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American television personality, entrepreneur, and author (1936–2024) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wallace Amos Jr. (July 1, 1936 – August 13, 2024) was an American television personality, businessman, and author. He was the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della's Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and was the host of the adult reading program Learn to Read.
Wally Amos | |
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.jpg) Amos in 2007 | |
| Born | Wallace Amos Jr. July 1, 1936 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 2024 (aged 88) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Resting place | National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.[citation needed] |
| Other names | Famous Amos |
| Known for | Famous Amos, Learn to Read |
| Signature | |
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Amos was born July 1, 1936, to Wallace and Ruby Amos.[1] He was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, until he was 12 years old.[2] When his parents divorced, he moved to New York City with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. He showed his interest in cooking at a young age. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe.[2] Amos dropped out of high school to join the United States Air Force.[1]
He served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, from 1954 until 1957.[3] He earned his high school equivalency diploma[4] before being honorably discharged from the military.[5]
Returning to New York City, Amos took classes to become a secretary and took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency.[1] Eventually, he became the agency's first African American talent agent. He signed Simon & Garfunkel[6] and headed the agency's rock 'n' roll department. Amos attracted clients by sending them chocolate chip cookies along with an invitation to visit him. The musicians he represented included The Temptations and Marvin Gaye.[1]
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In 1975, a friend suggested to Amos that he set up a store to sell his cookies. In March of that year, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California.[7] He started the business with the help of a $25,000 loan from Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy.[4] The company began to expand, and eventually, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies could be found on supermarket shelves across the United States. He became such a known figure culturally that he appeared as himself in the Taxi episode "Latka's Cookies", in 1981. Thanks in part to the success of his cookie company, he was hired to deliver speeches. He wrote several books, many of which have a self-help theme, including The Cookie Never Crumbles[8] and The Power in You.[9]
In 1979, Amos's long-time friend and publicist John Rosica introduced him to Literacy Volunteers of America. Amos advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read. In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV.[10]
In 1986, Amos was awarded the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award by President Ronald Reagan at the White House Conference on Small Business.[4][11]
Due to financial troubles, Amos was forced to sell the Famous Amos Company in 1988.[12] Because the name "Famous Amos" was trademarked by his former company, he had to use Uncle Noname's Cookie Company as his new company's name.[13] A Famous Amos distributor at the time, Lou Avignone, heard Amos on a local radio talk show and contacted Amos with the idea for starting a new business. In 1994, the two became partners and subsequently launched Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins. The company focused on fat-free, nutritious muffins.[14] Uncle Noname became Uncle Wally's Muffin Company in 1999. The muffins were sold in more than 3,500 stores nationwide.[4]
In 2014, an article in Fortune magazine lauded "The cookie comeback of 'Famous' Wally Amos" as Amos brought back his handmade cookies under a new name, The Cookie Kahuna. These cookies were marketed in a store in Hawaii, where Amos was based. They come in the flavors original chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans, and butterscotch with macadamia nuts.[15] Amos appeared on the reality television show Shark Tank in October 2016, pitching Cookie Kahuna, but failed to get a deal.[16] The business folded in 2018.[17][18]
In 2019, Amos was called "the king of cookies" by NBC affiliate KSNV in Las Vegas.[19]
In 2020, Content Media Group released a documentary on the life of Wally Amos, The Great Cookie Comeback: reBaking Wally Amos. The film was directed by Jeff MacIntyre.[20]
Amos was married four times, most recently to Carol Williams.[1] He had four children: Michael Amos, Gregory Amos, Sarah Amos,[21] and musician Shawn Amos.[22] Amos lived in Hawaii from 1977 until 2018,[23][24][25][18] and was again living in the state at the time of his death.[26] He also lived in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was working on Aunt Della's Cookies until 2018.[25]
Amos died due to complications from dementia at his home in Honolulu on August 13, 2024, at the age of 88.[1]
| Year | Name | Type | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Jeffersons | Television sitcom | Man #1 | Season 7, episode 3[27] |
| 1981 | Taxi | Television sitcom | Himself | Episode: "Latka's Cookies"[1] |
| 1987 | Learn to Read | Educational TV series | Host | [28] |
| 2001 | Biography | Television documentary | Himself | Episode: "Famous Wally Amos: The Cookie King".[29] |
| 2012 | The Office[1] | Television sitcom | Himself | Episode: "Tallahassee" |
| 2016 | Shark Tank | Television reality show | Himself | Amos appeared in the October 6, 2016 episode, seeking $50,000 funding for 20% equity of his company "Cookie Kahuna". The Sharks all passed on the opportunity.[30][31] |
| 2018 | The Great Cookie Comeback: Re-Baking Wally Amos | Documentary film | Himself | Released in February 2020, a documentary film on the life of Wally Amos, released by Content Media Group.[32][33][34] |
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