<Tr> <Th> Years active </Th> <Td> 1980--2013 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Spouse (s) </Th> <Td> Barbara Avery (m . 1988) </Td> </Tr> <P> James LaRue Avery (November 27, 1945--December 31, 2013) was an American actor, comedian, voice over artist and poet . He played patriarch Philip Banks in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air (1990 − 96). 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 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series, as well as War Machine in the animated series Iron Man (1994 − 95) and Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock' n' Wrestling (1985). He also played Michael Kelso's commanding officer at the police academy late in the series run of That' 70s Show (2004). </P> <P> Avery was born in Suffolk, Virginia on November 27, 1945 and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey . He served in the Vietnam War as a member of the U.S. Navy from 1968--1969, after graduating high school . Later on, he moved to San Diego, California, where he began to write poetry and TV scripts for PBS . </P>

Who played the father on fresh prince of bel-air