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34-687: 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 L.A. Law , 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 and Haroud Hazi Bin in Aladdin . Avery

68-453: A ball, winning $ 900 and the car back. A particularly poignant moment with the character is seen in the season four episode, "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse", in which Phil offers Will compassion and a literal shoulder to cry on after Will's father visits and then leaves without Will, breaking a promise to take his son on a cross-country trip. The episode aimed to show Phil at "the height of his protective fatherly tendencies". Phil Zeke Banks

102-492: A car that they had actually been paid by one of Philip’s law firm’s senior partners to drive from one Bel-Air to Palm Springs, Phil berates the officers on duty for immediately writing the two off as criminals instead of going through the proper procedures, noting that they had not contacted him despite Will and Carlton being minors and Phil being both their legal guardian and their attorney. After their release, Will and Carlton argue about racial profiling, with Carlton insisting that

136-623: A character that was ranked number 34 in TV Guide ' 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

170-408: A deal she turned down. Smith spoke about how he was neither "sensitive" nor "perceptive" to Hubert's situation and was very young and immature at that time. Being a parent now, however, has taught him how to understand what she was dealing with. Smith assured Hubert he wishes he had acted differently and apologized for his actions. In the end, the two appeared to reconcile. Hubert then joined the rest of

204-567: A farm in North Carolina . It is shown that Phil was a country boy and never told the family about his secret and that he had a companion pig named Melvin. A journalist ( Kathy Griffin ), comes to the Bankses house to interview Phil about his life, but plans to kill the story because she finds him boring after all he talks about is his work. Will, overhearing, tells her stories about Phil's past "barnyard life" he heard from Hattie, including

238-403: A private conversation for the special, she and Smith spoke for the first time since her departure from the show. More information and context was offered regarding the situation and her exit. Hubert discussed issues in her personal life, including her abusive marriage, and revealed she had not been fired from the show as largely believed; she was offered a "bad deal" to return for the fourth season,

272-409: A real leader in every sense of the word", but also drew inspiration from Barack Obama as a modern role model. In the pilot episode, " The Fresh Prince Project ", Phil is initially happy to see Will, but dislikes his attire and use of slang. Phil is embarrassed by Will's uncouth behavior at a dinner with Phil's colleagues, and has a talk with Will afterwards. Will says that Phil does not know how life

306-521: A respectable human being came through James Avery. Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in peace." Alfonso Ribeiro , who played Avery's on-screen son Carlton said, “I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly". Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) called Avery a "gentle giant". Avery's remains were cremated and scattered near the Pacific Ocean . In April 2020, Will Smith reunited with

340-469: A scholarship to UC San Diego , where he attended Thurgood Marshall College (then Third College), earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and literature in 1976. 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 . In the 1990s, he achieved prominence for his role as Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ,

374-424: Is on the streets, but Phil objects, telling him that he started his career on the streets of Baltimore. He references Will saying at the beginning of the episode that Malcolm X was his hero, complimenting his Malcolm X poster and saying he heard him speak. Uncle Phil bails Will and Carlton out of jams on several occasions. In the episode, "Mistaken Identity", when Will and Carlton are arrested on suspicion of stealing

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408-552: The Forces of Freedom (1986), and Haroud Hazi Bin in Aladdin (1994). Avery was the commencement speaker for his alma mater, UC San Diego's Thurgood Marshall College, in 2007 and again in 2012. In 1988, Avery married his girlfriend 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. On December 31, 2013, Avery died at

442-466: The Pughsville neighborhood where Avery was born. In 2023, the first year of the festival included special guest appearances from Avery's wife, 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. Philip Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) In the 2022 reboot series, Bel-Air ,

476-592: The age of 68 at Glendale Memorial Medical Center. His publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told the Associated Press that Avery died following complications from open heart surgery. Janet Hubert , who portrayed his on-screen wife Vivian on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for the first three seasons, said after his death: "RIP James, all the world is a stage, and we are all merely players in this production called LIFE." Will Smith commented on Avery's death, saying: "Some of my greatest lessons in acting, living, and being

510-471: The campaign. Will went as far to say, "You can just drop dead." Ironically, Judge Robertson suddenly dies of a massive heart attack seconds later, and after the funeral the governor appointed Phil to the post of Superior Court judge, where he remained for the rest of the series run. In the final series ending, Phil moves back to the East Coast with his youngest son, Nicky, and wife Vivian. The character

544-531: The cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on a video conference honoring Avery's best moments on the show. AveryFest is an annual African-American cultural and music festival held in the United States. The event, named in honor of James Avery, had its inaugural event September 2, 2023 in Avery's hometown of Suffolk, Virginia . The event will be held at Bennett's Creek Park each year, only minutes away from

578-456: The character is played by Adrian Holmes . Banks is "the stern but loving uncle to Will Smith's character", parenting in this way both with Will and with his own children. By the end of the series, Banks has come to think of Will as his own son. Avery sought to portray the character as "an Uncle Phil that everybody wishes was their uncle", and felt that it was important to show African-Americans striving for success. Outside of his family life,

612-443: The character was "a former hippie-activist in the '60s turned Princeton -educated Los Angeles judge who was down to quote Malcolm X and call the criminal justice system out on its flaws at a moment's notice". As "a former civil rights activist and Harvard Law-trained attorney", the character became "a role model for Smith's sometimes wild character". Holmes, in reprising the role, paid homage to Avery's depiction of "a good man and

646-465: The guests at the reunion. Hubert appeared on FX 's Pose in season 3 as a family member of Billy Porter 's character, Pray Tell, alongside Jackée Harry and Anna Maria Horsford . In 2022, she appeared on The Ms. Pat Show as the title character's mother-in-law, Jewell. Hubert was married to James Whitten from 1990 to 1994; they had a son, Elijah Isaac Whitten. She has been married to Larry Kraft since 2005. She suffers from osteoporosis and

680-413: The justice system is not flawed, but Phil recounts a similar personal experience. Later in the season, in the episode, "Banks Shot", Will steals the car keys to go to a pool hall, and winds up losing his money and the car to a hustler. Phil goes to rescue him, at first acting like he has never played pool before and letting the hustlers win, but then playing again with his signature cue named Lucille for $ 100

714-656: The police academy late in the series run of That '70s Show . Among his most notable voice credits are the voices of Shredder in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, Br'er Bear in the Disney World version of Splash Mountain and Kinect Disneyland Adventures and James Rhodes/War Machine in the 1990s Iron Man series. He also lent his powerful bass voice as Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (1985–1986), Turbo in Rambo and

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748-488: The relationship that they have developed, but Phil assures him, "You are my son, end of story". In the November 16, 1992 episode "Asses to Ashes", Phil's rival Judge Carl Robertson ( Sherman Hemsley ) had beaten him to the post of Superior Court judge in a landslide vote. The whole Banks family went to City Hall to congratulate Carl, where Will confronted him regarding over-the-top foul play Robertson made against Phil during

782-487: The role of Tantomile in the original Broadway production of Cats , and also understudied Grizabella and Demeter. She left Cats in April 1983 to star in the national tour of Sophisticated Ladies , opposite Dee Dee Bridgewater and Gregg Burge . Hubert played Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , the role she is most known for. After she was allegedly fired by the makers of The Fresh Prince , Hubert's character

816-401: The role of the original Vivian Banks on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from its first season in 1990 until the end of its third season in 1993. Hubert was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in 1991. Her performance as Mignon on the digital series King Ester garnered her first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2020. Hubert

850-408: The story about the pig that Phil had a close bond with. This goes down well with the newspaper editors and Phil's parents, but Phil confronts Will about his secret. Hattie overhears Phil angrily berating Will for revealing the truth about his past, and she becomes convinced he is ashamed of his roots, and explains to him that Phil has nothing to be ashamed of, and then is angered to tears. The next night

884-623: The third child, Ashley Banks , was born. Phil by this time had become a wealthy lawyer , with the family living in a mansion in Bel-Air, and in 1990 his nephew Will had moved in with the Banks family. In the fall of 1992, Phil discovers that Vivian was pregnant with her fourth child, and in 1993 she gave birth to Nicholas Andrew Banks . In the final episode of the series, Will, who is remaining in Los Angeles to attend college, frets about losing

918-441: The two of them were engaged on Soul Train (revealed during a flashback on the November 7, 1994 episode). During that year, they gave birth to their first daughter and child, Hilary Banks , and on August 4, 1974, five years later, Phil and Vivian gave birth to their second child, and their first son, Carlton Banks who turned out to be very intelligent. The Banks family moved to a run-down Los Angeles neighborhood, and in 1979,

952-515: The whole family (including Phil's parents) goes to an awards ceremony for Phil, where he realizes his good fortune to have had such a background and loving parents, and expresses renewed pride in his roots and gratitude for being raised by two devoted parents in his acceptance speech. After spending his youth as part of the counterculture and social justice movements, Phil eventually attends and graduates from Princeton University, and then Harvard Law School. In 1969, Phil met his wife, Vivian Banks , and

986-635: Was born in Chicago , Illinois and spent her early days growing up on Chicago's South Side. At the age of nine she moved with her family to rural Chicago. She won a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York City, but did not complete her studies. After performing in the national tour of Dancin' , Hubert made her Broadway debut in 1981, in the ensemble of The First , a short-lived musical about Jackie Robinson . Hubert created

1020-522: Was born in Yamacraw, North Carolina on January 30, 1946, to parents Joe and Hattie Joe Banks. He and his family moved to Baltimore , Maryland , when Phil was 16. In one particular episode, entitled "Not with My Pig, You Don't" (originally aired on October 8, 1990), Phil's parents, Hattie ( Virginia Capers ) and Joe ( Gilbert Lewis ) come to visit for the weekend when he wins a prestigious award, and inadvertently reveal his humble country roots growing up on

1054-680: 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. Florence would later move a teenaged James to Atlantic City, New Jersey , where he attended Atlantic City High School . He served in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969, and eventually moved to San Diego, California , where he began to write poetry and TV scripts for PBS . He won an Emmy for production during his tenure there, and then received

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1088-608: Was featured as Michel Gerard's mother in an episode of the CW show Gilmore Girls . She has made appearances on episodes of All My Children , NYPD Blue , The Bernie Mac Show , and Tyler Perry's House of Payne , among others. In November 2018, it was announced that Hubert had been cast on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital ; she made her debut as Yvonne on December 7, 2018. Hubert appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion on HBO Max in November 2020. In

1122-424: Was ranked number 34 in TV Guide ' s "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time". The role was noted to be Avery's most famous. The cast of the series honored Avery in their 2020 reunion with a collection of clips of the character's best moments on the show. Janet Hubert Janet Louise Hubert (born January 13, 1956) is an American film and television actress and dancer. She is best known for playing

1156-526: Was recast and played by Daphne Maxwell Reid for the remainder of the show's run. At the time, Will Smith , the show's star, said Hubert "brought her problems to work" and wanted to be the star of the show. Hubert said Smith had gotten her fired. Hubert was featured in a 2002 episode of Friends as Chandler 's boss. In 2005, she began playing the recurring role of Lisa Williamson , mother of attorney Evangeline Williamson , on One Life to Live . Her character has made occasional appearances since then. She

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