James LaRue Avery, to give him a full name, was born on November 27, 1945 in Pughsville, Virginia and died on December 31, 2013 (being 68 years old) in Glendale, California, United States of America. James Avery was active in the entertainment industry from 1980 to 2013. During his long career he landed many significant roles, among which was the character of Judge Philip Banks in the television series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990 – 1996), the role of Alonzo Sparks in the series “Sparks” (1996 – 1998) and many others. As well as these roles on television, James also acted in films on the big screen, creating a number of roles and performing voice-overs too.
James Avery Net Worth $3 Million
So just how rich was James Avery? Sources estimate that James’ net worth is as much as $3 million, the main source of his wealth coming from his acting career.
James Avery actually grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States of America. When he graduated from high school, he became a member of United States Navy and served from 1968 to 1969 during the Vietnam War. Afterwards, he settled in San Diego, California and started to write TV scripts as well as poetry. In 1980 he debuted on the big screen, taking an uncredited role in the film “The Blues Brothers” directed by John Landis. He has also starred in the main cast of the films “Nightflyers” (1987) directed Robert Collector, “Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time” (1991) directed by Sylvio Tabet and various supporting roles in other films like “The Brady Bunch Movie” (1995) directed by Betty Thomas, “Dr. Doolittle 2” (2001) directed by Steve Carr, and “Valediction” (2012) directed and written by Dustin Kahia. The last role James Avery landed was in the comedy drama film entitled “Wish I Was Here” which was released after the actor’s death in 2014.
From 1983, James Avery was active in television productions too, appearing episodically in a number of television series as well as playing parts in television films. The role which was the most significant to his career was landed in the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990 – 1996) created by Andy and Susan Borowitz. 148 episodes were aired during six seasons, and the series won ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards in 1994. Avery also voiced Shredder in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1987 – 1993), James Rhodes in the series of “Iron Man” (1994 − 1995) and other animated characters. The last role on television that Avery landed was in the film “Hunt for the Labyrinth Killer” (2013). James also voiced video games, including “Splash Mountain” (1989), “Animated Storybook: The Lion King” (1995) and “Kinect Disneyland Adventures” (2011). James was working until his death, which occurred during open heart surgery when he was just 68 years old.
In 1988 James Avery married Barbara Avery; they were married until the death of James. The couple had no children together, however James became stepfather to his wife’s son, Kevin Waters.
