James LaRue Avery (November 27, 1945, Suffolk, Virginia, USA – December 31, 2013, Glendale, California, USA) was an American actor, comedian, voice over artist and poet. He played patriarch Philip Banks in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990−96). This character was ranked #34 in TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time." He also provided the voice of Shredder in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series, as well as War Machine in the animated series Iron Man (1994−95) and Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (1985). He also played Michael Kelso's commanding officer at the police academy late in the series run of That '70s Show (2004).
Avery was born in Suffolk, Virginia on November 27, 1945 and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He served in the Vietnam War as a member of the U.S. Navy from 1968–1969, after graduating high school. Later on, he moved to San Diego, California, where he began to write poetry and TV scripts for PBS.
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.
In addition to his fame in sitcoms, he did voice acting for many animated series, most notably the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series (as the voice of Shredder) and James Rhodes/War Machine in the 1990s Iron Man series.
Avery was the commencement speaker for his alma mater, UC San Diego's Thurgood Marshall College in 2007, and again in 2012.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 
|
Danny | Extreme Ghostbusters |
| 1986 | 
|
Edward "Turbo" Hayes | Rambo: The Force of Freedom |
| 1985-1986 | 
|
Junkyard Dog | Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling |