‘A Prince in New York’ actor John Amos dies aged 84
On August 21, veteran actor John Amos, screenwriter and star of films such as “A Prince in New York”, “Die Hard 2” and the miniseries “Roots”, died at the age of 84. The death was due to natural causes, in Los Angeles, and only became public this Tuesday (1). “It is with deep sadness that I share with you that my father passed away”, said his son Kelly Christopher Amos in a statement to Deadline. “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 great work on television and in film as an actor.” Born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, Amos had humble beginnings as the son of a tractor driver and a maid, but later became a nutritionist. Before acting, he invested in a career as an American football player, an attempt that soon came to an end when he suffered a muscle strain in his thigh while playing for the Denver Broncos. Although he received another chance later, as a player for one of the major leagues, the Kansas City Chiefs, this trajectory did not succeed. Amos’ first major role was in the television series “Good Times”, shown in the 1970s, but the actor was soon fired from the production after speaking out against several racial stereotypes reproduced by the production. The episodes followed the story of a poor African-American family who lived in one of the social housing projects in Chicago, in the United States. In 1977, Amos was nominated for an Emmy for his role in the miniseries “Roots”, an adaptation of the book of the same name. by Alex Haley. The plot follows the story of Kunta Kinte, a character kidnapped from Africa who becomes a slave in the United States. Amos played the older version of the protagonist. In addition to “A Prince in New York”, he also acted in films such as “The President’s Men”, “Stallone – Prisoner” and worked with filmmakers such as Dario Argento, Sidney Poitier, Cheryl Dunye and Melvin Van Peebles. In addition to American football and the screen, he also studied Sociology to become a social worker, in addition to having worked in the boxing ring and on the Broadway stage. The actor was widely recognized for the paternal and warm atmosphere he conveyed and made history by managing to become impose, as a black actor, at a time when television and cinema were dominated by a majority of white artists.
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On August 21, veteran actor John Amos, screenwriter and star of films such as “A Prince in New York”, “Die Hard 2” and the miniseries “Roots”, died at the age of 84. The death occurred due to natural causes, in Los Angeles, and was only made public this Tuesday (1).
“It is with deep sadness that I share with you that my father has passed away,” son Kelly Christopher Amos said in a statement to Deadline. “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 great work on television and in cinema as an actor”.
Born in 1939 in Newark, New Jersey, Amos came from humble beginnings as the son of a tractor driver and a maid, but later became a nutritionist. Before acting, he invested in a career as an American football player, an attempt that soon came to an end when he suffered a muscle strain in his thigh while playing for the Denver Broncos. Although he received another chance later, as a player for one of the major leagues, the Kansas City Chiefs, this trajectory did not succeed.
Amos’ first major role was in the television series “Good Times”, shown in the 1970s, but the actor was soon fired from the production after speaking out against several racial stereotypes reproduced by the production. The episodes followed the story of a poor African-American family who lived in one of the social housing projects in Chicago, in the United States.
In 1977, Amos was nominated for an Emmy for his role in the miniseries “Roots”, an adaptation of the book written by Alex Haley. The plot follows the story of Kunta Kinte, a character kidnapped from Africa who becomes a slave in the United States. Amos played the older version of the protagonist.
In addition to “A Prince in New York”, he also acted in films such as “The President’s Men”, “Stallone – Prisoner” and worked with filmmakers such as Dario Argento, Sidney Poitier, Cheryl Dunye and Melvin Van Peebles. In addition to American football and the screen, he also studied Sociology to become a social worker, in addition to having worked in the boxing ring and on the Broadway stage.
The actor was widely recognized for the paternal and warm atmosphere he conveyed and made history by managing to impose himself, as a black actor, at a time when television and cinema were dominated by a majority of white artists.
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