Obituaries Detail

Mr. Amos’s acting career spanned more than five decades, with his breakthrough coming in 1970 on the CBS comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” playing Gordy, the weatherman on a local television news program working alongside Ms. Moore’s Mary Richards, an associate producer. After three seasons, Mr. Amos left for “Good Times,” a Norman Lear production and a spinoff of the producer’s sitcom “Maude.” He played James Evans, Sr. in the groundbreaking sitcom that represented American TV’s first look at the lives of a two-parent Black household. Portraying a hard-working father struggling to make ends meet, Amos brought dignity to the role on the “Maude” spin-off. But as the “Good Times” evolved in its second and third seasons, he became frustrated with the show’s increasing focus on the antics of his character’s son, J.J. Amos repeatedly spoke out to its writers about the harmful stereotypes he felt they were perpetuating – as did his co-star, Esther Rolle – but rather than changing the show, network executives chose to fire him. “Good Times” continued for three seasons after Amos’ character was killed off, and the two-part episode in which his death was announced at the start of Season Four included one of TV’s most poignant portrayals of grief as Rolle’s character reacted to her loss. In the wake of his firing from “Good Times,” Amos was cast in a starring role in “Roots,” He played the adult Kunta Kinte, an African man stolen from his home and enslaved in America. Starring in three of the drama’s five installments, Amos was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Before he was an actor, Amos studied sociology at Colorado State University, where he also played football. After college, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and briefly played for them and in smaller leagues, but injury ended his football career. He didn’t immediately pivot to acting, instead diving into his writing talent. Amos was writing sketches for “The Leslie Uggams Show” when his first acting job came in an episode of “The Bill Cosby Show.” He went on to win some notable early TV spots, among them Gordy Howard, the news weatherman, in a recurring role on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” He continued to act on television throughout his career, including a notable role on “The West Wing” as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace. He was a co-star of “Men in Trees” and played recurring parts on such shows as “Hunter,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and “The District.” His many guest appearances included on “The A-Team,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Two and a Half Men,” “30 Rock,” and “The Righteous Gemstones.” In addition to his prolific TV career, Amos also turned in an array of memorable movie performances. Among the best known is his role as Cleo McDowell in 1988’s “Coming to America.” The fast-food eatery owner who employed Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem was a fan favorite, and Amos returned for the long-awaited 2021 sequel, “Coming 2 America.” His other movies included “Let’s Do It Again,” “Die Hard 2,” “Madea’s Witness Protection,” and “Uncut Gems.”