John Hancock portrayed the first pastor on Amen before Clifton Davis

Do you recall the first Reverend?

Amen was a hit series that aired on NBC from 1986 until 1991. Reverend Reuben Gregory (Clifton Davis) was hired in the pilot episode and is well-known for the role. Davis is also a minister off-screen. Some longtime fans may have forgotten, and newcomers to the sitcom may not know, that there was another unnamed pastor portrayed by John Hancock, whom Gregory replaced.

Hancock appeared briefly in the Amen pilot episode in one scene but made a powerful statement. Deacon Ernest Frye ( Sherman Hemsley) verbally assaulted the pastor, calling him fat and saying he blocked the view of the choir. In their brief exchange, Frye was like Hemsey's previous character George Jefferson (The Jeffersons) on steroids. The audience laughed, but today, this conversation would be considered abusive body shaming and not allowed.

Hancock's stature led to specific roles

Hancock looked to be over six feet tall and a robust man. In City Heat, his character's name is "Fat Freddie" suggestive of his weight. The actor was born on March 4, 1941, in Hazen, Arkansas, and there is no information on whether or not the name he used was the one given to him at birth or a stage name. He was also a director known for The In-Laws (1979), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and Tank (1984). Hancock's large stature and distinctive bass voice led to his often portraying authority figures, such as a minister, judge, or high-ranking military officer.

Hancock has an impressive resume in TV and film

His face was all over TV screens even if you did not recognize his name. Hancock was in the miniseries Roots the Next Generation and had roles in many television shows, including the following. Knots Landing, Cheers, Family Ties, Different Strokes, Cop Rock, The Dukes of Hazzard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Amen, Midnight Caller, Pacific Station, and L.A. Law.

Between 1971 and 1990, the actor had close to 30 film roles, including The Sting II, 10, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Airplane II, The Sequel, White Mama, and City Heat. Hancock's final role was working on the CBS sitcom Love & War with Susan Dey as bartender Ike Johnson. Hancock died in his home of a heart attack on October 12, 1992, at age 51 in Los Angeles. Ike's death was eventually written into the series.

Hancock returned to Amen as a different character

Hancock's character's name was not mentioned in the pilot episode of Amen. He was only referred to as "Reverend." He returned to the NBC sitcom for three subsequent episodes, as a character named Marshall Whitaker.

Although we now know that body shaming is wrong, life for Hancock seems to have imitated art in the Amen Pilot. Although Deacon Frye came across as rude, he was warning the Reverend that the extra weight he was carrying was not healthy.

A crude delivery but the principle was important

The deacon's delivery to the Reverened was crude and needed some work, but the principle was understood. Being crass was Ernie Frye's manner, just like George Jefferson, who even used racial slurs. Ernie Frye did not cut the new pastor, Reverend Gregory, or anyone else any slack during Amen's five-year run.

John Hancock was a talented actor who had much more to offer, yet he was gone too soon. One can't help but wonder if his weight affected his untimely demise and if the scripted warning on Amen should have been heeded in real-time. Nothing has been said about what led to his heart attack, but medical experts have been sounding the alarm for years that there is a connection between obesity and heart disease, which can lead to death.