James LaRue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was 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 TVsitcomThe 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 commanding officer at the police academy late in the series run of That '70s Show.

Filmography

• 2014Wish I Was Here — Audition Actor #2
• 2013Call Me Crazy: A Five Film — Dr. Beckett
• 2013Hunt for the Labyrinth Killer — Judge Parsons
• 2012Stars in Shorts — Haig
• Harry's Law — Fred Billings
• The Problem Solverz — Ninja Master Head (voice)
• 2010Not Your Time — Haig
• Sherri — Redmond
• 2009Steppin: The Movie — The Chancellor
• 2008Divine Intervention — Rev. Matthews
• Eli Stone — Mason Andrews
• 2007Who's Your Caddy? — Caddy Mack
• 2006Danika — Teddy Johnson
• 2006Think Tank — Uncle John
• Grey's Anatomy — Sam
• 2005Lethal Eviction — Gus Winter
• Living with Fran
• 2005Spider-Man: The Venom Saga — Jim Rhodes / War Machine (voice)
• The Closer — Dr. Crippen
• 2005The Third Wish — George
• 2005Wheelmen — Vice President
• 2004Hair Show — Seymour Gold
• 2004Raise Your Voice — Mr. Gantry
• That's So Raven — Presto Jones
• 2002Nancy Drew — Prof. Shifflin
• Crossing Jordan — Dr. Erkhart
• 2001Dancing in September — Mr. Warner
• 2001Dr. Dolittle 2 — Eldon
• 2001Epoch — Dr. Solomon Holt
• 2001Honeybee
• Philly — Dean Mark Clivner
• Reba — Judge Samuel Bennett
• Star Trek: Enterprise — General K'Vagh
• The Division — Charles Haysbert
• The Legend of Tarzan — (voice), Keewazi (voice)
• The Nightmare Room — R.L. Stine
• 2001The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For — R.L. Stine
• The Proud Family — Crandall Smythe (voice)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Preston Cash
• Girlfriends — Dr. Couch
• Strong Medicine — Harold Jenkins
• Family Law
• 1999Out in Fifty — Cappy
• Charmed — Zola
• One World — William Richard
• That '70s Show — Officer Kennedy
• 1998The Advanced Guard — Fred, Captive Security Guard
• 1998The Prince of Egypt — Additional Voices (voice)
• The Wild Thornberrys — Gorilla (voice)
• Two Guys and a Girl — Judge
• 1998You Lucky Dog — Calvin Bridges
• Going Places — Host
• 1997Spirit Lost — Dr. Glidden
• Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys — Gor-illa (voice)
• Quack Pack — Flint Steel (voice)
• Sparks — Alonzo Sparks
• The Jamie Foxx Show — Reverend
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Father (voice)
• 1995Jirimpimbira: An African Folk Tale — The Headman
• Murder One — Judge Nathaniel Alexander
• 1995The Brady Bunch Movie — Mr. Steve Yeager
• 1994A Friend to Die For — Agent Gilwood
• Aladdin — Haroud Hazi Bin (voice)
• Duckman — School Policeman (voice), 'Beware!' Guy (voice)
• Gargoyles — The Shaman (voice)
• 1994Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die — Chess Player
• Iron Man — War Machine (voice)
• 1994Midnight Ramble — Narrator
• Spider-Man — Jim Rhodes / War Machine (voice)
• 1993Little Miss Millions — Agent Noah Hollander
• 1993Without Warning: Terror in the Towers — Fred Derby
• 1992Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Turtles' Awesome Easter — Shredder (voice)
• 1991Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time — Lt. Coberly
• Roc — Dale Hammers
• 1991Shout — Midnight Rider (voice)
• 1991Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Attack of the Big MACC — Shredder (voice)
• 1991Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Planet of the Turtleoids — Shredder (voice)
• 1991Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles at the Earth's Core — Splinter (voice)
• The Legend of Prince Valiant — Sir Bryant (voice)
• 1991The Linguini Incident — Phil
• Capital News — Mr. Fairchild
• 1990Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga, Shredhead — Shredder (voice)
• 1990Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Rocksteady and Mighty Bebop — Shredder (voice)
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — Philip Banks
• 1990To My Daughter — Ian Mellon
• FM — Quentin Lamoreaux
• Family Matters — (uncredited)
• 1989Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal — Earl
• 1989Roe vs. Wade
• 1989Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Incredible Shrinking Turtles — Shredder (voice)
• 1989Turn Back the Clock — Fred (uncredited)
• A Pup Named Scooby-Doo — Count Shockula (voice)
• American Experience — Narrator (voice), Charles Hamilton Houston (voice)
• 1988License to Drive — Les' DMV examiner
• 1988Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Halfshell — Shredder (voice)
• 1988Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hot Rodding Teenagers — Shredder (voice)
• 1988Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Epic Begins — Shredder (voice)
• A Different World — The Pin Punisher
• Beauty and the Beast — Winslow
• 1987Deadly Daphne's Revenge — Detective Wood
• 1987Nightflyers — Darryl
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — Shredder (voice)
• 1987Three for the Road — Clarence
• 1987Timestalkers — Blacksmith
• 19868 Million Ways to Die — Deputy D.A.
• 1986Condor — Cas
• 1986Extremities — Security Guard
• L.A. Law — Judge Michael Conover
• Rambo: The Force of Freedom
• 1986Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story — Hank Dudney
• 1986Sunday Drive — Oliver
• 1986The 11th Commandment — Attendant
• 1986The Ladies Club — Joe
• The Real Ghostbusters — Killerwatt (voice), Giant / Gingerbread House / White Rabbit (voice), Judge / Booming Voice / Jurors (voice)
• Amazing Stories — Chief Hansen
• 1985Appointment with Fear — Connors
• 1985Fletch — Detective #2
• Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling — (voice)
• 1985Kicks — Stanley
• Moonlighting — Reuben King
• 1985Stoogemania — Gulch
• Brothers — Bubba
• Going Bananas — Hank
• 1984Laugh Busters
• Night Court — Judge Hopkins
• 1983Antony and Cleopatra — Mardian
• The A-Team — Quint
• Newhart — Construction Worker
• St. Elsewhere — Man in E.R.
• 1980The Blues Brothers — Man Dancing Outside Ray's Shop
• 1980The Stunt Man — Diner Patron (uncredited)
• Dallas — Judge J. Fowler

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 2014Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — Self
• 1998Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years — Self
• Reading Rainbow — Self - Narrator (voice)