11/27/1945 - 12/31/2013
2013 Memorials: Remembering the life, death and legacy of James Avery
NEW YORK (AP) — James Avery, the bulky character actor who laid down the law at home and on the job as the Honorable Philip Banks in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," has died.
Avery's publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told The Associated Press that Avery died Tuesday in Glendale, California, following complications from open heart surgery. He was 68, Snyder said.
Avery, who stood more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall, played the family patriarch and a wealthy attorney and judge on the popular TV...