*Famous Faces on "Good Times" (Season One)!
by gattonero975 | created - 18 Apr 2016 | updated - 19 Apr 2016 | PublicGOOD TIMES was that rare hit show which was a spin-off of a spin-off! (TV's "All in the Family" begat "Maude", which in turn spawned GOOD TIMES on CBS) Airing for six highly-rated seasons, GOOD TIMES altered America's cultural landscape by tackling topical, often controversial issues from a uniquely African-American perspective, while delivering heart-warming laughs.
Focusing on a poor but proud family in the Chicago projects, the Evans clan- headed by James (John Amos) and sharp-tongued mother Florida (Esther Rolle)- struggled against adversity while keeping their heads held high, striking a chord with audiences of all colors. The trailblazing show also made a star of jive-talkin' comedian Jimmie Walker whose catchphrase "DYN-O-MITE!" became part of "70s pop culture.
1. Jimmie 'JJ' Walker
Actor | Good Times
He symbolized the 70s American dream of success -- the former kid from the ghetto who rose to wisecracking TV superstardom. While in his element as the broadly strutting, gleamy-toothed J.J. Evans of the popular urban-styled sitcom Good Times (1974), Jimmie Walker lived the extremely good life. ...
"James 'J.J.' Evans, Jr."
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
2. John Amos
Actor | Coming to America
A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. He has found it a constant ...
"James Evans, Sr."
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
3. Ralph Carter
Actor | Good Times
Ralph Carter was born on May 30, 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Good Times (1974), Broadway Damage (1997) and The Groomsmen (2006).
Michael Evans"
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
4. Ja'net DuBois
Soundtrack | Good Times
Ja'Net DuBois was a multi-talented and diverse performer. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and began her career on Broadway. She has appeared in various plays, including "Golden Boy" with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., and "A Raisin in the Sun". She moved onto TV roles, receiving a Peabody...
"Willona Woods" (as Ja'net Du Bois)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
5. Esther Rolle
Actress | Driving Miss Daisy
Best known for the role of Florida Evans on the 1970s sitcoms Maude (1972) and Good Times (1974), African-American actress Esther Rolle proved to be as spirited and iron-willed off-camera as well. The gap-toothed actress with the gravelly voice was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child of ...
"Florida Evans"
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
6. BernNadette Stanis
Actress | Good Times
BernNadette Stanis is best known as Thelma from Good Times (1974), but there's much more to her than that. In the 1970s she was the personification of black beauty. As sophisticated and graceful as she was, she still became TV's first black sex symbol or "It" girl. Thelma/BernNadette and the Evans ...
"Thelma Evans" (as Bern Nadette)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial (26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
7. Roscoe Lee Browne
Actor | The Cowboys
He was a master class in cerebral eloquence and audience command...and although his dominant playing card in the realm of acting was quite serious and stately, nobody cut a more delightfully dry edge in sitcoms than this gentleman, whose calm yet blistering put-downs often eluded his lesser victims.
...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4 God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974) Reverend Sam
8. Woodrow Parfrey
Actor | The Outlaw Josey Wales
Parfrey was born Sydney Woodrow Parfrey in New York City, New York, to Hazel (James) and Sidney Parfrey, both Welsh immigrants. One of the most interesting character actors to emerge on American film and television in the 1960s, Parfrey brought a quirky charisma to every role he played, from ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1 Too Old Blues (8 February 1974) Interviewer
9. Philip Michael Thomas
Actor | Miami Vice
Philip Michael Thomas - the multi-talented performer best known as Detective Rico Tubbs in the iconic 1980s TV series Miami Vice (1984) - made his Broadway debut in 1971 in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play No Place to Be Somebody...and hasn't looked back since.
In a remarkable career that spans ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6 Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974) Eddie Conroy (as Philip Thomas)
10. Hal Williams
Actor | Guess Who
A veteran professional actor who has co-starred as a television series regular in NINE, prime time, HIT series, and has established himself solidly in both the areas of comedy and drama. Hal's latest projects include Disney Family Channel's Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008) and Hallmark's Generation Gap ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3 Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974) Tom
11. Raymond Allen
Actor | Sanford and Son
Raymond Allen was born on March 5, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Sanford and Son (1972), Darktown Strutters (1975) and Fight That Ghost (1946). He was married to Barbra Williams. He died on August 10, 2020 in California, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10 Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974) Ned the Wino (as Raymond G. Allen)
12. Ernie Lee Banks
Actor | Mystery Men
Ernie Lee Banks was born on April 3, 1935 in Franklin, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Mystery Men (1999), Bulworth (1998) and Life (1999). He died on August 13, 2006 in Franklin, Virginia, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3 Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974) Eddie (as Ernie Banks)
13. Matthew 'Stymie' Beard
Actor | Dogs Is Dogs
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard was born on January 1, 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Dogs Is Dogs (1931), Love Business (1931) and Free Wheeling (1932). He was married to Annie. He died on January 8, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
"Monty" (as Stymie Beard)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
14. Robin Braxton
Actress | Blue Thunder
Robin Braxton is known for Blue Thunder (1983), Hunter (1984) and Lonely Boy (2013).
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10 Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974) Mrs. Vinson
15. Ed Cambridge
Actor | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Edmund J. Cambridge is the Founding Member of the Legendary "Cambridge Players" a Theater Troupe that First Produce James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner" on Broadway in 1965 which was produced by Nat King Cole Wife "Maria Ellington". The founding members of The Cambridge Players are Juanita Moore, ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7 Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974) Leroy Jackson (as Edmund Cambridge)
16. Frank Campanella
Actor | Pretty Woman
Frank Campanella was born on March 12, 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Pretty Woman (1990), Overboard (1987) and Raising Helen (2004). He died on December 30, 2006 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8 Junior the Senior (29 March 1974) Mr. Kirkwood
17. Betty Cole
Actress | The Postman Always Rings Twice
Betty Cole was born on April 4, 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Martin (1992) and New York, New York (1977). She was married to Eddie Cole. She died on November 16, 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10 Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974) Mrs. Hines
18. Carl M. Craig
Actor | Seabiscuit
Carl M. Craig was born in April 1938 in Gilmore, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Seabiscuit (2003), NYPD Blue (1993) and Kojak (1973). He died on October 31, 2012 in Glen Oak, California, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3 Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974) Hustler (as Carl Craig)
19. Simeon Holloway
Actor | Trouble Man
Simeon Holloway was born on December 15, 1920 in Gary, Indiana. He was an actor, known for Trouble Man (1972), Hill Street Blues (1981) and Skag (1980). He died on December 30, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10 Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974) Mr. Johnson
20. Eric Monte
Writer | Good Times
Kenneth Williams, most popularly known by his stage name Eric Monte, was born and raised in the economically impoverished Cabrini-Green Housing project in Chicago. It was an environment filled with gangs, high unemployment, and drugs. When Monte was five years old, he loved to play cowboys and ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
The Runner
*special note: Monte was the co-writer, along with actor/writer Mike Evans, of "Good Times". *
21. Ernest Morrison
Actor | Ghosts on the Loose
"Sunshine Sammy" Morrison was most famous as one of the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids, but he was probably the most experienced actor of that group. Morrison made his film debut while still an infant; his father worked for a wealthy Los Angeles family that had connections in the film industry, and ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11 The TV Commercial ( April 1974) The Messenger
22. Dean Santoro
Actor | Remington Steele
Dean Santoro was born on January 30, 1938 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Remington Steele (1982), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and House Calls (1979). He died on June 10, 1987 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12 The Checkup ( 5 May 1974) The Doctor
23. Richard B. Shull
Actor | Splash
Veteran character actor Richard B. Shull was born on February 24, 1929 in Evanston, Illinois and raised in the Midwest. He attended the University of Iowa, then served with the U.S. Army in 1953. Finding work as a stage manager following his release, he finally made his Broadway debut in the Marx ...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9 The Visitor (5 April 1974) William Stonehurst
24. Ta-Tanisha
Actress | The Sting
Ta-Tanisha was born on January 15, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for The Sting (1973), The Stone Killer (1973) and Mission: Impossible (1966). She has been married to Lee Weaver since July 10, 1971. They have one child. She was previously married to Harold Eugene Hambrick...
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13 My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974) Marcy
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