Before becoming an actor, James served in the Navy in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969. He returned back to the States, moving to San Diego, and wrote poetry and TV scripts for PBS, including the Emmy Award-winning production, "Ameda Speaks: Poet James Avery." In addition to Fresh Prince, he also lent his voice to several animated TV series, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Iron Man." Most recently, James worked on Zach Braff's film, "Wish I Was Here," which will premiere at the Sundance film festival.
