john amos He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on August 21, his representative confirmed on Tuesday. He was 84 years old.
“With a career spanning more than five decades, Amos leaves behind a legacy of groundbreaking work in both television and film, as well as a commitment to positive African American representation in the media,” the statement said.
Late actor best known for his role as James Evans Sr. good time, Where he played the role of a hard-working father trying to support his family in a challenging environment. However, his character was written out in season 4 and died in an automobile accident.
Here’s everything you need to know about how that decision came to be.
Was John Amos fired? good time,
good time Earned high ratings and was lauded for making television history as one of the first sitcoms with an all black cast, preceding norman lear‘S jefferson (1975–85). However, both Amos and esther rolleHis wife, who played Florida Evans, felt that inroads had yet to be made by black members of the production. He urged Lear to allow him to revise the script, which was largely composed by white writers.
Describing the trials and tribulations of a black working-class family living in the Chicago projects, good time (1974–79), which aired on CBS, never shied away from the grim realities of life in public housing. The show tackled topics such as racial bigotry, drug abuse and poverty while maintaining a sense of humor.
Despite its critical success, Amos felt the show leaned too heavily towards comedy. At one point, while reminiscing about his roots with a childhood friend, his character James was so poor that while other children had stains on their clothes, he had “stains on my clothes!”
Amos explained, “I had a way of expressing my differences with the script that was not acceptable to the creative staff.”
Amos’s outspokenness, which was initially welcomed, ultimately led to his dismissal in 1976 due to what he deemed a “disruptive element”, as he noted in an interview with the SiriusXM program. Sway in the morning. He was written out of Season 4 and his character died in an automobile accident.
“I was not the most diplomatic person in those days, and [the show’s producers] Fed up with threats to my life over jokes,” he added. “So they said, ‘Tell you what, why don’t we kill him? We can go on with our lives!’ This taught me a lesson – I was not as important to the show or to Norman Lear’s plans as I thought.
