8 Things You Didn’t Know About James Avery

➡ James Avery Biography

James LaRue Avery died on December 31, 2013, as a result of complications from his open-heart surgery, for those who are unaware. He is best known for his roles as “Uncle Phil” in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Shredder” in the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” cartoon. We’ve compiled a list of fascinating facts about James Avery to show our respect and admiration for who he is and what he’s done for television.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About James Avery

1. Joined Navy

Avery was born in Virginia as “James La Rue Avery” and raised in Atlantic City. After high school, he joined the United States Navy and served in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969. Aside from his work in the entertainment industry, the actor has also served his country. ^[1]

2. A Writer

Avery moved to San Diego after returning home from Vietnam War. There he wrote poetry and TV scripts for PBS, including the Emmy Award-winning production “Ameda Speaks: Poet James Avery.”

3. Scholarship Holder

He was awarded a scholarship to the University of California, San Diego, where he attended “Thurgood Marshall College”. Thurgood Marshall College is part of the UC San Diego six-college system. Which offers students many of the benefits of a small liberal arts college as well as the opportunities of a large research university.

4. James Avery Memorial Scholarship Program

To honor his accomplishments and support the dreams of future undergraduate students, his family and friends have established the “James Avery Memorial Scholarship”. The family intends to award scholarships to students pursuing studies in the performing arts.

5. Prominent Role

He rose to prominence as Philip Banks (Uncle Phil) in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, a character ranked #34 in TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.”

6. Voice Actor

Avery also worked as a voice actor, contributing to “The Real Ghostbusters” and Hulk Hogan’s “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling”. Then came his big break, He was cast as the voice of the main turtle antagonist, “Shredder”, in the ten-season animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series.

7. Raised By A Single Mother

He was brought up by a single mother. As a result, he was very close to her and had a close relationship with her mother. We can say that her mother has raised a huge multi-talented artist in the industry, for which we are grateful.

8. Diverse Resume Of Credits

With a diverse list of credits, James Avery remained a one-of-a-kind creative force who was as convincing as a comedian as he was a Shakespearean character. In addition, he was the primary host of the popular PBS travel and adventure series Going Places.