John Wesley, ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ actor, dies at 72
John Wesley, known for roles as Dr. Hoover on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and Mr. Jim on “Martin,” has died, his manager confirmed to CNN Monday.
He was 72.
Wesley died Saturday at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, after a lengthy battle with multiple myeloma, said Gerry Pass, his manager and producer.
A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Wesley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego, where he majored in political science, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego.
He served in the US Army during the Vietnam War.
But acting was his passion and he nabbed his first credited role playing a police officer on “My Three Sons” in 1963.
What followed was a storied career in television which found him working with everyone from Denzel Washington to Barbara Streisand, Morgan Freeman, Tim Burton and James Earl Jones.
In an interview with Indie Activity, Wesley said he enjoyed playing such memorable roles as activist Torro Chombe in the “The Atlanta Child Murders” mini-series and Vic Glendon on the series “In the Heat of the Night.”
“Another memorable character was ‘Sweets Walker leader of his quintet from the series ‘Dirty Dancing,'” Wesley said. “This character was created to tell the civil rights story of the 60’s. Too bad the series ended after one season.”
Other acting credits included “Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot,” “Benson,” “The Jeffersons” “Cursed,” ‘Medium” and “NCIS.”
Wesley was active in the theater and appeared in various productions including “An American Clock,” “Macbeth,” “Toys in the Attic” and “Wild Oats.”
His most recent project was the short film “Second Acts,” which was co-written by Pass.