James L. Avery, Sr. on:
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James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Judge Michael Conover on ''
AveryFest is an annual African-American cultural and music festival held every September or October since 2023 in Suffolk, Virginia, near the birthplace of Avery.
Featured at the 2023 festival were Barbara Avery, his TV wife from ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', actress Daphne Maxwell Reid, and a special jazz spotlight in memory of Avery, who loved jazz music.
The HistoryMakers
Biography, photos and video clips {{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, James 1945 births 2013 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Atlantic City, New Jersey African-American male writers African-American poets African-American screenwriters African-American television writers African-American United States Navy personnel African Americans in the Vietnam War American male film actors American male poets American male television actors American male television writers American male voice actors American television personalities Television writers from California Atlantic City High School alumni Deaths from complications of heart surgery Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from Virginia People from Suffolk, Virginia Screenwriters from New Jersey Screenwriters from Virginia United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Navy sailors University of California, San Diego alumni Virginia State University alumni Writers from Atlantic City, New Jersey
L.A. Law
''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
The series cente ...
'', Steve Yeager in '' The Brady Bunch Movie'', and Dr. Crippen on '' The Closer'' (2005–2007); and as the voice actor for Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'' and Haroud Hazi Bin in '' Aladdin.''
Early life
Avery was born on November 27, 1945, in Pughsville, Virginia (present-day Suffolk, Virginia), to mother Florence J. Avery. His father denied paternity and was not listed on his birth certificate. As a teenager, his mother moved him toAtlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
. He graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1963. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
from 1968 to 1969, and then moved to San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, where he began to write poetry and TV scripts for PBS. Avery's first acting role was playing God in the play '' J.B.'' in 1971 at San Diego Community College.
He won an Emmy for production of "Ameda Speaks: Poet James Avery". He then received a scholarship to UC San Diego, where he attended Thurgood Marshall College (then Third College), earning a Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in drama and literature in 1976.
Career
Avery began his career in the 1980s with appearances in television series such as NBC's '' Hill Street Blues'', Showtime sitcom '' Brothers'' as Bubba Dean, '' Amen'', '' FM'' and ''L.A. Law
''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
The series cente ...
''. In the 1990s, he achieved prominence for his role as Philip Banks in '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', a character that was ranked number 34 in ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''s "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time". After ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' ended, he played the lead role of Alonzo Sparks in the UPN comedy series '' Sparks'' that lasted for two seasons. Other notable roles in television included Dr. Crippen in '' The Closer'', Charles Haysbert in '' The Division'', and Michael Kelso's commanding officer at the police academy late in the series run of ''That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
''.
Among his most notable voice credits are the voices of Shredder in the first ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'' animated series, Br'er Bear in the Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
version of Splash Mountain and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures and James Rhodes/War Machine in the 1990s ''Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'' series. He also lent his powerful bass voice as Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and NCAA football, college football player, best known for his time in Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts), Mid-South Wre ...
in '' Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling'' (1985–1986), Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
in '' Rambo and the Forces of Freedom'' (1986), and Haroud Hazi Bin in '' Aladdin'' (1994).
In 1997, Avery hosted the travel series "Going Places" on PBS.
Avery was the commencement speaker for his alma mater, UC San Diego's Thurgood Marshall College, in 2007 and again in 2012.
Personal life
In 1988, Avery married Barbara. Barbara was later dean of student life at Loyola Marymount University. He had no biological children, but was a stepfather to Barbara's son, Kevin Waters.Death
On December 31, 2013, Avery died at the age of 68 at Glendale Memorial Medical Center following complications from open heart surgery. He received tributes from many of the cast members of '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' including Janet Hubert,Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Joseph Marcell.
Avery's remains were cremated and scattered near the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. In April 2020, Will Smith reunited with the cast of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' on a video conference honoring Avery's best moments on the show.
AveryFest
AveryFest is an annual African-American cultural and music festival held every September or October since 2023 in Suffolk, Virginia, near the birthplace of Avery.
Featured at the 2023 festival were Barbara Avery, his TV wife from ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', actress Daphne Maxwell Reid, and a special jazz spotlight in memory of Avery, who loved jazz music.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games/Other
References
External links
*The HistoryMakers
Biography, photos and video clips {{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, James 1945 births 2013 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Atlantic City, New Jersey African-American male writers African-American poets African-American screenwriters African-American television writers African-American United States Navy personnel African Americans in the Vietnam War American male film actors American male poets American male television actors American male television writers American male voice actors American television personalities Television writers from California Atlantic City High School alumni Deaths from complications of heart surgery Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from Virginia People from Suffolk, Virginia Screenwriters from New Jersey Screenwriters from Virginia United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Navy sailors University of California, San Diego alumni Virginia State University alumni Writers from Atlantic City, New Jersey