John Allen Amos Jr. was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries
Roots and for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series
Good Times. His other television work includes
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on
The West Wing, and the role of the Mayor of Washington DC Ethan Baker in the series
The District. Amos was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. In film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as
The Beastmaster (1982),
Coming to America (1988),
Lock Up (1989),
Die Hard 2 (1990), and
Coming 2 America (2021).