![]() He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Barbara Avery, his mother, Florence Avery of Atlantic City, and a stepson, Kevin Waters.Ĭheck out this scene from an emotional episode of “The Fresh Prince” to get an idea of Avery’s acting ability. “You can either be a movie star or an actor. In a 2007 interview with the New York Film Academy, he was forthright about his abilities. As Banks, a former civil-rights activist and Harvard Law-trained attorney, Avery provided a role model for Smith’s sometimes wild character.Īvery, too, leveled with youthful audiences, noting in “Unscripted” that he left home at 18 because “I had too good a time.” ![]() He most recently appeared in Zach Braff’s new film, “Wish I Was Here,” which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month.īut his most famous role was as Phillip Banks, the stern but loving uncle to Will Smith’s character on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The show, co-executive produced by Quincy Jones and created by Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz, cast Smith - then best known as a rapper - as a Philadelphia teenager who is sent to live with his wealthy Los Angeles relatives. His voice roles included Shredder in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series and James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the 1990s animated series version of “Iron Man.” Indeed, with his deep, mellifluous voice, he frequently played judges, professors and doctors - Uncle Phil began as a lawyer and eventually became a judge - and was much in demand as a voice actor. “I knew I loved the arts,” Avery said in an interview for the show “Unscripted.” “I knew I wanted to be a writer, but the theater was something I had been involved in before.”Īvery appeared in multiple TV shows and movies, including “CSI,” “That ’70s Show,” “The Closer” and several appearances as a judge on “L.A. Before joining the military, he once said, he had dreams of being like Richard Wright and living in Paris. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star posted a moving message to the actor, who died on New Years Eve aged 65 following complications that arose during open heart surgery. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and first appeared onscreen as a dancer in an uncredited role in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.”Īccording to IMDb, after he served in the military, Avery moved to San Diego, California, where he began writing TV scripts and poetry for PBS. I will miss him greatly.Ī classically trained actor and poet, Avery grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was raised by a single mother. “I’m deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away,” Riberio tweeted. His “Fresh Prince” co-star Alfonso Ribeiro tweeted news of Avery’s passing. The cause of death was complications from open-heart surgery, said his manager, Toni Benson. (CNN) - Actor James Avery, who played the beloved Uncle Phil on the hit 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” died Tuesday, his publicist confirmed. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. James Avery, the bulky character actor from Atlantic City who laid down the law as the Honorable Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died.
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