WILL SMITH reunited the cast of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air this week, sparking an epic nostalgia trip for the US sitcom’s legions of fans around the world.
The show’s six-year run ended in 1996, but it has attracted a new younger audience thanks to reruns and Netflix, which is streaming all 148 episodes.
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In the hit comedy, Will plays a street-smart teen sent to live with his aunt and uncle in a swanky mansion.
It was one of the first mainstream TV shows featuring an almost entirely black cast — and it had a big cultural impact.
Viewers who had grown tired of seeing negative racial stereotypes on telly and film warmed to the show’s refreshingly different take on the black community.
Among the cast of wacky characters, The Fresh Prince features a Tom Jones-obsessed glee singer, a high- flying lawyer and a sarcastic British butler — as well as the cool and charismatic lead Will.
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Guest stars included model Tyra Banks and comedian Chris Rock — who dragged up to play his character’s “sister” Jasmine. The programme’s 1991 debut was in a teatime slot on BBC2.
Will’s rap on the theme tune — which began “in west Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground where I spent most of my days” — soon became the soundtrack to many kids growing up in the nineties.
And the star’s reunion of the cast members on his Snapchat series Will From Home, devised during the coronavirus pandemic, provided a welcome escape for fans all over the globe during these testing times.
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It also gave Will and the cast the chance to pay tribute to James Avery, who played Uncle Phil.
Watching a montage of footage featuring the actor, who died in 2014 following complications after open-heart surgery aged 68, the stars were visibly moved.
Will said: “That just makes me teary.”
During the interview, Will revealed that despite all his achievements in Hollywood, the sitcom that set him on the path to fame is still the subject fans ask him about the most.
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And he told his castmates he considers them his “second family”. He said: “When I look back, the best times in my life will have been on that set.”
His pal DJ Jazzy Jeff told how he “would get really annoyed” when members of the public tried to sneakily replicate his famous handshake with Will from the sitcom.
He said: “You would see in people’s eyes when they were about to sneak the handshake and I would just grab their hand and hold it.”
After the sitcom came to a close Will went on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Here, we look at what the cast members have been up to since the show ended.
Joseph Marcell – Geoffrey
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TV’s most famous sitcom butler, Geoffrey always tried to maintain standards in the Banks’ household.
Joseph, who was born in St Lucia and moved to Peckham, South London, when he was nine, bagged the role after being recommended by good pal Sir Patrick Stewart.
He was in the US at the time performing with the Star Trek actor.
Joseph, who has starred in the West End and on Broadway, is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and portrayed King Lear in 2013 and Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing in 2011 at London’s Globe Theatre.
But he has also remained on TV, starring in an episode of BBC1 crime drama Death In Paradise in 2014.
Speaking about his time on the sitcom, Joseph, 71, says: “It was one of the happiest times of my life.
“Will and I still keep in touch and we meet up every now and then.”
Karyn Parsons – Hilary Banks
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SUPERSNOB Hilary, the eldest of the Banks children, somehow transformed from being a terrible weather presenter into a prime-time talk show host during the six series of the show.
She also saw her husband-to-be Trevor tragically die when a televised bungee-jumping stunt went wrong.
After the Fresh Prince she appeared in drama Melrose Place and landed lead roles in sitcoms Lush Life and The Job.
In recent years she founded the Sweet Blackberry Foundation, which teaches children about unsung black heroes. She has two children with film director husband Alexandre Rockwell.
Last year Karyn, 53, revealed that when the show was axed it was “devastating to be suddenly stripped away” from her castmates.
Daphne Maxwell Reid – Aunt Viv
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THE US actress will for ever be known as the second Aunt Viv after replacing original actress Janet Hubert, who clashed with on-screen nephew Will.
But despite appearing halfway through the sitcom’s life-span, she seamlessly fitted into life in Bel-Air.
She was introduced in the show having just had baby Nicky and the awkwardness surrounding the character being played by a different actress was dealt in typically comedic style.
Will and Jazzy Jeff visited her in hospital with a gift for her new baby and the DJ said: “You sure look different since having a baby”, prompting Will to turn round to the camera and shrug.
Speaking about stepping into the shoes of such a familiar character in 1993, Daphne, 71, said: “A job was available and I went for a job. I wasn’t thinking about replacing anybody, I was thinking about going to work.”
Tatyana Ali – Ashley Banks
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BIG things were expected of Will’s sassy youngest female cousin following the end of the Fresh Prince.
Towards the latter end of the series she began to showcase her singing talents and, with Will’s help, launched a chart career and toured with boyband *NSYNC.
But she struggled to build on her early success and took a break from singing to focus on other projects.
In 2008 she toured in the US as a spokesperson for Barack Obama’s election campaign. She also secured various walk-on TV parts, though none of the calibre of the Fresh Prince, and minor film roles.
She created a TV production company with her sister and made headlines in 2016 when she filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers. The case was dismissed.
Tatyana, 41, is now a married mum of two.
Will Smith – The Fresh Prince
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THE leading star of the sitcom who went on to become one of the world’s most bankable box-office movie stars, appearing in big-budget franchise Men In Black and blockbuster Independence Day. He’s now worth £280million.
Will got the part after impressing producer Quincy Jones during an audition at his house having found fame releasing debut single Parents Just Don’t Understand with DJ pal Jazzy Jeff.
He was desperate to secure the role as he had blown all his money and failed to pay taxes after the rap duo’s second album flopped.
But it wasn’t long before the pair were back in the charts as the iconic theme tune, which they wrote and recorded, became a global hit.
Will was a complete acting novice, having only appeared in a one-off kids’ TV drama on US network ABC playing a salesman.
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And his early performances in The Fresh Prince were so bad he labelled his acting “disgusting” when recalling those early days.
Will, 51, says: “I would memorise the entire script, then I’d be lipping everybody’s lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it’s disgusting.”
Co-star Alfonso Ribeiro convinced him to use his real name for his character, and Will met wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 48, when she unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of his girlfriend.
They married in 1997 and have two children, son Jaden, 21, and daughter Willow, 18, who have both gone on to have careers in acting and music, like him.
Will has another son Trey, 27, with first wife Sheree Zampino, 52.
Alfonso Ribeiro – Carlton Banks
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NEVER has a TV character become so synonymous with a daft dance.
The US actor, famous for his “Carlton dance” nailed the part of Will’s rich-boy cousin in tank tops and bow ties and raved about Tom Jones.
After the French Prince, Alfonso, 48, starred in sitcom In The House with rapper LL Cool J and later became a game show host and a reality show regular. He appeared in I’m A Celebrity in 2013 and won Dancing With The Stars the following year.
Alfonso has also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing as a judge – once in 2018 and again in 2019. The dad of four says of his Fresh Prince dance: “I’m appreciative that my fan base is still loving it, but I’m not doing it every time someone asks. I’m a little over it.”
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DJ Jazzy Jeff – Jazz
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WILL’S loyal pal, Jazz spent most of his time on the show being thrown out of the mansion by Uncle Phil.
The DJ, real name Jeffrey Allen Townes, was first introduced as Ashley’s drumming teacher. He was infatuated with her sister Hilary but never landed a date.
These days Jazzy tours the world DJ-ing at A-list pool parties.
In 2017 he was by Will’s side as the pair made their music comeback which featured a gig in Blackpool as part of Livewire Festival.