(Photo By Flickr User Akos Kokai)

James Avery, the bulky character actor who was known as the Honorable Philip Banks in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” has died.

According to The Associated Press, Avery’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder said that Avery died Tuesday in Glendale, CA., following complications from open heart surgery. He was 68. 

Avery, who stood 6 feet 5 inches tall, played the family patriarch and a wealthy attorney and judge on the popular TV comedy that launched the acting career of Will Smith as Banks’ troublemaking nephew.

The sitcom, which aired on NBC from 1990-1996, was set in the Banks’ mansion, to which Smith’s character was sent from Philadelphia when things got tough in his own neighborhood. Fans came to know the imposing Banks as “Uncle Phil.”

Avery had a busy and diverse career before, during and after “Fresh Prince.” His TV credits included “Grey’s Anatomy,” ”NYPD Blue,” "That 70s Show," "The Closer,"  "L.A. Law," and “Dallas;” and among his many films were “Fletch,” ”Nightflyers,” and “8 Million Ways to Die.” His voice alone brought him many jobs, notably as Shredder in the animated TV series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the 1990s animated series version of "Iron Man." 

Avery grew up in Atlantic City, NJ, and served in the Navy in Vietnam in the late 1960s. After returning to the states, he settled in California and studied drama and literature at the University of California at San Diego.

He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Barbara Avery, his mother, Florence Avery of Atlantic City, NJ, and stepson Kevin Waters.