As the world mourns the passing of actor John Amos, celebrities and fans alike have been posting tributes to his talent and his character. The Newark, N.J. native was known for his roles on the big and small screen in projects such as “Roots,” “Good Times” and “Coming to America.” Martin Lawrence and Anthony Hamilton are among the stars who took time to honor Amos – who died at age 84 of natural causes on August 21 – online.
But one of the most touching tributes of all came from LeVar Burton, Amos’ co-star in the hit 1977 mini-series “Roots.” Burton played a young Kunta Kinte, the son of an African warrior who is captured, sold to a slave trader and brought to America. Amos played the adult Kunta Kinte, a role which earned him an Emmy nomination in 1977.
Stopping by The Root to talk about his latest project, hosting the television version of “Trivial Pursuit” on the CW, LeVar Burton shared his reflections on Amos’ passing, including the meaning of his presence on television.
“I’ll remember John most because it had tremendous impact on me as I was coming up,” he said. “James Evans was the first Black man on television I saw that was a householder in series television.”
He added that even though Amos’ “Good Times” character was ultimately killed, it was refreshing to see a Black man supporting his family on television, especially as the media so often portrayed them in a negative light.
“In the 60s and 70s when I was growing up, Black men were vilified in the media. They were painted as boogeymen, responsible for all of the crime in America and all of the absentee fatherism in the country,” he said. “John Amos changed that. He was a householder getting it done for the family at the point of purchase. And then they killed him.”
Burton said he will forever grateful for what John Amos did for television.
“John Amos changed the way America saw Black men, and he will forever be remembered for that,” he said.