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John Amos, who has died at the age of 84, will soon be seen in what was to be his final role on NBC’s Suits L.A.. Amos’ passing was announced today, Oct. 1, by his son, Kelly Christopher Amos.
Amos had been cast as a guest star in the Suits: LA pilot from Aaron Korsh. He played himself as a client at Ted’s (Stephen Amell) law firm who also has a longstanding friendship with Ted.
The pilot was picked up to series in July, so it will make it to air when the series debuts later this season. While Amos’ guest appearance was not conceived as part of an ongoing arc, we hear there was a potential for him to recur. He will now be seen in the pilot only.
The new Suits iteration is centered on Amell’s Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.
The main cast also includes Lex Scott Davis who posted a tribute to Amos following the news of his death.
“Was lucky enough to meet this icon during the filming of Suits: LA. My heart hurts,” she wrote. (You can see her IG story below.)
Amos’ career spanned more than five decades in television and film. His most memorable roles include family patriarch James Evans on Norman Lear’s Good Times, WJN-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and as adult Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination.
His other television work included roles on Hunter, 704 Hauser and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as The District, The Andersons, The West Wing and Men in Trees. On the film side, one of his most memorable roles was in 1988’s Coming To America as Cleo McDowell opposite Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem. He also reprised the role in the 2021 sequel. His final film role was in 2023’s The Last Rifleman, written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and directed by Terry Loane.
