Actors - James L. Avery, Sr.

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	Actors - James L. Avery, Sr.

James L. Avery, Sr. (born November 27, 1948 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) is a classically disciplined American TV actor and scholar. He is best known as the uncle/patriarch and attorney (later judge) Philip Banks in the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, whom Will Smith's character affectionately called "Uncle Phil."

He joined the United States Navy shortly after high school graduation and served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969. After he left the military, he relocated to San Diego, and began to write TV scripts and poetry for PBS. He won an Emmy Award for his production during his term at PBS and was awarded a scholarship to the University of California, San Diego. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama and Literature at the university. In addition to his fame in sitcoms, he did voice acting for many animated series, most notably the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon (as the voice of The Shredder, and credited as James Avery). He has been the primary host of Going Places, a popular travel and adventure series on PBS.

Avery's wife Barbara, whom he married in 1988, is the Dean of Student Life at Occidental College in California.

Trivia

Avery's character Philip Banks in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was ranked #34 in TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time."

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