This one is different. My condolences to the family of a true legend, John Amos.”

His “Good Times” co-star. Jimmie Walker told people: “John was a great actor and my condolences go out to his entire family, his friends and his many, many fans.”

In announcing Amos' death, his son Kelly Christopher said, “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved around the world.”

“Many fans consider him their TV dad. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding achievements as an actor on television and film.”

Amos started out as an American football player before starting acting in the comedies The Leslie Uggams Show and Maude.

His character in Maude – along with his on-screen wife, played by Esther Rolle – then got a spin-off in the form of Good Times, set in a high-rise housing project in Chicago.

“This show was the most realistic portrayal of the life of an African-American family that could live under these circumstances,” Amos said said Time Magazine in 2021.

However, it was often not close enough for the actor, and so he clashed with creator Norman Lear and demanded that the writing team make changes to the scripts.

“They kept talking about her credits,” he told SiriusXM Radio.

He said he would respond, “Well, how long have you been black?” That just doesn't happen in the community. We don't think like that. We don't act like that. We won't let our children do that.”

He particularly objected to the increasing prominence of the character of his son JJ, played by Walker, who had the catchphrase “dyn-o-mite.”

“I felt like there was too much emphasis on JJ with his chicken hat and he said, 'Don't worry!' every third page,” Amos remembers.

“I felt that just as much emphasis and success could have been given to my other two children, one of whom, played by Ralph Carter, aspired to be a Supreme Court justice and the other, (played by) BernNadette Stanis, who aspired to become a surgeon.

“But I wasn't the most diplomatic guy at the time, and (the producers) were tired of their lives being threatened over jokes.”

“So they said, ‘Why don’t we kill him? We can move on with our lives!'

“It taught me a lesson – I wasn’t as important to the show or Norman Lear’s plans as I thought.”

Good Times was adapted in Britain in 1976 as The Fosters, the first British sitcom to feature an all-black cast.

Norman Beaton played the father, with Lenny Henry playing one of his sons in one of his early roles.

Amos moved on to Roots, which began in 1977 said the US Library of Congress was seen at least in part by 85% of all US households.

Based on Alex Haley's novel, the miniseries “raised American awareness of the history of slavery and its impact on today,” Amos told New York station NY1 in 2022.

“I knew it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic perspective,” he told Time.

“It was the culmination of all the misunderstandings and stereotypical roles I had experienced and seen being offered to me. It was like a reward for suffering these humiliations.”