JAMES AVERY:
ONE OF TV'S GREATEST DADS
MICHELE J MARTIN
Little did we know when Will Smith and James Avery walked onto that sound stage that Uncle Phil would soon become one of America's favorite TV dads, let alone... who Will Smith would become!
"What you find in the theatre is that if you're good, no matter what color you are, the audience will buy that - whoever you are."
James Avery was more than just Uncle Phil. He was an accomplished scriptwriter, poet, film actor, and voice actor. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served in the Vietnam War from 1968-1969.
After the war he relocated to San Diego, where he began a short stint as a TV scriptwriter for PBS before getting a scholarship to UCSD. One of his very first acting jobs was as an extra, uncredited... dancing in this scene outside Ray's Diner.
After graduation, James Avery would go on to appear in shows such as Hill Street Blues, Brothers, Simon & Simon, Cagney & Lacey, and L.A. Law, but it would be his role as Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that would make him a household name. The show ran for six seasons — 148 episodes in total, from 1990 to 1996. Watch the video below for some of his best scenes as Uncle Phil:
Both during and after Fresh Prince's run, James Avery would continue to appear in a variety of other television and films, as well as voice acting for animated series. His unique voice provided the perfect personality to give these characters dimension and bring them to life.
As the voice of R.L Stine in The Nightmare Room, Keewazi in Disney's The Legend of Tarzan, Gor-illa in Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys, War Machine in Iron Man, or Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — his range took him from America's beloved Dad to evil villain Shredder.
Have a listen to the many voices of James Avery:
James Avery passed away on December 31, 2013 following complications from heart surgery. In 2020, Will Smith gathered the remaining cast members for a 30th Anniversary of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. During this reunion they toured the old set, talked about their experiences, reconciled old grievances, and ... shared an emotional moment, reminiscing about their former cast member — James Avery and his impact on them.
His unique characteristic vocal style, while versatile, was truly suited for that role as confident father AND judge - Uncle Phil. It was a voice that emanated trust, stern but empathetic. This isn't a voice we hear represented in the digital voices currently dominating the markets. Imagine the possibilities, if the world of digital voice matched the world of human voice. It can — learn more about AI-Voice.
Motorcycle voices are defined as Loud, Deep, Modal, and Oral. Learn more about the unique characteristics that make up our voices and voice types here: VOCALiD Voice Types.
This is the third in our Iconic Black Voices series. Make sure to come back to our blog every day this month as we highlight more iconic Black voices in celebration of Black History Month.
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