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Contact Info
Home Town Atlantic City
Last Address Glendale, CA
Date of Passing Dec 31, 2013
Location of Interment Buried at Sea - N/A, Pacific Ocean
James Avery, Acting in TV, Movies and Animation since 1980 when he played a bit character in "The Blues Brothers", is best know as who played Will Smith’s pompous but well-meaning uncle on the popular 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” died Glendale, Calif. He was 68.
James. Avery played Philip Banks, a wealthy lawyer (later a judge) who becomes a surrogate father to his street-smart nephew, played by Mr. Smith, on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” seen on NBC from 1990 to 1996.
A classically trained actor with an imposing physical presence and a resonant voice, Mr. Avery was born on Nov. 27, 1945, in Pughsville, Va., near what is now Suffolk, and grew up in Atlantic City. In the late 1960s, he served in the Navy. In addition to “The Fresh Prince,” his numerous television credits include “L.A. Law,” “The Closer” and “That ’70s Show.” Among the movies in which he appeared were “Fletch” and “8 Million Ways to Die.”
An imposing figure standing at 6'4", he has been celebrated as the primary host of Going Places, a popular travel and adventure series on PBS. He also guest starred in That ‘70s Show as Officer Kennedy. He guest-starred in the "Unfriendly Skies" episode of CSI as Preston Cash, a legally-blind witness to a murder who aids the CSI team with a brilliant verbal account of what he heard onboard the flight. Avery recently played a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Dr. Crippen, (who has recently appeared in a wheelchair), on the TNT series The Closer. He played a charismatic entrepreneur on the Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. He also portrayed Jay’s reluctant professor in My Wife and Kids. James Avery was recently cast as the father in the new sitcom Sherri starring Sherri Shepherd.
He was a busy voice artist in animated films and television shows as well. He was the voice of Shredder, the title characters’ nemesis, on the 1987-96 cartoon series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Other Comments:
Military Service
Not much is know of of the details of his service, except what he has said in a know interview about it. He had a football scholarship to a prominent black college at age 17, but failed and lost his scholarship. He knew it was a time of war and being young man and not going to college it would be a matter of time before he would be drafted in the Army. He joined the Navy before being drafted. His mother received his Army Draft notice 2 weeks after he was in Navy Boot Camp. He served 4 years not the 2 years as being reported by the Media (his words) He Served on unidentified ship out of San Diego and did at least one Westpac to Vietnam.
