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 was born on November 27, 1945, in Pughsville, Virginia (present-day Suffolk, Virginia), to mother Florence J. Avery.^[1] His father denied paternity and was not listed on his birth certificate. Florence would later move a teenaged James to Atlantic City, New Jersey,^[2][3] where he attended Atlantic City High School.^[4] He served in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969,^[5] and eventually moved to San Diego, California, where he began to write poetry and TV scripts for PBS.^[5] He won an Emmy for production during his tenure there, and then received 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.^[6]

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, a character that was ranked number 34 in TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".^[7] 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 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, and James Rhodes/War Machine in the 1990s Iron Man series.^[8] He also lent his powerful bass voice as Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (1985–1986), Turbo in Rambo and 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.^[9]

In 1988, Avery married his girlfriend Barbara.^[10] Barbara was dean of student life at Loyola Marymount University.^[11] He had no biological children, but was a stepfather to Barbara's son, Kevin Waters.^[12]

On December 31, 2013, Avery died at the age of 68 at Glendale Memorial Medical Center.^{[5][13][14][15][16]} His publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told the Associated Press that Avery died following complications from open heart surgery.^[17] 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."^[18] Will Smith commented on Avery's death, saying: "Some of my greatest lessons in acting, living, and being a respectable human being came through James Avery. Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in peace."^[19] 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".^[20] Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) called Avery a "gentle giant".^[14]

Avery's remains were cremated and scattered near the Pacific Ocean.^[21] In April 2020, Will Smith reunited with the cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on a video conference honoring Avery's best moments on the show.^[22][23][24]

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 the Pughsville neighborhood where Avery was born. ^[25]

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. ^[26]