What The Cast Of Fresh Prince Looks Like Today

It's been more than 20 years since we were last chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool
with Will and the Banks family on NBC's smash sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
After the show ended, some of the cast traded Bel-Air for real Hollywood careers, while
others opted to leave the spotlight altogether.
Here's a peek at what those fresh faces look like today.
Will Smith
Let's start with the Fresh Prince himself.
Will Smith rose to fame playing a fictionalized version of himself on the beloved '90s sitcom,
developing into a strong comedic — and dramatic — actor over the course of six seasons.
"How come he don't want me, man?"
After the show wrapped in 1996, Smith's career immediately took off with a string of huge
hits: Independence Day that same year, Men in Black in 1997, and Enemy of the State in
1998.
These days, the Oscar-nominated Smith is still one of the most famous and recognizable actors
in the world, appearing in summer blockbusters and character-driven dramas in equal measure.
Alfonso Ribeiro
If just seeing Alfonso Ribeiro's face doesn't make you remember the "Carlton Dance," you
were clearly doing the '90s wrong.
Ribeiro played Carlton Banks, the family tattletale we all loved to hate.
Although Ribeiro has had some screen time here and there after Fresh Prince, including
a starring role on In the House, alongside LL Cool J, the actor feels his role as Carlton
"pigeonholed" him and prevented his career from taking off.
Despite his lack of acting roles over the years, Ribeiro has managed to stay in front
of the camera, with numerous appearances on game shows and reality shows, with his most
recent appearance on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, which he won, doing the Carlton
Dance ...
"It's not unusual to be mad with anyone…"
It's not unusual to be sad with..."
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons played the role of the ditzy and spoiled Hilary Banks over the course of
the show's six-year run.
The oldest Banks' child experienced perhaps the most drastic evolution of all the characters,
going from a spoiled brat to a self-aware young woman.
Post-Fresh Prince, Parsons hasn't spent much time in front of the camera, aside from a
handful of movies in the late '90s and early 2000s, and a few short-lived television gigs.
Nowadays, she runs Sweet Blackberry, a film company that strives to educate children about
the stories of influential African-Americans.
Tatyana Ali
When the show debuted in 1990, 11-year-old Tatyana Ali made our hearts melt as Ashley,
the Banks' youngest daughter...
"Hey there, Lord / My name is Ashley Banks / My family and friends want to give you some
thanks / So before this dinner is all swallowed and chewed / Thank you, God, for this stupid
food."
Since the show's series finale in 1996, Ali has enjoyed an extensive acting career as
well as success in her personal life.
She pursued a music career immediately after the show ended, and in 1998, she released
her debut album, Kiss the Sky, which was certified gold in 1999.
In 2002, she graduated from Harvard University and traveled the United States as a spokesperson
during President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.
These days, she still acts, with sporadic roles in TV movies and guest spots on series
over the last few years.
Joseph Marcell
English actor Joseph Marcell, played the Banks' butler Geoffrey, for all six seasons.
Behind his proper demeanor, Geoffrey always had the perfect joke ready to deploy ...
"Ms. Lindsey, this is most inappropriate, I couldn't possibly — Oh, it's Ben!"
Post-Fresh Prince, Marcell had recurring gigs on The Bold and the Beautiful from 2003 to
2004 and on EastEnders in 2006.
Marcell currently lives in London, serves on the board of the Globe Theater, and occasionally
stars in Shakespearean productions.
Janet Hubert
Aunt Vivian #1, Janet Hubert, played the Banks' family matriarch from the show's premiere
until the end of season 3.
When the show returned for season 4, there was a whole new Aunt Viv and a whole lot of
controversy.
Hubert was fired following disputes with producers and the show's star, Will Smith.
While the rest of the cast was filming seasons 4 through 6, Hubert made some TV guest appearances,
including an episode of Friends in 2002, and still acts in independent films today.
In a now-deleted March 2017 Facebook post, Hubert had this to say about reuniting with
the old cast: "There will never be a true reunion of the Fresh Prince.
I have no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level."
Daphne Maxwell Reid
The only person who truly benefited from all that drama was Daphne Maxwell Reid, aka Aunt
Vivian #2.
She took over mom duties from the beginning of season 4, just after the birth of Nicky
Banks, through the rest of the series.
"Y'know Mrs. Banks, since you had that baby, there's something different about you."
After the show ended, she worked on a few shows and movies here and there including
Crossing Jordan, Eve and Let's Stay Together.
These days, you can find Reid focusing on her photography business, Fresh Prints.
Get it?
DJ Jazzy Jeff
If you don't recognize this face, it's probably because you're more used to seeing this character's
flailing limbs as he was physically thrown out of the Banks' house time and time again.
Jeff played Will's partner in crime, Jazz, but hip-hop fans know the two were friends
in real life prior to the show, winning the first-ever rap Grammy back in 1989 as DJ Jazzy
Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
When the show ended, DJ Jazzy Jeff returned to what he knew best – music.
Most recently, he worked with rapper Mac Miller and did audio work on 2015's Straight Outta
Compton.
James Avery
The late James Avery played the patriarch of the Banks' family and the glue that held
them together, Phillip Banks.
Despite the constant antics of his nephew and children, Banks never deviated from his
role as a loving father and uncle.
"People opened doors for me.
And I've worked hard to open doors for you.
It doesn't make you any less of a man to walk through them."
Uncle Phil is a hard act to follow, but Avery still managed to have a widely successful
career after the series wrapped.
He particularly enjoyed success as a voice actor, most notably in Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles as the voice of Shredder.
"Trilithium!
That's what we need!"
"Are you out of your skull?"
"Ha ha.
Look who's talking!"
The classically-trained actor worked up until his death in 2013 due to complications during
open heart surgery.
Ross Bagley
And last but not least, the youngest member of the Banks' family, Nicky.
Although the character of Nicky Banks was introduced in season 3, Ross Bagley did not
play the role until season 5 — when Nicky had aged from a baby to a young child.
After his two seasons on the show, Bagley went on to act alongside his former co-star
in Independence Day, then the former Little Rascal took a long hiatus from Hollywood to
focus on school.
Most recently, he re-entered the acting world in the 2015 horror movie Gnome Alone.
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What The Cast Of Fresh Prince Looks Like Today

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