CELEBRITY GUEST ENTERTAIN JOHN AMOS

Day 6/At Sea     Thursday, January 10, 2013/Smart Casual

Crossing the Equator

John Amos was born in Newark, New Jersey, December 27, 1939.  He graduated from East Orange High School and then attended Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California where he acquired an AA in Liberal Arts.  After taking additional courses at Bronx Community College, Mr. Amos the transferred to Colorado State University where he majored in sociology.  He then returned to New York and he took a position as an amicus curiae (a friend of the court) for the Vera Institute of Justice in Manhattan.  While developing his career in social work Mr. Amos would continue his love for football and signed as a free agent with assortment of professional football teams.  After retiring from professional athletics Mr. Amos embarked on an illustrious career in the entertainment industry.  He began his experience in the advertising industry as an Account Executive trainee at Doyle Dane Bernbach, writing copy for such prestigious companies as American Airlines and Volkswagen.  As a comedy writer, Mr. Amos combined both professions at once, working during the day as an advertising copywriter for Chiat Day Advertising and moonlighting as a comedy writer for the Lohman Barkley Radio Show on KFI Los Angeles.  His efforts would win the show two Emmy awards which subsequently launched the careers of Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson and actor Craig T. Nelson.  Mr. Amos then accepted a position as CBS’ first African-American comedy staff writer on the Leslie Uggams’ Show.  He would go on to star in numerous commercials and won the Andy Award for Best Actor in a commercial for Midas Muffler.  In 1971, Mr. Amos made his theatrical stage debut in the L.A. production of the comedy “Norman, Is That You?”  Earning him a Los Angeles Drama Critics nomination for Best Actor.  Broadway theater goers would soon find later Mr. Amos’ talents to be worthy of a standing ovation when he opened in “Tough To Get Help” opposite the late Jack Cassidy.  In 1973, Mr. Amos would star as Coach Sam Archer in the Disney hit “The World’s Greatest Athlete”.  His many theatrical accomplishments would include critically acclaimed performance in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” and “Fences”.  Mr. Amos also performed in Joe Papp’s Shakespeare’s Festival in New York City.  Though he performed in numerous other theatrical productions, none would hold as much personal regard for Mr. Amos as his own one man show, Halley’s Comet, written in 1990.  While Mr. Amos’ television credits are too numerous to list in detail, his work includes “Good Times”, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and “West Wing”, and his Emmy award nomination for Best Actor in the iconic mini-series “Roots”.  Mr. Amos’ other accomplishments include the development of the Cean-Brown Center Stage in Plainfield, New Jersey and his philanthropic work has been recognized by such organizations as Brazil’s Legion of Goodwill who named him their Ambassador of Goodwill at an official ceremony at the United Nations.