Who is actor John Amos?
JOHN Amos is an Emmy-nominated actor who has had an illustrious career in show business.
A former NFL player, Amos transitioned into entertainment through the standup scene and eventually became an esteemed actor.
Who is actor John Amos?
Born on December 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, John Amos is an American actor and former athlete.
He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology.
He was part of the Colorado State Rams football team and after graduating, he explored boxing and became a Golden Gloves boxing champion.
Amos went on to sign a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos, but was let go before he could even play due to an injury.
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He then played for various teams in minor leagues, particularly the United Football League, Continental Football League, and Atlantic Coast Football League.
He also signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs but was eventually cut from the team.
When his football career didn't pan out, Amos joined the entertainment industry with the Greenwich Village stand-up scene as his gateway.
He also worked as an advertising and comedy writer and a TV commercial actor and Pillsbury and McDonald's.
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Amos got his big break when he was cast on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which he played the weatherman Gordon "Gordy" Howard from 1970 to 1973.
John Amos has been married twice — first to artist and equestrian Noel Mickelson and then to actress Lillian Lehman.
Amos and Mickelson share two kids, Shannon, a writer and producer, and K.C., a Grammy-nominated director.
What happened to John Amos?
In March 2024, TMZ reported that John Amos' daughter, Shannon, accused his son, K.C., of elder abuse.
Shannon reportedly contacted Adult Protective Services to report that K.C. had not been giving their father proper care despite battling various medical concerns.
Shannon made similar accusations in June of 2023.
At the time, she set up a GoFundMe page hoping to raise $500,000 to raise funds for John who had "fallen victim to elder abuse and financial exploitation."
She hopes to use the money to "catch and prosecute the alleged perpetrators."
"Our priority remains my father's medical needs and providing him a safe haven. His home had been violated, stripped of anything valuable," she added.
But John went on to refute her claims via an Instagram video shared by K.C. He denied ever being in a critical condition.
"I'm not in the hospital as a result of anything that happened recently, other than the fact that about a month ago, I was hospitalized because I was suffering from water retention and a couple of other issues — all of which have been corrected, or at least addressed," he said.
"I'm very confident in the doctors that I have here and the medical staff that my son has assembled all around me. So I feel very good about that."
He went on to redirect the accusations to Shannon instead.
"My main issues are I feel like, prior to entering the hospital, I had some ongoing issues with my daughter, who I feel has taken advantage of me. She would be the primary suspect, if you would.
" She is the one that I would attribute my elderly abuse to."
What TV shows and movies is John Amos known for?
John Amos is best known for his role as Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots and James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times.
He also had a recurring role on The West Wing as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace and NBC's Hunter as a police captain.
He had appearances in a long list of TV shows, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Men in Trees, The District, Two and a Half Men, The Ranch, and 30 Rock.
Outside of TV, he's worked on countless movies, including The Beastmaster, Coming to America, Lock Up, and Die Hard 2.
As of this writing, Amos is working on a docuseries about his life and career alongside his son, K.C.
“It covers my career, his career, our joint careers. And it's something that I think every father and son will want to see," he told People.
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“We're calling it America's Dad because so many young men have come up to me and said, ‘Your father was my father,’” K.C. said.
“And I mean, people of all walks of life — even guys who look like bikers with ZZ Top beards have come up to me and said, ‘Can I give you a hug? Your father was my father, man.’ And they just want a chance to shake his hand.”