UNA Pressroom

John Amos Returning To Birmingham Roots

Jul. 20, 2009



Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

Actor/director performs one-man show 'Halley's Comet' at UNA Saturday FLORENCE, Ala. - Actor/director John Amos - known for roles on "Good Times," "The West Wing" and other television and film hits - will relive some childhood memories Wednesday as he returns to Birmingham by train. As a child, he would ride a train, the Silver Comet, from New Jersey to Birmingham to visit relatives. He hasn't returned to the city since 1954. Amos is coming back to Alabama to perform his one-man show, "Halley's Comet," at the University of North Alabama. The show is part of UNA's annual Summer Theatre Program. Amos will take stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25 in UNA's Norton Auditorium. Tickets are available at www.una.edu/summertheatre. "Halley's Comet" was conceived and written by Amos in 1980 and features a character who shares memories of witnessing Halley's Comet twice in his life - once at age 10 and now in his old age. He reveals a life full of adventure, drama and dreams - combining that which is very funny, tempered with life's sadnesses. "Halley's Comet" is a theatrical journey that proves the endurance of the human spirit. Amos has directed and acted in a variety of stage productions from Los Angeles to Broadway to England. He is particularly known for his roles in a long list of television hits, including Kunta Kinte in the epic mini-series "Roots," James Evans in the hit series "Good Times" and Percy Fitzwallace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in "The West Wing." INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE TO MEDIA: Amos will be available for in-person interviews upon his arrival in Birmingham on Wednesday. He is also available for telephone interviews. To schedule an interview, contact Madeline McCray at 917-557-2388, 760-989-2019, mysonsut@yahoo.com or hcmadeline@gmail.com

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/