The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Summary Characters The Banks Family

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a television sitcom which aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996. This was Will Smith's first major foray into acting; prior to Fresh Prince, Smith's claim to fame had primarily been his musical career. The show now airs in syndication on many local broadcast channels, as well as on cable channels Nick at Nite and The-N.

1 Summary

As explained in the show's opening rap, Will Smith (played by Will Smith) is revealed as a street-smart teenager, born and brought up on the mean streets of Philadelphia. After he got into a fight with a bully, his mother sent him to live with her sister's family, the Banks family, in Bel-Air (a district in Los Angeles). There, he would turn the lives of his posh upper-class relatives upside down.

2 Characters

2.1 The Banks Family

2.1.1 Philip Banks

The character of Philip Banks (Uncle Phil) was portrayed by James Avery. At the beginning of the series, Philip was a lawyer, and became a judge as the series progressed. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of California, to the disapproval of his wife.

2.1.2 Vivian Banks

The character of Vivian Banks (Aunt Viv) was portrayed by Janet Hubert-Whitten from 1990 to 1993, and by Daphne Reid from 1993 to 1996. In early episodes, she was a teacher at Bel-Air Academy, a fictional upscale preparatory high school, but her career was later discarded with no explanation.

2.1.3 Hilary Banks

The character of Hilary Banks (Hil), Will's ditzy, stuck-up, spoiled eldest cousin, was portrayed by Karyn Parsons . Hilary often claimed to hobnob with celebrities. During the series, she attended and then dropped out of UCLA, and became a weather reporter at a local television station, where she met, courted, and married news anchorA News anchor ( US and CA) or Newsreader ( UK and AU) is a person that works in television or radio that hosts a regular news program or provides occasional on air news updates. News anchors generally read prepared scripts, but in emergencies, they often Trevor Newsworthy (referred to as Trevor Collins in earlier episodes). However, he soon died in a bungee accident. Toward the end of the series, she hosted her own talk show, called Hilary!.

Considering that the materialistic "dumb blonde" character is a stock character in many sitcoms, Parsons performed the role in a surprisingly fresh and humorous fashion.

2.1.4 Carlton Banks

The character of Carlton Banks, Will's pedantic and nerdA nerd is a very intelligent but lonely person who is fascinated by knowledge, especially science. A nerd who is versed in computer technology can also be a hacker. A nerd is not the same as geek who focuses only on technology and imagination. The term neish cousin, was portrayed by Alfonso Ribeiro . Carlton was a firmly conservative Republican, and often proved both friend and foil for Will. In earlier seasons, Carlton sought to lose his virginity, and also planned to attend Princeton UniversityPrinceton University located in Princeton, New Jersey, is one of the eight Ivy League universities. Widely considered one of the world's most prestigious universities, it was founded as the "College of New Jersey" in 1746, and was originally located in El (Philip's alma mater). In later seasons, these arcs were both resolved: Carlton did indeed lose his virginity, but was not admitted to Princeton. He ended up attending the (fictional) University of Los Angeles, where he briefly managed ULA's student store, the Peacock.

2.1.5 Ashley Banks

The character of Ashley Banks, Will's youngest cousin, was portrayed by Tatyana AliTatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American born actress and singer. Tatyana is half hispanic, her mother Sonia Ali being from Panama, and her father, Sheriff Ali, from the British West Indies. Tatyana herself is a native of Long Island, Ne. She matured through puberty in the series, and became a one-hit wonder as a singer in her later teens. She later strove to become a fashion model.

2.1.6 Nicky Banks

The character of Nicky (Nicholas) Banks, portrayed by Ross Bagley , was introduced in 1994. He changed from a newborn infant to a pre-schooler almost instantly during the show's run. In a metafictional wink, one character seemed to notice the abrupt change and asked if there was a 'new mom' (which itself was a reference to the change of actresses for Vivian Banks' character).

2.1.7 Geoffrey Butler

The character of Geoffrey Butler, the Banks family's British butler, was portrayed by Joseph Marcell . He perennially referred to Will as Master William, and was the voice of caustic humor on the show, often focusing on Philip's weight.

2.2 Recurring Characters

2.2.1 Jazz

The character of Jazz was portrayed by Will Smith's musical partner, Jeffrey A. Townes, popularly known as D.J. Jazzy Jeff. Jazz was Will's not-so-bright best friend who lived in inner-city LA. He had a crush on Hilary, but then married a prison inmate who had appeared on the television show COPS. A favorite recurring gag throughout the series involved Jazz flying through the front door after being thrown out by a member of the Banks family, usually Philip.

2.2.2 Vy Smith

Vy Smith was Will's mother.

2.2.3 Lisa Wilkes

Will proved to be a constant womanizer, although his attempts at women generally failed. In later seasons, the character of Lisa Wilkes, portrayed by Nia Long, was introduced as a girlfriend Will fell hard for. They married in Las Vegas. Lisa's father was memorably played by veteran actor John Amos.

2.2.4 Others

Other recurring characters in the early episodes included Bel-Air Academy classmate Kellogg Lieberbaum (nicknamed "Cornflake" by Will), portrayed by Michael Weiner; his other best friend, Ice Tray; and Bel-Air Academy coach/substitute teacher Coach Whitey, portrayed by Dave Florek .

The show had many guest appearances by celebrities, including Vanessa Williams, Naomi Campbell, Dr. Dre, Milton Berle, Quincy Jones, Richard Roundtree, Evander Holyfield, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah, and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

The series finale featured Conrad Bain and Gary Coleman reprising their roles from Diff'rent Strokes, as well as Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, and Marla Gibbs reprising their roles from The Jeffersons, as potential buyers of the Banks' house.

3 Running Gags

In addition to humorous scripts, the show found humor in physical comedy, insults, and running gags:

Will would frequently make jabs at Carlton's slight stature and virginity, as well as Uncle Phil's weight and baldness.

A running gag throughout the series was Carlton's enthusiastic love of singer Tom Jones and a gyrating dance he would perform to Jones' tune "It's Not Unusual."

4 Issues Addressed

While largely a comedy, this show commonly addressed African-American issues.

In the very first episode, for instance, Will accused his uncle of having forgotten "where he came from," or having forgotten that he is black. His uncle was furious, and pointed out Will's frequently-mentioned belief in the philosophy of Malcolm X. "I have heard the brother talk," Phil angrily informed his nephew.

In a later episode, Will and one of his old school friends, Ice Tray, reminisce about how Ice Tray frequently had to save Will from bullies who attacked him because he tried to be a good student.

In another episode, Will and Carlton try to join an all-black fraternity, but Carlton is singled out for being a "sell-out," because his family is wealthy and acts "white."

In an episode where Will is shot in the back during an attempted robbery at a bank ATM and then hospitalized, Carlton found himself pondering the idea of carrying a gun for self-defense.

The issue of absent fathers was touched upon when Will finally meets his father in one of the series' more emotional episodes. His father was a deadbeat, but later became a trucker. Phil and Vivian had given him the cold shoulder for abandoning Will and his mother. Will tried to remain conciliatory towards his father since this was his chance of meeting him, but the episode concluded with Will having to confront his grief at his father's abandonment.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

<Hide>

Home > The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air