John Amos

John Amos
Amos at "Their Voices, Their Stories African-American Veterans Who Served on Iwo Jima", March 2011.
Born	John A. Amos, Jr. (1939-12-27) December 27, 1939 (age 77) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	East Orange High School Colorado State University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Known for	James Evans Sr. – Good Times
Spouse(s)	Noel J. Mickelson (m. 1965; div. 1975) Lillian Lehman (m. 1978; div. 1979) Elisabete De Sousa (m. 1982)
Children	2

John A. Amos, Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor who is best known for his role as James Evans, Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times (1974–76). Amos other television work includes roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing. Amos also played the father of Will Smith's character's girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he had a recurring role on "In The House" with L.L.Cool J, as Coach Sam Wilson. Amos played the Father of Tommy Strawn (Thomas Mikal Ford) on the long running sitcom, Martin, as Sgt. Strawn, and another recurring role on Two and a Half Men as Chelsea's dad's new lover. Amos also played Major Grant, the US Special forces officer in Die Hard 2. Amos has also appeared on Broadway and in numerous films in a career that spans four decades. He has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award.

John A. Amos, Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Annabelle P. and John A. Amos, Sr., who was an auto mechanic. He grew up in East Orange, New Jersey and graduated from East Orange High School in 1958. He enrolled at Long Beach City College and graduated from Colorado State University qualifying as a social worker with a degree in sociology. Amos also played on the Colorado State Rams football team. Amos was a Golden Gloves boxing champion.