James Avery, Star Of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ Dies At 68

James Avery, who played Uncle Phil, died of complications from open heart surgery.

“Fresh Prince” co-star Joseph Marcell, who played the family butler Geoffrey, told CNN that Avery was “a marvelous man and a truly wonderful actor.”

Avery played Philip Banks, the stern but loving uncle to Will Smith’s character on the show.

“He strove to present an Uncle Phil that everybody wishes was their uncle,” Marcell said.

Avery believed the show was important because the “striving of the African-American ought to have been shown on television,” Marcell said. “What he has done for television, for African-Americans on television is unsurpassable.”

By: Cheston Catalano

Cheston Catalano is a Kentucky-based journalist whose work has been featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. He is a long-time contributor to Liberaland.