James L. Avery, Sr. (born November 27, 1948) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the patriarch and attorney (later judge) Philip Banks, Will Smith's character's uncle, in the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 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 original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series, as well as War Machine in the animated series Iron Man and Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. He also played Michael Kelso's officer at the police academy late in the series run of the popular sitcom That '70s Show.

An imposing figure standing at 6'5" (1.96 m), he often plays characters in legal or high-level professional fields. 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 The Shredder) and James Rhodes in the 1990s Iron Man series. He also performed in the single season production of Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys as "Gor-illa" a loveable, simple, and bi-polar gorilla. He has been the primary host of Going Places, a popular travel and adventure series on PBS. He also guest starred in That '70s Show as Officer Kennedy. In 2000, he guest starred in the "Unfriendly Skies" episode of CSI as Preston Cash, a legally-blind witness to a murder who assists the CSI team with a near-flawless verbal account of what he heard onboard the flight. Avery recently played a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Dr. Crippen, (who has recently appeared in a wheelchair), on the TNT series The Closer. In 2004, he guest starred on the television series That's So Raven where he played an entrepreneur. He also appeared in a 2005 episode of My Wife and Kids as Jay's reluctant professor. He was cast in the new sitcom Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd playing her father.

James Avery may refer to:

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office and the only one to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.

Shondrella Avery (born April 26, 1974) is an American actress.

Avery began her career as a stand-up comic. She, alongside, with her family produced four different "work out," spots for up and coming and seasoned comics throughout LA County while working a corporate job. Avery felt she had to produce her own spots because the famed clubs only allowed 3 minutes and she was quoted saying "it takes me 3 minutes to say my name." Her first big break came in 2001 on the Island of Martha's Vineyard during a Fourth of July Celebration hosted by local politicians related to her high school friend; where she and good friend Tony Rock (brother to Chris Rock) performed with an overwhelming response.

In 2002, Avery had a recurring role as Candy on the situation comedy One on One and later became a cast member on the spinoff Cuts, playing the same role. Simultaneously, while on One on One, she was a cast member for 5 seasons on the hit all female first ever reality/prank television series Girls Behaving Badly.