John Amos is an American film and television actor whose peak of popularity came in the 70s of the last century. Known for the role of James Evans in the sitcom Good Times and Fred Wilkes in the youth comedy The Prince of Beverly Hills. Among the feature films with the participation of the actor, it is worth highlighting the comedy "Trip to America", in which Eddie Murphy also played.
Biography
The future actor was born in Newark, New Jersey. In school, Amos played in the university football team, was engaged in boxing. His father was a car mechanic, his mother a housewife.
John Amos graduated from the University of Colorado with a social worker diploma, but never worked in this specialty.
Before starting an actor’s career, John tried to make a name for himself in the world of big sport, but all his attempts failed. Realizing that he could not become a great American football player, Amos decided to devote himself to an acting career and moved to California.
First roles
The first film in the career of John Amos was the independent thriller Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. At the box office, the tape went well, collecting $ 15 million with a budget of 150 thousand.
In 1973, the actor was approved for the main role in the comedy "The World's Greatest Athlete." The film received mixed reviews from critics and was coolly received by the public.
In the same year, Amos got a small role in the sitcom "Sanford and Son", quite popular in the United States.
"Good times"
A real breakthrough for the aspiring actor was the role of James Evans in the sitcom Good Times, which tells the story of the lives of several African-American families. The series was very popular - more than 20 million viewers watched it regularly. Sitcom stayed on air for 6 seasons, Amos's character is key in the first three.
Further career
After two years of working on Good Times, the actor decided to take a break from working on sitcoms. For 20 years he starred exclusively in feature films. Amos returned to television only in 1995, having received a supporting role in the sitcom "Prince of Beverly Hills". The main role in the series was played by Will Smith.
The next project in the filmography of John Amos is the sitcom "Two and a Half Men." The main roles were played by Charlie Sinn and Jonathan Cryer. The series gained deafening popularity, but received mixed reviews from critics for its frank coverage of the themes of sexism and homosexuality. Amos got a small role for Ed in season 7 of the series.
The latest television project with John Amos is the comedy series Ranch. The actor played the role of Ed Bishop, a friend of the Bennett family in the 1-2 season of the series.
Movie roles
The filmography of the actor has more than thirty full-length films. John Amos tries himself in different genres, from dramas to horror.
In 1982, the actor was selected for one of the main roles in the science fiction film "Lord of the Beasts." The director of the tape was John Coskarelli, known for the Fantasm horror. "Lord of the Beasts" went well at the box office. In 1991, a sequel was released on DVD, but in the sequel, John Amos was no longer filming.
In 1988, John played along with Eddie Murphy in the comedy Trip to America. The film was a box office hit, collecting $ 288 million at the box office.
In 1989, Amos played with Sylvester Stallone and Donald Sutherland in the prison drama Locked Up. Despite the good cast, the film was not liked by critics and failed at the box office.
The next project in the filmography of the actor was the horror Dario Argento "Two evil eyes." John Amos played the role of Detective Legrand in the episode "Black Cat".
In 1990, the actor received a supporting role in the blockbuster "Die Hard-2". The film became one of the highest grossing projects of the year, raising $ 240 million at the box office. Like other parts of Die Hard, this film has still not lost its popularity among connoisseurs of good action movies.
This work was followed by the role of Stiles' father in the thriller "Ricochet" - the film was a breakthrough for then-aspiring actor Denzel Washington.
In 1993, Amos played one of the main roles in the horror "Messenger of Darkness." His frame partners were Michael Ironside and Robert Davy. From critics and viewers, the tape received mixed reviews.
For the next 10 years, there were no star projects in Amos’s career. He played small roles in comedies that did not earn fame outside the United States.
In 2004, John Amos appeared in two Russian action movies - Personal Number and Shadow Boxing.
In 2006, the actor played the role of Jada, an elderly rancher in the comedy "Doctor Dolittle 3".
In 2012, Amos played Pastor Nelson in the comedy Madeia's Witness Protection Program. The main role in the film was played by Tyler Perry, who also directed the film. Critics did not like the tape at all and received 5 nominations for the Golden Raspberry Award.
Personal life
John Amos was married three times. In 1965, the actor married the artist Noel Michelson, from a marriage with whom he has two children - daughter Shannon Amos, a successful writer, and son K. S. Amos, director. In 1975, John and Noel divorced.
From 1978 to 1979, Amos was married to actress Lillian Lehman, star of the series Love and Secrets of Sunset Beach.
In 1982, the actor married Elizabeth De Souce. The spouses have four children.