The Beloved Sitcom Star Who Was Also The Voice Of TMNT's Shredder

As Uncle Phil on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," James Avery had his work cut out for him parenting Will Smith's rapscallion through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood. The self-appointed fresh prince put Uncle Phil through his paces in some of the show's most ridiculously over the top "jump the shark" episodes, but always gave Will the love and support he needed, becoming one of TV's most iconic role models in the process.

But fans might be surprised to hear that the lovable James Avery had a villainous side. At the same time he was charming audiences in "Fresh Prince," Avery was also antagonizing them on one of the best superhero cartoons of all time, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" as the evil ninja Shredder. The two roles couldn't be further apart, but for the veteran actor it was a joy to channel his acting prowess to the animated supervillain. "Shredder was basically a straight-ahead villain," Avery explained in an interview. "But within that, there were levels that were found between the interactions of Krang and myself. And there were levels that I found as an actor to play him."

Despite not considering himself a voice actor, Avery felt "lucky to have fallen into this situation" in which he could be a part of something as fun and joyful as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." "It was like going to a party every two days," joked the actor.

While some may have seen "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" as just another kids' cartoon, Avery understood the impact of the series and his character, sometimes even more so than his role on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." "I did 'Fresh Prince' for a long time, and whenever I would go somewhere and someone had done the research and found out I was the voice of Shredder ... [or] if there were kids in the audience, and I would throw that voice on, [they'd respond] 'Oh, Yeah!'" recounted the actor.

Avery passed away in 2013 following complications from an open heart surgery, leaving a hole in the Banks family that could never be filled when the cast reunited in 2017 and again in 2020 for their pandemic era reunion. But for his part, Avery knew that his work on both shows would live on beyond his time. "If there is any immortality in this world, it's to know that what we've done is, in a sense, immortal," he said. "As long as there's a recording somewhere, it'll be here. Someone will be listening to it, so that it's timeless. And that's an amazing thing to think about."