James Avery
Highest Rated: 36% Extremities (1986)
Lowest Rated: 6% Who's Your Caddy? (2007)
Birthday: Nov 27, 1945
Birthplace: Pughsville, Virginia, USA
Burly African-American character player of TV with a richly resonant voice. Avery has been a familiar face since the mid-1980s as a frequent TV guest star usually playing a cop, judge or clergyman. He had recurring roles on shows as diverse as "L.A. Law," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Amen." Avery is best known as Phillip Banks, the uncle of Will Smith on the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC, 1990-96). His character was a proud self-made success story who skillfully walks the delicate line between being a positive role model as a strong Black father figure and the butt of humor as a pompous windbag. After the show's demise, Avery once again portrayed a patriarch, this time as the father in a family of lawyers who served an inner-city community on the UPN sitcom "Sparks" (1996-98). Avery honed his acting skills as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland before segueing to commercials and TV. He worked on several cartoons ("Going Bananas"; "Hulk Hogan's Rock'N'Wrestling"; "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") before landing a stint as a primetime series regular on the sitcom "FM." Even here his voice was an integral part of his role as he played a radio personality who hosted two shows--one as a polished classical host and the other as a funky reggae deejay. Avery has also had small roles in several features beginning with "The Stunt Man" (1980) and continuing with films including "Three for the Road" (1987) and "License to Drive" (1988). He worked steadily as a character actor in both film and television after the end of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," including a recurring role as a doctor in the police procedural "The Closer" (TNT 2005-2012). James L. Avery died of complications from open-heart surgery on December 31, 2013, shortly after completing work on Zach Braff's feature "Wish I Was Here" (2014).
Photos
James Avery
Filmography
Movies
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Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Unknown (Character) | - | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hunt for the Labyrinth Killer | Judge Parsons (Character) | - | 2013 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Not Your Time | Haig (Character) | - | 2010 |
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Let the Game Begin | Mark Hanley (Character) | - | 2010 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | His Good Will | Mr. Cooper (Character) | - | 2008 |
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Divine Intervention | Rev. Matthews (Character) | - | 2007 |
6% |
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Who's Your Caddy? | Caddy Mack (Character) | $5.7M | 2007 |
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Restraining Order | Judge Sanderson (Character) | - | 2006 |
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Think Tank | Unknown (Character) | - | 2006 |
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The Third Wish | George (Character) | - | 2005 |
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Lethal Eviction | Gus Winter (Character) | - | 2005 |
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Wheelmen | Vice President (Character) | - | 2002 |
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Nancy Drew | Prof. Shifflin (Character) | - | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Honeybee | Larry Dukes (Character) | - | 2001 |
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Epoch | Dr. Solomon Holt (Character) | - | 2000 |
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Dancing in September | Mr. Warner (Character) | - | 2000 |
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You Lucky Dog | Calvin Bridges (Character) | - | 1998 |
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The Advanced Guard | Fred (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | La Colonia | Unknown (Character) | - | 1998 |
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Spirit Lost | Dr. Glidden (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Magic and Mystery | Haroud Hazi Bin (Voice) | - | 1996 |
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A Friend to Die For | Agent Gilwood (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | American Experience | Charles Hamilton Houston (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Without Warning: Terror in the Towers | Fred Ferby (Character) | - | 1993 |
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Little Miss Millions | Agent Noah Hollander (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Simple Justice | Charles Hamilton Houston (Character) | - | 1993 |
20% |
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BeastMaster 2: Through the Portal of Time | Lt. Coberly (Character) | $789.9K | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | To My Daughter | Unknown (Character) | - | 1990 |
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Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal | Earl (Character) | - | 1989 |
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Deadly Daphne's Revenge | Detective Wood (Character) | - | 1987 |
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Three for the Road | Clarence (Character) | $724.5K | 1987 |
36% |
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Extremities | Security Guard (Character) | $12.2M | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stoogemania | Gulch (Character) | - | 1985 |
TV
Credit | ||||
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84% | 72% | Grey's Anatomy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2012 |
60% | 100% | Eli Stone | Mason Andrews (Guest Star) | 2008 |
83% | 84% | The Closer | Dr. Crippen (Guest Star) | 2005-2007 |
56% | 80% | Star Trek: Enterprise | Gen. K'Vagh (Guest Star) | 2005 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | All of Us | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2003-2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Girlfriends | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
83% | 93% | NYPD Blue | Steve Pines (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | 81% | That '70s Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
64% | No Score Yet | All About the Andersons | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2003 |
96% | 70% | Joan of Arcadia | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Soul Food | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001-2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Reba | Judge Samuel Bennett (Guest Star) | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Judging Amy | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dharma & Greg | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 2002 |
64% | No Score Yet | Philly | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | 39% | The Proud Family | Crandall Smythe (Guest Voice) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jamie Foxx Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
33% | No Score Yet | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | 80% | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bull | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One World | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Family Law | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | For Your Love | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
19% | No Score Yet | Vengeance Unlimited | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In the House | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1998 |
9% | No Score Yet | Sparks | Alonzo Sparks (Character) | 1996-1998 |
No Score Yet | 91% | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Philip Banks (Character) | 1990-1996 |
91% | 60% | Murder One | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | 83% | Aladdin | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 1994 |
No Score Yet | 93% | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
Shredder/ Shredder/ Shredder/ |
1987-1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | FM | Quentin Lamoreaux (Character) | 1989-1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hogan Family | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1987 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 227 | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | 86% | Beauty and the Beast | Winslow (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1987 |
No Score Yet | 82% | Amazing Stories | Unknown (Character) | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Dukes of Hazzard | Charlie (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jeffersons | Coleman (Guest Star) | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Simon & Simon | Huey (Guest Star) | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Newhart | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1983 |