Tributes have been paid to actor John Amos, who made his mark on American TV in the hugely popular historical series Roots and Good Times.

Amos, who was 84, played strict but loving patriarch James Evans in 1974’s Good Times, one of the first sitcoms about a black family.

But he was fired after three seasons following heated and lengthy discussions about the way the show’s white writers portrayed the characters.

He next played the elderly Kunta Kinte in Roots, a landmark drama about an African man shipped to America as a slave.

Amos also had roles in films such as Die Hard 2, Coming To America and Uncut Gems.

His other TV credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The West Wing, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 30 Rock and Two and a Half Men.

His latest role will be in the upcoming series Suits LA.

In tribute, fellow actor Martin Lawrence wrote on social media: “This one comes across differently. My condolences go out to the family of a true legend, John Amos.”

His co-star in Good Times Jimmie Walker told People: “John was a great actor and my condolences go out to all his family, friends and his many, many fans.”

Announcing Amos’ death, his son Kelly Christopher said: “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved all over the world.

“Many fans consider him their TV dad. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on through his outstanding works on television and film as an actor.”

Veteran weather presenter Al Roker posted that Amos always “brought dignity, grace and honesty to his roles.”

He wrote: “I remember him as Gordy The Weatherman at WJM (on The Mary Tyler Moore Show) when we were just starting out as a TV weatherman in 1974 and saw him as a role model.

“And when he left Good Times, people respected him for his stand. He will be missed.”

Amos started out as an American football player before moving on to acting in comedies The Leslie Uggams Show and Maude.

His character in Maude – along with his on-screen wife, played by Esther Rolle – subsequently got a spin-off in the form of Good Times, set in a Chicago high-rise project.

“That show was actually the closest to living as an African American family living in those circumstances as it could possibly be,” Amos told Time magazine in 2021.

But it often wasn’t close enough for the actor, who clashed with creator Norman Lear and asked for changes to be made to the writing team’s scripts.

“They would go on about their credits,” he told SiriusXM radio.

He said he would respond: “How long have you been black? That just doesn’t happen in the community. We don’t think like that. We don’t act like that. We don’t let our kids do that.” That.”

He particularly objected to the increasing fame of his son JJ’s character, played by Walker, who had the catchphrase “dyn-o-mite”.

“I felt like there was too much emphasis on JJ with his chicken hat saying ‘dy-no-mite!’ every third page,” Amos recalled.

“I felt like just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children, one of whom aspired to be a Supreme Court justice, played by Ralph Carter, and the other (played by) BernNadette Stanis, who aspired to become a judge. become a surgeon.

“But I wasn’t the most diplomatic guy at the time, and the producers were tired of their lives being threatened over jokes.

“So they said, ‘You know what, why don’t we kill him? We can get on with our lives!’

“That taught me a lesson: I wasn’t as important as I thought I was to the show or to Norman Lear’s plans.”

Good Times was adapted into a film in Britain in 1976 as The Fosters, the first British sitcom with an all-black cast.

Norman Beaton played the father, with Lenny Henry in one of his early roles as one of his sons.

Amos moved on to Roots, which started in 1977 according to the US Library of Congress was at least partially watched by 85% of all US households.

Based on the novel by Alex Haley, the miniseries “raised American consciousness” about the history of slavery and its contemporary impact, Amos told New York channel NY1 in 2022.

“I knew it was a life-changing role for me, as an actor and just from a humanistic point of view,” he told Time.

“It was the culmination of all the misconceptions and stereotypical roles I had lived and been offered to me. It was like a reward for enduring these humiliations.”