Reginald VelJohnson
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| Reginald VelJohnson | |
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| Born | Reginald Vel Johnson August 16, 1952 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
Reginald VelJohnson (born Reginald Vel Johnson; August 16, 1952) is an American film, stage and television actor best known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters and as LAPD Sgt. Al Powell in the hit film Die Hard (1988) and the sequel Die Hard 2 (1990).
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
VelJohnson was born in Queens, New York,[1] the son of Eve, a nurse, and Dan Johnson, a hospital attendant.[2] His father left the family when VelJohnson was thirteen years old, and his mother subsequently remarried to John Reilly.[1] In high school, he was classmates with George Tenet and porn star Ron Jeremy.[3] VelJohnson attended New York University.[1] He has homes in Los Angeles, California and Raleigh, North Carolina.
VelJohnson was often mistaken for actor James Avery and vice-versa, a joke that was played out on an episode of Family Matters, and has also been brought up several times on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, of which James Avery stars in.
VelJohnson is also known for his extremely extensive hat collection. This collection was featured in People Magazine.
[edit] Career
VelJohnson was known for playing police officers in movies and on television. However, he made other appearances as similarly uniformed characters. In Ghostbusters, he had a brief appearance as a jail guard, and in Crocodile Dundee, he plays a limo driver. VelJohnson played Sgt. Al Powell in the 1988 hit Die Hard and its sequel, Die Hard 2 in 1990. VelJohnson also played a police officer alongside Tom Hanks in Turner and Hooch (1989) and a minor role in the 2002 film Like Mike. VelJohnson replayed his role of Sgt. Al Powell in the Gamecube video game title, Die Hard: Vendetta; also in 2002.
Since the end of Family Matters, besides making a few guest appearances on TV shows, VelJohnson did mostly theater work. He wrote a critically acclaimed series of short stories called Division Street. One of them, called Sunday Evening Haircut, was made into a short film in 2005, which starred Reginald himself, alongside Kiki Shepard. VelJohnson made notable guest appearances in several TV shows, including The Equalizer, Diagnosis Murder, Twice in a Lifetime, Will & Grace, Monk, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Eve, Crossing Jordan, The Parkers, That's So Raven, Chuck and Bones.
In 2007, he appeared in the short films Reverse, Nerve Endings, and Time Upon A Once which were made during the reality show On the Lot.[4]
In the comic book Invincible, the title character attends Reginald VelJohnson High School. The school's principal, who's name is Bob Hill, is also modelled after VelJohnson.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Three Days to Vegas | Johnny | |
| Out at the Wedding | Dexter | ||
| 2006 | Hidden Secrets | Norman Wexler | |
| 2005 | Suits on the Loose | Steedman | |
| Sunday Evening Haircut | O.C. | ||
| 2002 | The King | Slutzky | |
| Like Mike | Mr. Boyd | ||
| Waitin' to Live | Willard Loggins | ||
| 2000 | Ground Zero | Burt Green | |
| 1993 | Posse | Preston | |
| 1991 | A Fond Little Memory | ||
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 | Sgt. Al Powell | |
| 1989 | Turner & Hooch | Det. David Sutton | |
| 1988 | Die Hard | Sgt. Al Powell | |
| Plain Clothes | Captain Graff | ||
| 1987 | Magic Sticks | Licorice | |
| 1986 | Crocodile Dundee | Gus | |
| 1985 | Remo Williams: The Adventure Begiins | Ambulance Driver | |
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Jail Guard | |
| 1981 | Wolfen | Morgue Attendant |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Bones | Dale Owens | Episode: The Santa in the Slush |
| On the Lot | Neighbour in 'Time Upon A Once' | Episode: 11 Cut to 10 & 10 Directors Complete | |
| 2006 | Monk | Todd | Episode: Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion |
| Eve | Rev. Everett | Episode: Oh, Brother | |
| 2005 | Ghost Whisperer | Danny Small | Episode: Undead Comic |
| That’s So Raven | Ambassador | Episode: The Royal Treatment | |
| 2003 | The Parkers | Sterling Oglevee | Episode: A Sterling Relationship |
| 2002 | Will & Grace | Dr. Kaplan | Episode: It's the Gay Pumpkin, Charlie Brown |
| In-Laws | Chester - The Mattress King | Episode: The Mattress Kings | |
| Crossing Jordan | Mr. Holden | Episode: Someone to Count On | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Phillip Kane | Episode: Face Lift Episode: Gentle, Gentle |
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| 2001 | The Fugitive | Maurice Beaumont | Episode: Lagniappe |
| 2000 | Twice in a Lifetime | Dr. David Bryant | Episode: Whistle Blower |
| 1999 | The Hughleys | Rev. Bennett | Episode: Daddy's Going to Hell |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Dr. David Sinclair | Episode: The Last Resort |
| 1989-1998 | Family Matters | Carl Winslow | |
| 1996 | Deadly Pursuits | Ed Conroy | TV-Movie |
| 1994 | One of Her Own | Det. Bob Hymes | TV-Movie |
| A Cool Like That Christmas | Dad | Voice Role TV-Movie |
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| 1993 | Yuletide in the 'hood | Voice Role TV-Movie |
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| Dream On | Santa | Episode: Silent Night, Holy Cow | |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Hotel Guest | Episode: Werewolf Concerto |
| Grass Roots | Mickey Henderson | TV-Movie | |
| 1990 | The Bride in Black | Barry Gates | TV-Movie |
| Jury Duty: The Comedy | Judge | TV-Movie | |
| 1989 | Perfect Strangers | Carl Winslow | Episode: Crimebusters |
| 1988 | Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story | TV-Movie | |
| 227 | The Santa Thief | Episode: The Night They Arrested Santa Claus | |
| 1985-1988 | The Equalizer | Harmon Hunter Arthur Williams |
Episode: Lady Cop Episode: Dead Drop Episode: Sea of Fire |
| 1986 | Doing Life | Taylor | TV-Movie |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Reginald VelJohnson at the Internet Movie Database
- Reginald VelJohnson at Yahoo TV
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