James Avery

James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor best known for his roles as Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Judge Michael Conover on L.A. Law, Steve Yeager in The Brady Bunch Movie, Haroud Hazi Bin in Aladdin, and Dr. Crippen on The Closer (2005–2007). Born on November 27, 1945, in Pughsville, Virginia (present-day Suffolk, Virginia), Avery served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Afterward, he moved to San Diego, California, and pursued a career in writing poetry and TV scripts for PBS. Eventually, he transitioned to acting and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and literature from UC San Diego.