document_title: South India

question_text: largest state of south india according to areas

text: South India

text: Etymology[edit]

text: South India also known as Peninsular India has been known by several other names. The term "Deccan" referring to the area covered by the Deccan Plateau that covers most of peninsular India excluding the coastal areas is an anglicised form of the word Prakrit dakkhin derived from the Sanskrit word dakshina meaning south.[1] Carnatic derived from "Karnād" or "Karunād" meaning high country has also been associated with South India.[2]

text: History[edit]

text: Ancient era[edit]

text: Carbon dating on ash mounds associated with Neolithic cultures in South India date back to 8000 BCE. Artefacts such as ground stone axes, and minor copper objects have been found in the region. Towards the beginning of 1000 BCE, iron technology spread through the region; however, there does not appear to be a fully developed Bronze Age preceding the Iron Age in South India.[3] The region was in the middle of a trade route that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu linking the Mediterranean and East Asia.[4][5] Trade with Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Syrians, Jews and Chinese began from the Sangam period (c. 3rd century BC to c. 4th century AD).[6] The region was part of the ancient Silk Road connecting the Asian continent in the East and the West.[7]

text: Several dynasties such as the Cheras of Karuvur, the Pandyas of Madurai, the Cholas of Thanjavur, the Satavahanas of Amaravati, the Pallavas of Kanchi, the Kadambas of Banavasi, the Western Gangas of Kolar, the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, the Chalukyas of Badami, the Hoysalas of Belur and the Kakatiyas of Orugallu ruled over the region from 6th century B.C. to 14th century A.D. The Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 14th century A.D. was the last Indian dynasty that ruled over the region. After repeated invasions from the Sultanate of Delhi and the fall of Vijayanagara empire in 1646, the region was ruled by Deccan Sultanates, polygars and Nayak governors of Vijayanagara empire who declared independence.[8]

text: Colonial era[edit]

text: The Europeans arrived in the 15th century and by the middle of the 18th century, the French and the British were involved in a protracted struggle for military control over the South India. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799 and the end of the Vellore Mutiny in 1806, the British consolidated their power over much of present-day South India with the exception of French Pondichéry. The British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857.[9] During the British colonial rule, the region was divided into the Madras Presidency, Hyderabad state, Mysore, Travancore, Kochi, Vizianagaram and a number of other minor princely states. The region played a major role in the Indian independence movement; of the 72 delegates who participated in the first session of the Indian National Congress at Bombay in December 1885, 22 hailed from South India.[10]

text: Post Independence[edit]

text: After the independence of India in 1947, the region was organised into four states: Madras State, Mysore State, Hyderabad State and Travancore-Cochin.[11] The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[12][13] As a result of this Act, Madras State retained its name and Kanyakumari district was added to it from the state of Travancore-Cochin.[14] The state was subsequently renamed Tamil Nadu in 1968.[14] Andhra Pradesh was created through the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of the Hyderabad State in 1956.[14] Kerala emerged from the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of the Madras State with Travancore-Cochin.[14] Mysore State was re-organised with the addition of districts of Bellary and South Canara (excluding Kasaragod talukNote 1) and the Kollegal taluk of Coimbatore district from the Madras State, the districts of Belgaum, Bijapur, North Canara and Dharwad from the Bombay State, the Kannada-majority districts of Bidar, Raichur and Gulbarga from the Hyderabad State and the province of Coorg.[14] Mysore State was renamed as Karnataka in 1973. The Union territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichérry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahé.[15] The Laccadive Islands, which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State, were united and organised into the union territory of Lakshadweep. Telangana was created on 2 June 2014 by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh and it comprises ten districts of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh.[16][17]

text: ^ Taluk is a smaller administrative division than a district

text: Geography[edit]

text: South India is a peninsula in the shape of an inverted triangle bound by the Arabian Sea on the west, by the Bay of Bengal on the east and Vindhya and Satpura ranges on the north.[18] The Narmada river flows westwards in the depression between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges which define the northern spur of the Deccan plateau.[19] The Western Ghats run parallel along the western coast and the narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea forms the Konkan region. The Western Ghats continue south until Kanyakumari.[20][21] The Eastern Ghats run parallel along the eastern coast and the strip of land between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal forms the Coromandel region.[22] Both the ranges meet at the Nilgiri mountains. The Nilgiris run in a crescent approximately along the borders of Tamil Nadu with northern Kerala and Karnataka, encompassing the Palakkad and Wayanad hills and the Sathyamangalam ranges, extending on to the relatively low-lying hills of the Eastern Ghats on the western portion of the Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh border forming the Tirupati and Annamalai hills.[23]

text: The low lying coral islands of Lakshadweep are situated off the south-western coast of India. The Andaman and Nicobar islands lie far off the eastern coast of India. The Palk Strait and the chain of low sandbars and islands known as Rama's Bridge separate the region from Sri Lanka, which lies off the south-eastern coast.[24][25] The southernmost tip of mainland India is at Kanyakumari where the Indian Ocean meets the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.[26]

text: The Deccan plateau is the elevated region bound by the mountain ranges.[27] The plateau rises to 100 metres (330 ft) in the north and to more than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in the south, forming a raised triangle within the downward-pointing triangle of the Indian subcontinent's coastline.[28] It also slopes gently from West to East resulting in major rivers arising in the Western Ghats and flowing east into the Bay of Bengal.[29] The volcanic basalt beds of the Deccan were laid down in the massive Deccan Traps eruption, which occurred towards the end of the Cretaceous period between 67 and 66 million years ago.[30] Layer after layer was formed by the volcanic activity that lasted 30,000 years[31] and when the volcanoes became extinct, they left a region of highlands with typically vast stretches of flat areas on top like a table.[32] The plateau is watered by east flowing rivers Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Vaigai. The major tributaries include Pennar, Tungabhadra, Bhavani and Thamirabarani.[33]

text: Climate[edit]

text: The region has a tropical climate and depends on monsoons for rainfall. According to the Köppen climate classification, it has a non-arid climate with minimum mean temperatures of 18 °C (64 °F).[34] The most humid is the tropical monsoon climate characterised by moderate to high year-round temperatures and seasonal heavy rainfall above 2,000 mm (79 in) per year. The tropical climate is experienced in a strip of south-western lowlands abutting the Malabar Coast, the Western Ghats and the islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar are also subject to this climate.[35]

text: The tropical wet and dry climate, drier than areas with a tropical monsoon climate prevails over most of inland peninsular region except for a semi arid rain shadow east of the Western Ghats. Winter and early summer are long and dry periods with temperatures averaging above 18 °C (64 °F), summer is exceedingly hot with temperatures in low-lying areas exceeding 50 °C (122 °F) and the rainy season lasts from June to September with annual rainfall averaging between 750 and 1,500 mm (30 and 59 in) across the region. Once the dry northeast monsoon begins in September, most precipitation in India falls in Tamil Nadu, leaving other states comparatively dry.[36] The hot semi-arid climate predominates the land east of the Western Ghats and the Cardamom Hills. The region, which includes Karnataka, inland Tamil Nadu and western Andhra Pradesh, gets between 400 and 750 millimetres (15.7 and 29.5 in) of rainfall annually with hot summers and dry winters with temperatures around 20–24 °C (68–75 °F). The months between March and May are hot and dry with mean monthly temperatures hover around 32 °C (90 °F), with 320 millimetres (13 in) precipitation and without artificial irrigation, this region is not suitable for agriculture.[37]

text: The south–west Monsoon from June to September accounts for most of the rainfall in the region. The Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon hits the Western Ghats along the coastal state of Kerala and moves northwards along the Konkan coast with precipitation on coastal areas, west of the Western Ghats. The lofty Western Ghats prevent the winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau - hence the leeward region (the region that deprived of winds) receives very little rainfall.[38][39] The Bay of Bengal branch of south-west monsoon heads toward north east India, picking up moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The Coramandel coast does not receive much rainfall from the south-west monsoon due to the shape of the land. Tamil Nadu and southeast Andhra Pradesh receive rains from the north–east Monsoon.[40] The north-east monsoon take place from November to early March when the surface high-pressure system is strongest.[41] The North Indian Ocean tropical cyclones occur throughout the year in Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea bringing devastating winds and heavy rainfall.[42][43][44]

text: Flora and fauna[edit]

text: There is a wide diversity of plants and animals in South India, resulting from its varied climates and geography. Deciduous forests are found along the Western Ghats while tropical dry forests and scrub lands are common in the interior Deccan plateau. The southern Western Ghats have rainforests located at high altitudes called the South Western Ghats montane rain forests and the Malabar Coast moist forests are found on the coastal plains.[45] The Western Ghats is one of the eight hottest biodiversity hotspots in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[46][47]

text: Important ecological regions of South India are the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, located at the conjunction of the borders of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Nilgiri Hills and the Anamalai Hills in the Western Ghats. Bird sanctuaries including Vedanthangal, Ranganathittu, Kumarakom, Neelapattu and Pulicat are home to numerous migratory and local birds.[48][49] Lakshadweep has been declared a bird sanctuary by the Wildlife Institute of India.[50] Other protected ecological sites include the mangrove forests of Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu, the backwaters of Pulicat lake in Tamil Nadu and Vembanad, Ashtamudi, Paravur and Kayamkulam lakes in Kerala. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 10,500 km² of ocean, islands and the adjoining coastline including coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves. It is home to Endangered aquatic species including dolphins, dugongs, whales and sea cucumbers.[51][52]

text: The region is home to one of the largest populations of endangered Indian elephant and Bengal Tiger in India. Elephant populations are found in eight fragmented sites in South India; in northern Karnataka, along the Western Ghats, in Bhadra–Malnad, in Brahmagiri–Nilgiris–Eastern Ghats, in Nilambur–Silent Valley–Coimbatore, in Anamalai–Parambikulam, in Periyar–Srivilliputhur and Agasthyamalai[53] The region is home to one-third of the tiger population and more than half of the elephant population of India.[54][55] There are 14 Project Tiger reserves and 11 Project Elephant reserves in the region.[56][57] Other threatened and endangered species found in the region include grizzled giant squirrel,[58] grey slender loris,[59] sloth bear,[60] nilgiri tahr,[61] nilgiri langur,[62] lion-tailed macaque,[63] and Indian leopard.[64]

text:
Symbols of States of South India

Name
Animal
Bird
Tree
Fruit
Flower

Andaman and Nicobar Islands[65]
Dugong (Dugong dugon)
Andaman wood pigeon (Columba palumboides)
Andaman padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides)

Andaman crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia hypoleuca)

Andhra Pradesh[66]
Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
Indian roller (Coracias indica)
Neem (Azadirachta indica)
Mango (Mangifera indica)
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

Karnataka[67]
Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Indian roller (Coracias indica)
Sandalwood (Santalum album)

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

Kerala[68][69]
Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Cana fistula (Cassia fistula)

Lakshadweep[70][71]
Butterfly fish (Chaetodon falcula)
Noddy tern (Anous stolidus)
Bread fruit (Artocarpus incisa)

Puducherry[72]
Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos)

Cannonball (Couroupita guianensis)

Tamil Nadu[73][74]
Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)
Emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Glory lily (Gloriosa superba)

Telangana[75]
Deer (Axis axis)
Indian roller (Coracias indica)
Khejri (Prosopis cineraria)
Mango (Mangifera indica)
Tanner's Cassia (Senna auriculata)

tag: table

text: Demographics[edit]

text: As per the 2011 census of India, the estimated population of South India is 252 million, around one fifth of the total population of India. The region's total fertility rate (TFR) was less than the population replacement level of 2.1 for all states with Kerala and Tamil Nadu having the lowest TFRs in India at 1.7.[76][77] As a result, the proportion of the population of South India to India's total population has declined from 1981 to 2011.[78][79] The population density of the region is approximately 463. Scheduled Castes and Tribes form 18% of the population of the region. Agriculture is the major employer in the region with 47.5% of the population is involved in agrarian activities.[80] About 60% of the population lives in permanent housing structures.[81] 67.8% of South India has access to tap water with wells and springs forming other major sources of water supply.[82]

text: After experiencing fluctuations in the decades immediately after the independence of India, the economies of South Indian states have registered growth higher than the national average over the past three decades. While South Indian states have improved in some of the socio-economic metrics,[83][84] poverty continues to affect the region as it does the rest of the country, although it has considerably decreased over the years. Basis the 2011 census, HDI in the southern states is high and the economy has grown at a faster rate than most northern states.[85]

text: As per the 2011 census, the average literacy rate in South India is approximately 80%, considerably higher than the Indian national average of 74% with Kerala having the highest literacy rate of 93.91%.[86][87] South India has the highest sex ratio with Kerala and Tamil Nadu being the top two states.[88] The South Indian states rank amongst the top 10 in economic freedom, life expectancy, access to drinking water, house ownership and TV ownership.[89][90][91][92][93] Poverty rate is at 19% while that in the other Indian states is at 38%. The per capita income is ₹19,531 (US$310), which is more than double of the other Indian states (₹8,951 (US$140)).[94][95] Of the three demographic related targets of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations expected to be achieved by 2015, Kerala and Tamil Nadu achieved the goals related to improvement of maternal health and of reducing infant mortality and child mortality by 2009.[96][97]

text: Languages[edit]

text: The largest linguistic group in South India is the Dravidian family of languages, a family of approximately 73 languages[98] The major languages spoken include Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.[99] Tulu is spoken by about 1.5 million people in coastal Kerala and Karnataka and Konkani, an Indo-Aryan language, is spoken by half a million people in the Konkan coast. English is also widely spoken in urban areas of South India.[100] Urdu is spoken by around 12 million Muslims in southern India.[101][102][103] Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu and Konkani are listed amongst the 22 official languages of India as per the Official Languages Act (1963). Tamil was the first language to be granted classical language status by the Government of India in 2004.[104][105] Other major languages declared classical were Kannada (in 2008), Telugu (in 2008) and Malayalam (in 2013)[106][107]

text:
S.No.
Language
Number of speakers[108]
Official in States

1
Telugu
74,002,856
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Yanam (Puducherry)

2
Tamil
60,793,814
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

3
Kannada
37,924,011
Karnataka

4
Malayalam
33,066,392
Kerala, Lakshadweep, Mahé, Puducherry

5
Konkani
2,489,015
Not Official in any South Indian State.

text: Religion[edit]

text:
Religion

Religion

Percent(%)

Hinduism

80%

Islam

11%

Christianity

8%

Other

1%

text: Hinduism is the major religion with about 80% of the population adhering to it. About 11% of the population follow Islam and 8% follow Christianity.[109] Evidence of prehistoric religion in South India comes from scattered Mesolithic rock paintings depicting dances and rituals in Stone Age sites such as the Kupgal petroglyphs of eastern Karnataka.[110] Hinduism, often regarded as the oldest religion in the world, traces its roots to prehistoric times in India.[111] The main spiritual traditions of South India include both Shaivite and Vaishnavite branches of Hinduism, although Buddhist and Jain philosophies had been influential several centuries earlier.[112] Ayyavazhi is spread significantly across the southern parts of South India.[113][self-published source][114] Islam was introduced to South India in the early 7th century by Arab traders in Malabar Coast of Kerala and spread during the rule of Deccan Sultanates from 17th to 18th century and the Muslims in Kerala of Arab descent are called Jonaka Mappila.[115] Christianity was introduced to South India by Thomas the Apostle, who visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 CE and baptised Kerala's Jewish settlements.[116][117] Kerala is also home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world who are supposed to have arrived in the Malabar coast during the reign of King Solomon.[118][119]

text: Economy[edit]

text: The economy of South India after the independence of the nation conformed to a socialist framework, with strict governmental control over private sector participation, foreign trade and foreign direct investment. Through 1960 to 1990, the South Indian economies experienced mixed economic growth. In the 1960s, Kerala achieved above average economic growth while Andhra Pradesh's economy declined during this period. Kerala experienced an economic decline in the 1970s while the economies of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka consistently exceeded national average growth rates after 1970 due to reform-oriented economic policies compared to other Indian states.[120] As of 2013–14, the total Gross domestic product of the region is ₹27.1 trillion (US$430 billion). Tamil Nadu has the second highest GDP and is the second most industrialised state in the country after Maharashtra.[121] As of March 2015, there are 109 operational Special Economic Zones in South India, which is about 60% of the country's total.[122]

text: Over 48% of South India's population is engaged in agriculture, which is largely dependent on seasonal monsoons. Some of the main crops cultivated in South India include paddy, sorghum, pearl millet, pulses, sugarcane, cotton, chilli and ragi. Areca, coffee, tea, rubber and spices are cultivated on the hilly regions. The staple food is rice; the delta regions of Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri are amongst the top rice producing areas in the country.[123] Frequent droughts have left farmers debt-ridden, forcing them to sell their livestock and sometimes to commit suicide.[124] The region accounts for 92% of the total Coffee production in India.[125] South India is also a major producer of cotton, tea, rubber, turmeric, mangoes and spices.[122][126][127][128] Other major agriculture related produce include silk and poultry.[129][130]

text: Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram are amongst the major IT hubs of India and Bangalore is also known as the Silicon Valley of India. The growth of information technology (IT) hubs in the region have spurred economic growth and attracted foreign investments and job seekers from other parts of the country.[131] Software exports from South India grossed over ₹640 billion (US$10 billion) in fiscal 2005–06.[132] Chennai, known as the "Detroit of Asia", accounts for about 35% of India's overall automotive components and automobile output.[133] The region supplies two-thirds of India's requirements of motors and pumps and is one of the largest exporters of jewellery, wet grinders and auto components.[134]

text: The other major industry is textiles[135] with the region being home to nearly 60% of the fibre textile mills in India.[136]

text: Tourism contributes significantly to the GDP of the region with four states - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana - among the top 10 states for tourist arrivals and accounting for more than 50% of domestic tourist visits.[137]

text:
[hide]Economic and demographic indicators[84]

Parameter
South India
National

Gross domestic product (GDP)
₹27.1 trillion (US$430 billion)
₹104.7 trillion (US$1.7 trillion)

Net state domestic product (SDP)
₹27,027 (US$430)
₹23,222 (US$370)

Population below poverty line
17.4%
26.1%

Urban population
32.8%
27.8%

Households with electricity
89.3%
67.9%

Literacy rate
80%
74%[138]

text: Subdivisions[edit]

text: South India consists of the five southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar.[139] Puducherry and the five states have an elected state government each, while the Lakshadweep and Andaman islands are centrally administered by the President of India.[140][141] Each sub-region is further divided into districts.[142] Each state is headed by a Governor, who is a direct appointee of the President of India, while the Chief Minister is the elected head of the state government and represents the state's ruling party or coalition.[143]

text: States[edit]

text:
S.No.
Name
ISO 3166-2 code[144][145]
Date of formation[14]
Population[146]
Area
(km2)[147]
Official
language(s)[148]
Capital
Population density
(per km2)[147]
Sex Ratio[147]
Literacy Rate (%)[86]
% of urban population[149]

1
Andhra Pradesh
AP
1 Oct 1953
49,506,799[150]
160,205[150]
Telugu
HyderabadNote 1
308[150]
996[150]
67.41[151]
29.4[150]

2
Karnataka
KA
1 Nov 1956
61,095,297
191,791
Kannada
Bengaluru
319
973
75.36
34.0

3
Kerala
KL
1 Nov 1956
33,406,061
38,852
Malayalam
Thiruvananthapuram
860
1084
94.00
26.0

4
Tamil Nadu
TN
26 Jan 1950
72,147,030
130,060
Tamil
Chennai
555
996
80.09
44.0

5
Telangana
TS
2 Jun 2014[152]
35,193,978[152]
114,840[152]
Telugu, Urdu[152]
HyderabadNote 1
307[153]
988[152]
66.50[153]
38.7[152]

text: ^Note 1 Andhra Pradesh was divided into two states, Telangana and a residual Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014.[154][155][156] Hyderabad, located entirely within the borders of Telangana, is to serve as joint capital for both states for a period of time not exceeding ten years.[157]

text: Union territories[edit]

text:
S.No.
Name
ISO 3166-2 code[144][145]
Population[146]
Area
(km2)[147]
Official
language[148]
Capital
Population density
(per km2)[147]
Sex Ratio[147]
Literacy Rate(%)[86]
% of urban population[149]

1
Andaman and Nicobar
AN
380,581
8,249
English, Hindi
Port Blair
46
876
86.27
32.6

2
Lakshadweep
LD
64,473
30
English, Malayalam
Kavaratti
2,013
946
92.28
44.5

3
Puducherry
PY
1,247,953
490
Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu
Puducherry
2,598
1037
86.55
66.6

text: Administration[edit]

text: South India elects 132 members to the Lok Sabha accounting for roughly one-fourth of the total strength.[158] The region has an allocation of 58 seats in Rajya Sabha out of the total 245.[159] Each state is headed by a Governor, who is a direct appointee of the President of India; the Chief Minister is the elected head of the state government and represents the ruling party or coalition.[160] Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry follow unicameral legislature while Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana follow bicameral legislature.[161][162]

text: State legislatures elect members for terms of five years.[163] States with bicameral legislatures have an upper house (Legislative Council) with members not more than one-third the size of the Assembly. Governors may suspend or dissolve assemblies and can administer when no party is able to form a government.[163] Each state is organised into a number of districts, which are further subdivided into revenue divisions and taluks (or tehsils) for administration.[163] Local bodies govern respective cities, towns and villages with each electing a mayor, municipal chairman and panchayat chairman respectively to head the same.[163]

text:
State/UT
Lok Sabha[158]
Rajya Sabha[159]
Vidhan Sabha[161]
Governor/Lieutenant Governor
Chief Minister

Andaman and Nicobar
1
N/A
N/A
A. K. Singh
N/A

Andhra Pradesh
25
11
175
E. S. L. Narasimhan
N. Chandrababu Naidu

Karnataka
28
12
224
Vajubhai Vala
Siddaramaiah

Kerala
20
9
140
P. Sathasivam
Pinarayi Vijayan

Lakshadweep
1
N/A
N/A
H. Rajesh Prasad
N/A

Puducherry
1
1
30
Kiran Bedi
V. Narayanasamy

Tamil Nadu
39
18
234
Vidyasagar Rao
Edappadi K. Palaniswami

Telangana
17
7
119
E. S. L. Narasimhan
K. Chandrashekar Rao

Total
132
58
922

text: Politics[edit]

text: Politics in South India is characterised by a mix of regional and national political parties. Justice Party and Swaraj Party were the two major parties in the erstwhile Madras Presidency.[164] The Justice Party eventually lost the 1937 elections to the Indian National Congress and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari became the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency.[164] During the 1920s and 1930s, the Self-Respect Movement emerged in the Madras Presidency spearheaded by Theagaroya Chetty and E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker (commonly known as Periyar).[165] In 1944 Periyar, who had started the Self-Respect Movement transformed the party into a social organisation, renaming the party Dravidar Kazhagam, and withdrew from electoral politics. The initial aim was the secession of Dravida Nadu from the rest of India on independence. After Independence, C. N. Annadurai, a follower of Periyar formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1948. The Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu led to the rise of Dravidian parties which formed its first government in 1967 in Tamil Nadu. In 1972, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by M. G. Ramachandran. Dravidian parties continue to dominate Tamil Nadu electoral politics; the national parties usually aligned as junior partners to the major Dravidian parties, AIADMK and DMK.[166][167]

text: Indian National Congress dominated the political scene in Tamil Nadu in 1950s and 1960s under the leadership of K. Kamaraj, who led the party after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru and ensured the selection of Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.[168] Congress continues to be a major party in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The party ruled with minimal opposition for 30 years in Andhra Pradesh before the formation of Telugu Desam Party by Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao in 1982.[169] Two prominent party systems in Kerala are the United Democratic Front, led by the Indian National Congress and the Left Democratic Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). For the past fifty years, these two coalitions have been alternately in power and E. M. S. Namboodiripad, the first elected chief minister of Kerala in 1957 is credited as the leader of the first democratically elected communist government in the world.[170][171] Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal are significant parties in Karnataka.[172]

text: C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor General of India post independence, was from South India. The region has produced six Indian Presidents namely Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,[173] V. V. Giri,[174] Neelam Sanjiva Reddy,[175] R. Venkataraman,[176] K. R. Narayanan[177] and APJ Abdul Kalam.[178] Prime Ministers P. V. Narasimha Rao and H. D. Deve Gowda were from the region.[179]

text: Culture and heritage[edit]

text: Clothing[edit]

text: South Indian women traditionally wear a sari, a garment that consists of a drape varying from 5 yards (4.6 m) to 9 yards (8.2 m) in length and 2 feet (0.61 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff.[180][181] Ancient Tamil poetry such as the Silappadhikaram describes women in exquisite drapery or sari.[182] The sari is to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the midriff as according to Indian philosophy, the navel is considered as the source of life and creativity.[180] Madisar is a typical style worn by Brahmin ladies from Tamil Nadu.[183] Women wear colourful silk sarees on special occasions such as marriages.[184]

text: The men wear a dhoti, a 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, white rectangular piece of non-stitched cloth often bordered in brightly coloured stripes. It is usually wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist.[185] A colourful lungi with typical batik patterns is the most common form of male attire in the countryside.[186] People in urban areas generally wear tailored clothing and western dress is popular in urban areas.[186] Western-style school uniforms are worn by both boys and girls in schools even in rural areas.[186]

text: Cuisine[edit]

text: Rice is the staple diet, while fish is an integral component of coastal South Indian meals.[187] Coconut and spices are used extensively in South Indian cuisine. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes comprising rice, legumes and lentils. Its distinct aroma and flavour is achieved by the blending of flavourings and spices including curry leaves, mustard seeds, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rosewater.[188][189] The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor, having the food served on a banana leaf[190] and using clean fingers of the right hand to take the food into the mouth.[191] After the meal, the fingers are washed; the easily degradable banana leaf is discarded or becomes fodder for cattle.[192] Eating on banana leaves is a custom thousands of years old, imparts a unique flavor to the food and is considered healthy.[193] Idli, dosa, uthappam, appam, pongal and paniyaram are popular dishes for breakfast.[194][195] Rice is served with sambar, rasam and poriyal for lunch. Andhra cuisine is characterised by pickles and spicy curries.[196] Chettinad cuisine is famous for non-vegetarian items and Hyderabadi cuisine is popular for its biryani.[197]

text: Arts[edit]

text: The traditional music of South India is known as Carnatic music, which includes rhythmic and structured music by composers like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Tyagayya, Annamacharya, Bhakta Ramadasu, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Shyama Shastri, Kshetrayya, Mysore Vasudevachar and Swathi Thirunal.[198] The main instrument that is used in South Indian Hindu temples is the nadaswaram, a reed instrument played along with thavil, a type of drum instrument to create an ensemble.[199] The motion picture industry has emerged as an important platform in South India over the years, portraying the cultural changes, trends, aspirations and developments experienced by its people. South India is home to several distinct dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kerala Natanam, Koodiyattam, Kuchipudi, Margamkali, Mohiniaattam, Oppana, Ottamthullal, Theyyam, Vilasini Natyam and Yakshagana.[200][201][202][203][204] The dance, clothing and sculptures of South India exemplify the beauty of the body and motherhood.[180][205][206][207][208]

text: Cinema[edit]

text: Films in regional languages are prevalent; this includes Kannada cinema (Karnataka), Malayalam cinema (Kerala), Tamil cinema (Tamil Nadu) and Telugu cinema (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh). The first silent film in South India, Keechaka Vadham, was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1916.[209] In South India, the first Tamil talkie, Kalidas, was released on 31 October 1931, barely seven months after India's first talking picture Alam Ara[210] Mudaliar also established South India's first film studio in Madras.[211] Swamikannu Vincent built the first cinema of South India in Coimbatore and introduced the concept of "tent cinema", the first of whose kind was established in Madras and was known as "Edison's Grand Cifnemamegaphone".[212] Filmmakers K Balachandar, Balu Mahendra, Bharathiraaja and Mani Ratnam in Tamil cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N. Karun, John Abraham and G. Aravindan in Malayalam cinema, and K. N. T. Sastry and B. Narsing Rao in Telugu cinema produced realistic parallel cinema throughout the 1970s,[213] Cinema has also exerted its influence on politics;[214] prominent film personalities like C N Annadurai, M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, N. T. Rama Rao and Jayalalithaa have become Chief Ministers.[215] As of 2014, South Indian film industry contribute to 53% of the total films produced in India.[216]

text:
Table: Feature films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (2017)[216]

Language
No. of films

Telugu
294

Tamil
304

Malayalam
156

Kannada
220

Tulu
9

Konkani
13

Total
996

text: Literature[edit]

text: South India has an independent literary tradition dating back over 2500 years ago. The first known literature of South India is the poetic Sangam literature, written in Tamil 2500 to 2100 years ago. The literature was composed in three successive poetic assemblies known as Tamil Sangams that were held in the ancient times on a now vanished continent far to the south of India.[217] This literature includes the oldest grammar treatise Tholkappiyam and epics Silappatikaram and Manimekalai written in Tamil.[218] References to Kannada literature appear from fourth century CE.[219][220] Telugu literature adopted a form of Prakrit which in course of development became the immediate ancestor of Telugu.[221] Distinct Malayalam literature came later in the 13th century.[222]

text: Architecture[edit]

text: South India has two distinct styles of rock architecture, the Dravidian style of Tamil Nadu and the Vesara style of Karnataka.[223] The temples considered of porches or mantapas preceding the door leading to the sanctum, gate-pyramids or gopurams, which are the principal features in the quadrangular enclosures that surround the more notable temples and pillared halls used for many purposes and are the invariable accompaniments of these temples. Besides these, a South Indian temple typically has a tank called the Kalyani or Pushkarni.[224] The gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of any temple in Southern India. This forms a prominent feature of koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style.[225] They are topped by the kalasam, a spherical stone finial, and function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex.[226] The origins of the gopuram can be traced back to early structures of the Pallavas and by the twelfth century, under the Pandya rulers, these gateways became a dominant feature of a temple's outer appearance, eventually overshadowing the inner sanctuary which became obscured from view by the colossal size of the gopuram.[227][228]

text: Transport[edit]

text: Road[edit]

text: South India has an extensive road network with 20,573 km (12,783 mi) of National Highways and 46,813 km (29,088 mi) of State Highways. The Golden Quadrilateral connects Chennai in the region with Mumbai via Bangalore and Kolkata via Visakhapatnam.[229][230] Bus services are provided by state run transport corporations namely Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation,[231] Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation,[232] Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation,[233] Telangana State Road Transport Corporation,[234] Kerala State Road Transport Corporation[235] and Puducherry Road Transport Corporation.[236]

text:
State
National Highway [237]
State Highway[238]
Motor vehicles per 1000 pop.[239]

Andhra Pradesh
7,356 km (4,571 mi)
10,650 km (6,620 mi)
145

Karnataka
6,432 km (3,997 mi)
20,774 km (12,908 mi)
182

Tamil Nadu
5,006 km (3,111 mi)
10,764 km (6,688 mi)
257

Telangana
2,635 km (1,637 mi)
3,152 km (1,959 mi)
N/A

Kerala
1,811 km (1,125 mi)
4,341 km (2,697 mi)
198

Andaman and Nicobar
330 km (210 mi)
38 km (24 mi)
152

Puducherry
64 km (40 mi)
246 km (153 mi)
521

Total
22,635 km (14,065 mi)
49,965 km (31,047 mi)

text: Rail[edit]

text: The Great Southern India Railway Company was founded in England in 1853 and registered in 1859.[240] Construction of track in Madras Presidency began in 1859 and the 80 miles (130 km) link from Trichinopoly to Negapatam was opened in 1861. The Carnatic Railway Company was founded in 1864 and opened a Madras-Arakkonam-Conjeevaram line in 1865. The Great Southern India Railway was subsequently merged with the Carnatic Railway in 1874 to form the South Indian Railway Company.[241] In 1880, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway established by the British, built a railway network radiating inward from Madras.[242] In 1879, the Madras Railway constructed a railway line from Royapuram to Bangalore and the Maharaja of Mysore established Mysore State Railway to carryout extension from Bangalore to Mysore.[243] Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway.[244][245]

text: On 14 April 1951, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway and the Mysore State Railway were merged to form the Southern Railway, the first zone of Indian Railways.[246] The South Central zone was created on 2 October 1966 as the ninth zone of Indian Railways and the South Western zone was created on 1 April 2003.[247] Most of the region is covered by the three zones with small portions of coasts covered by East Coast Railway and Konkan Railway. Metro rail is operated by Namma Metro in Bangalore, Chennai Metro in Chennai, Coimbatore Metro in Coimbatore, Kochi Metro in Kochi and Hyderabad Metro in Hyderabad . Chennai MRTS provides suburban rail services in Chennai and was the first elevated railway line in India.[248] The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage site.[249]

text:
Sl. No
Name of the Railway zone[250]
Abbr.
Route length
(in Km)[251]
Headquarters[250]
Founded[252]
Divisions
Major Stations[253]

1.
Southern
SR
5,098
Chennai
14 April 1951
Chennai,[254] Tiruchirappalli,[255] Madurai,[256] Palakkad,[257] Salem,[258] Thiruvananthapuram[259]
Chennai Central, Coimbatore Main, Ernakulam, Erode, Katpadi, Kollam, Kozhikode, Madurai, Mangalore Central, Palakkad, Salem, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thrissur, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli

2.
South Central
SCR
5,803
Secunderabad
2 October 1966
Secunderabad,[260] Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Guntakal, Guntur, Nanded
Guntur, Nellore, Secunderabad, Tirupati Main, Vijayawada

3.
South Western
SWR
3,177
Hubli
1 April 2003
Hubli, Bangalore, Mysore, Gulbarga[261]
Bangalore City, Hubli, Mysore

4.
East Coast
ECoR
2,572
Bhubaneswar
1 April 2003
Khurda Road, Sambalpur, Waltair[262]
Visakhapatnam

5.
Konkan
KR
741
Navi Mumbai
26 January 1988
Karwar, Ratnagiri
Madgaon

text: Air[edit]

text: In March 1930, a discussion initiated by pilot G. Vlasto led to the founding of Madras Flying Club which became a pioneer in pilot training South India.[263] On 15 October 1932, Indian aviator J. R. D. Tata flew a Puss Moth aircraft carrying mail from Karachi to Bombay (currently Mumbai) and the aircraft continued to Madras (currently Chennai) piloted by Neville Vincent, a former Royal Air Force pilot and friend of Tata.[264]

text: There are 9 international airports, 2 customs airports, 15 domestic airports and 11 air bases in South India. Chennai airport serves as the regional headquarters of the Airports Authority of India for the southern region of India comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep.[265] Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi are amongst the top 10 busiest airports in the country.[266][267][268]

text: The Southern Air Command of Indian Air Force is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram and the Training Command is headquartered at Bangalore. The Indian Air Force operates eleven air bases in Southern India including two in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[269] The Indian Navy operates airbases at Kochi, Arakkonam, Uchipuli, Vizag, Campbell Bay and Diglipur in the region.[270][271]

text:
State/UT
International
CustomsNote 1
Domestic
Military

Andaman and Nicobar
1
0
0
4

Andhra Pradesh
1
1
4
1

Karnataka
2
0
2
3

Kerala
3
0
0
1

Lakshadweep
0
0
1
0

Puducherry
0
0
1
0

Tamil Nadu
4
1
2
6

Telangana
1
0
3
2

Total
10
2
14
16

text: ^ Restricted international airport

text:
Rank
Name
City
State
IATA Code
Total
Passengers (2015)

1
Kempegowda International Airport
Bangalore
Karnataka
BLR
18,971,149

2
Chennai International Airport
Chennai
Tamil Nadu
MAA
15,218,017

3
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
Hyderabad
Telangana
HYD
12,388,159

4
Cochin International Airport
Kochi
Kerala
COK
7,749,901

5
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala
TRV
3,470,788

6
Kozhikode International Airport
Kozhikode
Kerala
CCJ
2,305,547

7
Visakhapatnam Airport
Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
VTZ
1,804,634

8
Coimbatore International Airport
Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu
CJB
1,691,553

9
Mangalore International Airport
Mangalore
Karnataka
IXE
1,674,251

10
Tiruchirappalli International Airport
Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Nadu
TRZ
1,297,212

11
Madurai International Airport
Madurai
Tamil Nadu
IXM
1,012,212

text: Water[edit]

text: A total of 89 ports are situated along the coast: Tamil Nadu (15), Karnataka (10), Kerala (17), Andhra Pradesh (12), Lakshadweep (10), Pondicherry (2) and Andaman & Nicobar (23).[272] Major ports include Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, Tuticorin, Ennore and Kochi.[273]

text:
Name
State
Cargo Handled
(FY2014–15)[274]

'000 tonnes
 % Increase
(over previous FY)

Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
58,004
-0.85% ↓

Chennai
Tamil Nadu
52,541
2.81% ↑

Mangalore
Karnataka
36,566
-7.11% ↓

Tuticorin
Tamil Nadu
32,414
13.17% ↑

Ennore
Tamil Nadu
30,251
10.66% ↑

Kochi
Kerala
21,595
3.39% ↑

text: The Kerala backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km of waterways. In the midst of this landscape, there are a number of towns and cities, which serve as the starting and end points of transportation services and backwater cruises.[275]

text: The Eastern Naval Command and Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy are headquartered at Visakhapatnam and Kochi respectively.[276][277] Indian Navy has its major operational bases in Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Kochi, Karwar and Kavaratti in the region.[278][279][280]


document_title: List of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air characters

question_text: will smiths girlfriend in fresh prince of bel air

question_tokens: will smiths girlfriend in fresh prince of bel air

root

text: List of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air characters

text: Character appearances[edit]

text:
Cast
Character Played
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6

Main characters

Will Smith
Will Smith
Main

James Avery
Philip Banks
Main

Janet Hubert-Whitten
Vivian Banks
Main

Daphne Maxwell Reid

Main

Alfonso Ribeiro
Carlton Banks
Main

Karyn Parsons
Hilary Banks
Main

Tatyana M. Ali
Ashley Banks
Main

Joseph Marcell
Geoffrey Butler
Main

Ross Bagley
Nicholas "Nicky" Banks

Main

Recurring characters

DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jazz
Recurring

Vernee Watson-Johnson
Viola "Vy" Smith
Recurring

Michael Weiner
Kellogg Lieberbaum
Recurring

Lisa Fuller
Toni
Recurring

Jenifer Lewis
Helen Smith

Recurring

Charlayne Woodard
Janice Smith

Recurring

Perry Moore
Tyriq "Ty" Johnson

Recurring

Brian Stokes Mitchell
Trevor Collins-Newsworthy

Recurring

Tyra Banks
Jacqueline "Jackie" Ames

Recurring

Nia Long
Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes

Recurring

text: Main characters[edit]

text: Will Smith[edit]

text:
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Master William"
Nickname by Jazz and others friends: "Prince" or "Will-man"

tag: ul

text: Born on July 3, 1973.

tag: p

text: Philip Banks[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Uncle Phil"
Nickname by Parents: "Zeeke"
Nickname by Carlton: "Big Guy"
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Sir”
Nickname by Ashley and Hilary: "Daddy"
Nickname by Vivian: "Philip"
Nickname by Ernest: "Moose"

text: Philip Banks (played by James Avery) was born on January 30, 1945 in North Carolina. Philip was raised on a farm in Yamacraw, North Carolina, where he was referred to by his parents, Hattie and Joe Banks, as "Zeke". At age 16 he moved to Baltimore.

text: In the 1960s, he became an activist for the civil rights movement. He was present at the riots in Selma in 1965 and Watts Riots, and, in the pilot episode, he also mentions he heard Malcolm X speak, and that he had read every word that he wrote. In 1963, he was awarded a scholarship to study at Princeton University, after which he went to Harvard Law School. In 1975, Philip was put on the board of the NAACP and was later awarded the Urban Spirit Award for his work in promoting civil rights. He is a conservative but runs as a Democrat against his old mentor Carl Robertson in the elections. At first glance, Will had come to Bel Air with an attitude that because he came from West Philadelphia that he was hardened against anything and was dismissive of Phil and his family as too soft, until he is sternly rebuked by Phil, who reveals his past in seeing the turmoil that happened before Will was born and that it has been his hard work that has earned him a manor in Bel-Air. Philip was also shown to have admired Ronald Reagan, namely because during the series run Reagan had retired from the presidency and moved into the same neighborhood as Philip's. Reagan was said to have declined party invitations until he appears at a traditional Christmas party of the Banks; ironically shown to be a friend of Hilary's.

text: At the beginning of the series, Philip is a senior partner with the firm of Firth, Wynn and Meyer (which Will humorously compares to Earth, Wind & Fire in the pilot episode). In the third season, he is appointed to the judiciary; he becomes a judge after his ex-mentor, Judge Carl Robertson, who beat Philip by a landslide in the elections, dies suddenly, and the governor appoints Philip to the position. Philip later considers making a deeper foray into politics, but decides against it when his wife disapproves. In the episode "To Thine Own Self Be Blue...And Gold," it is revealed that Phil is a member of the fictional fraternity Pi Nu. After meeting and dating his future wife Vivian, he proposed to her while on live television during an episode of Soul Train. He claims to have been a lifelong fan of classical music in the episode "Bang the Drum, Ashley", though Vivian rebuffs that "When we met, you were into James Brown!", which Philip rebuts by stating it is possible to like both classical music and James Brown.

text: Philip is a somewhat strict and gruff, but he does have a softer side, as he is a loving and caring family man, as well as being an upstanding citizen. Nonetheless, his anger can get him into trouble at times, especially when he feels his image is being besmirched. Additionally, Philip can be financially greedy; he pays his butler Geoffrey a salary so low that Geoffrey quits after Philip gives him a mediocre additional annual raise, and only returns when Philip apologizes for taking him for granted and agrees to increase his salary, benefits and to hire more help during formal functions. In the series finale, when Geoffrey retires, Phil rewards him with both a large cash bonus and an expensive first class plane ticket to London, England. Similarly, while he always spoils Hilary, Philip refuses to increase the allowances of his children, although in later seasons he begins to tire of spending his hard-earned money on spoiling Hilary and becomes more gruff with Hilary to pay her own way in the world. A recurring gag is about Philip's children being afraid of his punishments because, while his anger is understandable, he can be incredibly sadistic and sociopathic in his punishments. For example, in season three's "The Best Laid Plans", in which Will tries to trick a girl he is dating (who does not believe in premarital sex) into marrying him in order to go all the way with her, Philip became severely disappointed and upset, and promises to impose the cruelest punishment that he could find (which he manages to do three years after the incident, when he read about medieval tortures and with a malicious smile in his face).

text: Despite being a miser, Philip is a very caring and loving husband and father. He makes sure that he does what is best for all his children, including Will. Despite being related to Will only by marriage (and though he sometimes grumbles about Will being a goof-off), he very much cares for him as his own son. Throughout the series, Philip has been there for his children in their time of need, which rubs off on his nephew as Will comes to see Philip as a genuine father-figure (as opposed to his true father, who left him and his mother when Will was a young child). When Will is eager to bond with his biological father Lou after he suddenly re-enters Will's life, Philip warns Will to be wary of Lou and comforts him when Lou is unable to rekindle their relationship.

text: Philip goes out of his way to make sure all of his children, including Will, make something of themselves. He also fights fiercely to protect his family: When Will and Carlton are arrested for "stealing a car" as they are driving it for his law firm partner, Philip threatens to tie the police station up in "so much litigation that [their] grandchildren are going to need lawyers". He is overprotective of Ashley and has trouble with her growing up into a young woman. A common occasion for humor on the show is Philip's portly shape and big appetite. Will commonly makes cracks about his girth, as do Geoffrey, Jazz and Vivian, and at times, even Carlton (though he is usually skittish and quick to apologize). Unfortunately, Philip's appetite has given him trouble and even caused him to suffer a heart attack in season four's "Home is Where the Heart Attack Is". Philip also reveals himself to be an amazingly adept pool player in the episode "Banks Shot", showing his skill by out-hustling the pool shark who hustled Will at the pool hall. He has a personal cue stick, that he has named "Lucille".

text: In the episode "Lucky Charm," it is said by Vivian that Philip's birthday is in January. But this causes a continuity error because in part one of the two-part series finale, Philip's birthday is celebrated, but the finale takes place in late May.

text: Vivian Banks[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Aunt Viv"
Nickname by Her children: "Mom" or "Mommy"
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Mrs. Banks" or "Madam"
Maiden Name: Smith

text: Prof. Vivian Banks (née Smith), PhD, born on October 21, 1951, was portrayed by Janet Hubert-Whitten during the first three seasons and by Daphne Maxwell Reid for the last three. She is the mother of Nicky, Ashley, Carlton and Hillary Banks; the aunt of Will Smith and the wife of Phillip Banks. She has been a retired Doctor then earned her PhD at UCLA since 1971, and in one early episode takes a temporary job as a teacher for a unit in Black History at Bel-Air Academy, the upscale preparatory high school attended by Will and Carlton, and later by Ashley. She has one older sister, Vy (Will's mother), and two younger sisters, Helen and Janice.

text: Vivian's personality and role in the show changes over the run of the series. During the Janet Hubert-Whitten years, she is a no-nonsense, vocally talented, forthright, and career-minded woman who plays a part in the show equal to her husband Philip. It is revealed in the season one episode "Love at First Fight", that Vivian dropped out of high school as a teenager and worked menial jobs, before attending night school in order to get her high school diploma and enter college to work toward her PhD.

text: After Reid took the part in 1993 and baby Nicky was added to the cast, she was reimagined as a homemaker who showed reluctance toward ambitious career moves, such as Philip's political aspirations. The Reid-played Vivian showed a less fiery demeanor than how Whitten portrayed the role. She also supported her children in whatever they wanted, even if it was wrong. An example of this permissive behavior was when she let Hilary make the decision for herself to pose naked in a Playboy pictorial in the season four episode "Fresh Prince After Dark", as well as letting Hilary get abruptly married to her news anchor boyfriend Trevor in "Where There's a Will, There's a Way," and having a seance for Trevor in the episode "Hex and the Single Guy." It seems that Janet Hubert-Whitten's Vivian would have disapproved such attitudes; however, in the episode It's a Wonderful Lie, she's at Philip's side when he severely reprimands Ashley for lying to them and having snuck off to go to a fraternity party, where she'd been caught by Will in a locked bedroom making out with a college linebacker.

text: There has been references in the series about Janet Hubert-Whitten's replacement by Daphne Maxwell Reed as Vivian. In an occasional running gag within the series, whenever a member of the family goes through old family photos, Will would occasionally comment who the mannish-looking person is in the photo, to which it is then revealed that the person in question is the Whitten-played Vivian. In a later interview, costume designer Carlo Tang commented that Smith and other cast members would jokingly refer to Hubert-Whitten's Vivian as Marcus, a fictional bodybuilder. The change between the two is the object of two humorous quotes from Jazz in which he breaks the fourth wall. One of them is in the fourth-season premiere, when he remarks: "You know, Mrs. Banks, ever since you had that baby, there's something different about you"; after this, Will stares uneasily into the camera. The other is in the fifth-season premiere when he sees the suddenly grown Nicky and asks: "So, who's playing the wife this year?".

text: Carlton Banks[edit]

text:
Nicknames by Will: "C", or "Boogaloo Shrimp" (also "Stumpy," "Squidget", "Snigglet" or basically any name pertaining to Carlton's short stature)
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Master Carlton"
Nickname by Jazz: "C-Note" (in the episode "72 Hours")

text: Carlton Banks (played by Alfonso Ribeiro), born August 4, 1974, is Vivian and Philip's eldest son and Will's pedantic maternal cousin.

text: Carlton is a quintessential preppy. Like many of his social class, Carlton aspires to attend an Ivy League university; in earlier seasons, he states he aims to get into Yale University, but later fixes a determined focus on Princeton University, his father Philip's alma mater.

text: Like his father Phillip, Carlton is a firmly conservative Republican and this often puts him at odds with Will. Although Carlton and Will often exchange insults, and Will normally refers to Carlton as a disgrace, Carlton obviously cares about Will, referring to him in the 2nd-season episode 'Vying for Attention' as "the brother I've always wanted". At first it appears there is an antagonistic relationship between Will and Carlton, but in later seasons Will significantly warms to Carlton, ultimately accepting Carlton and the other cousins as the siblings he never had. On one occasion in the season three episode "Just Say Yo", Carlton is considerate enough to cover for Will when he is admitted to the hospital after having taken speed tablets from inside Will's locker, but allows his parents to think that Will saved him. He attributes this to "still being high at the time" when asked by Will why he covered for him. This spurs Will to tearfully confess the truth to the family; although Carlton did ingest speed, Will bore responsibility as he had accepted the pills from a schoolfriend, storing them in his locker, then absentmindedly said to Carlton he had a bottle of Vitamin E in his locker.

text: Carlton drives a silver Mercedes-Benz E-Class from the early 1990s, which is seen in a few episodes. Carlton also was a bit of a servant to sister Ashley when she hit it big on the singing charts. He held doors open for her and fanned Ashley while she tanned. His role model is talk show host Bryant Gumbel and his favorite singer is Tom Jones. His favorite actor is William Shatner, whom he annoys by making lame Star Trek references. Carlton also idolizes Macaulay Culkin, whom he once dressed up as for Halloween (Although, he looked more like Simon Phoenix, Wesley Snipes' Character from Demolition Man.) He is also a big fan of The Jeffersons and Beverly Hills, 90210, the latter of which he is confident enough to admit to others; this is unlike Will, who scoffs at the show in front of friends but confesses to Carlton that he is a secret 90210 fan as well.

text: Carlton is similar to Family Ties character Alex P. Keaton in many respects: he dresses in a preppy style, has conservative political leanings, is obsessed with college and his future career, is fairly short, and does not enjoy the popular music of most people his age (Besides Tom Jones, Carlton also likes Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, and Neil Diamond.) Carlton is often called upon to do a comic, usually improvised dance routine to Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" (which was inspired by a dance performed by Courteney Cox in the music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark").[1] In earlier seasons, he makes frequent references to his virginity (twice referencing that he plans on losing it at some point), and also plans to attend Princeton University. In later seasons, these arcs are both resolved: Carlton does indeed lose his virginity to a woman who is married to the Dean of Princeton, but is not initially admitted to Princeton; instead he first attends the University of Los Angeles, where he briefly manages ULA's student store, the Peacock Stop.

text: As seen in the episodes "You Bet Your Life" and "Viva Lost Wages", Carlton also seems to have a gambling problem and loses all of his money in any situation where gambling is involved and constantly imagines the gambling tables and slot machines talking to him, but seems fully aware that he is subject to compulsive gambling, and this limits his exposure to gaming. He usually declares that gambling is "evil" right before he goes all in and loses his and others' money. One exception to this was where he participated in a casino night in the season two episode "Something for Nothing", but that was done for charitable reasons and not for real money. In season five's "Bullets Over Bel-Air", Will tries to protect Carlton when they get robbed after using an automated teller machine, Will gets shot, taking a bullet for Carlton and is sent to the hospital (eventually recovering from his injuries); Carlton acquires a firearm later in the episode, as the event heightens his awareness of the need for self-defense, but later disposes of the handgun upon Will's insistence.

text: One running joke in the show involves Carlton repeatedly being slapped in the back of the head by various characters, usually in response to comments that are ridiculously self-centered (in later seasons, for example, he would often make humorous comments about gaining his father's inheritance) or due to portraying ignorance of lives other than his own. Often Will would ask to hold what Carlton is holding and once receiving it he would slap Carlton across the head with the object (e.g. a folder containing Will's testament written by Carlton, in "Ill Will"). Carlton's height is frequently made fun of, especially by Will, who, in the episode "Grumpy Young Men", jokes that Carlton is the average height for a woman.

text: He is sometimes portrayed as being extremely naïve. An example is when, in the episode Mistaken Identity, he and Will are arrested after police officers falsely believe that they stole a Mercedes-Benz belonging to Philip's law firm partner, who requested Will and Carlton drive the vehicle to Palm Springs as a favor. At the end, Carlton insists that the policemen were only doing their job, not really accepting the fact that he and Will were victims of racial profiling. However, he seems to wonder if they were wrong, as when he asks his father if he (Phil) were a policeman if he would pull over someone who was driving too slow, for which Phil answers: "I asked myself the same thing the first time I was stopped"; after that, Carlton seems in deep thought over the situation. Although he was portrayed early on as a snobby rich kid, Carlton evolved after having his view challenged when arrested for "stealing a car" and when Will is shot, Carlton is angered that the shooter will probably not face justice for harming Will.

text: He is also seen to get extremely jealous almost anytime something great happens to Will. Examples would be when, in the Season One episode "Courting Disater" Will joins the school basketball with Carlton already on it. Will becomes the star of the team and Carlton becomes jealous and the competition between the two starts. Carlton decides to steal the ball from Will and take the game winning shot.

text: In the sixth and final season, Carlton finally gains transfer admission to Princeton University however, due to his fear of not living up to Philip's achievements, Carlton decides not to attend Princeton and briefly becomes interested in pursuing a career in bowling. However, he gets over his fear and leaves for the east coast in the series finale.

text: Hilary Banks[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Hil"
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Miss Hilary"
Nickname by friends and workers: "Hilary"

text: Hilary Violet Banks (played by Karyn Parsons), born May 12, 1969 (although said to be August 18th in "Love Hurts"), is Will's attractive, but dull-witted, eldest cousin, known for her notable lack of intelligence, pretentious attitude, spoiled brat behaviour, and constant dependence on Geoffrey.

text: In earlier seasons, Hilary's snobbishness is emphasized, as well as her shallow trendy environmental activism. During this time, she often claimed to hobnob with celebrities and loved being mistaken by people for Whitney Houston. Later on, Hilary is written as a self-centered airhead; she looks down on Will's upbringing and is obsessed with shopping and money (this is shown early in the series; her first line of the show is "Dad, I need $300!," which she intended to spend on a hat). However, despite her apparent shallow personality, she has a strong sense of integrity and shows obvious affection to her family members; Will gets along with her better than Carlton does, though Will is at times bewildered by Hilary's lapses of intelligence. Hilary is portrayed as a stereotypical valley girl and speaks with some strong valspeak habits, in spite of her disdain for the San Fernando Valley (as evidenced in two season three episodes: in "Asses to Ashes", when talking about what heaven and hell might be like, she describes hell to be "like, the Valley"; in "Robbing the Banks", when Will lets it slip to Hilary, Carlton and Ashley that Luther, whom Philip was coaxed into hiring to help around the house while Vivian and Geoffrey were each on vacation, spent time "in the pen", Hilary responds "The pen, please tell me that's slang for the Valley"). Hilary is pursued by Jazz and reluctantly goes on a date with him in Season 1 episode "Working it Out" in order to keep her job. The night ends with Hilary giving Jazz a kiss on the cheek.

text: During the series, Hilary attends and drops out of UCLA, after which she begins a long streak of varying luck that eventually lands her a nationally syndicated daytime talk show titled Hilary. It starts when she becomes a weather reporter at a local television station, where she meets and falls in love with the station's lead news anchor Trevor Collins (Brian Stokes Mitchell). However, Trevor dies in a bungee jumping accident while proposing marriage in the episode "Where There's a Will, There's a Way", part of an ill-conceived live televised event that Hilary and the rest of the Banks family watch at home on the living room television. At the conclusion of the series, Hilary's talk show moves to New York City, as does most of the rest of the Banks family.

text: Hilary's hair styles have changed as the series progressed; early in the series it was brown and bushy, it then became longer and curly with blonde highlights, but later it was black, straight, and shoulder-length. Hilary appeared in 145 episodes of the series.

text: Ashley Banks[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Ash"
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Miss Ashley"

text: Ashley Banks (played by Tatyana Ali) is Will's younger cousin, born on August 26, 1979. Ashley was Vivian's baby girl, and always loved being with her mom. Phillip was always trying to control Ashley's life so she did not become anything like regular teenage girls. Will's devil-may-care approach to life proved to be an exciting alternative, which makes her generally more sympathetic and understanding towards him than other members of the Banks family; with that being, Ashley looked up to Will as a big brother and spent much time following him in her younger days. In fact, Will states in the episode "Will Gets A Job" that if he had a choice to be any of Phillip's kids it would be Ashley.

text: Possibly because of Will's influence towards Ashley, she often acts rebelliously as she gets older, for which her father becomes very angry at Will. One of these moments is in the episode Father Knows Best, which reveals that she dropped out of her private school and enrolled in secret at a public high school and was planning to hide this from her parents as long as possible; though after a failed plot in which Will posed as Ashley's father when she is asked to attend a parent-teacher conference, Will eventually convinces Ashley to come clean. She also spends less time with Will and sometimes gets upset with him when he becomes overprotective like Philip to the point of showing a great deal of annoyance and contempt. She believed that she was old enough to make her own decisions when it comes to boys which neither Will nor Uncle Phil enjoyed hearing or believed. Phillip never enjoyed having Ashley grow up.

text: Ashley's age is inconsistent in the first season. She is said to be nine in a few early episodes of the season. In the episode "Deck the Halls," Will says that she is 10. But in the episode "Just Infatuation," Ashley celebrates her 12th birthday. Starting with the second season, she is 13, she turns 14 in the middle of the third season, 15 at the end of the fourth season, she is 16 by the end of season five and 17 by the end of season six.

text: Ashley matures very much in the series; she becomes a one-hit wonder with a hit song called "Make Up Your Mind" in the season five premiere "What's Will Got to Do With It?"/"The Client", however her career quickly fizzles out when her album doesn't sell because as the agent Philip hired to replace Will mentioned "kids got sick of her [song]", when it gets too much exposure.[2] Beginning in the episode "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", she also strives to become a fashion model after being discovered by the president of a modeling agency at her job at a mall food court corn dog stand.

text: In the series finale, Ashley decides to attend a performing arts school in New York City. As Hilary is also moving to New York when it is announced that her talk show is relocating there, the two sisters decide to live together; they become extremely excited about the whole idea, much to the annoyance of Phillip, who does not want to lose his daughters. In the episode "The Baby Comes Out", where her brother Nicky is born, Ashley mentions she knew how to drive since she was 12 years old. She is very musically talented as shown that she plays violin and the drums, and she can sing. Ashley appeared in 144 episodes of the series.

text: Nicky Banks[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "Little man"

text: Nicholas Andrew Michael Shawn Nathan Wanyá Banks (played first by Gregory Wheeler in Twas the Night Before Christening and then by Ross Bagley for the final two seasons) is born to Philip and Vivian on February 22, 1993, toward the end of the third season. Except for one episode, when Carlton professionally calls him "Nicholas", every member of the family calls him by his nickname, Nicky.

text: The character was primarily used as a plot device, often adding motivation for other characters, comic relief, or an emotional punch to the show's storyline. In the fifth season, Nicky grows from a newborn infant to a preschooler, which is common in television series and soap operas. In the fifth-season premiere "What's Will Got to Do With It", the first episode to feature this change, Jazz expresses amazement while Will just stares uneasily into the camera.

text: Four of his middle names are taken from the names of the members of the R&B group Boyz II Men; he was middle-named this way after they performed at his christening in the season four episode "'Twas the Night Before Christening"; however in the season three episode "The Baby Comes Out", Philip addresses Nicky's full name, with a middle name already given, as "Nicholas Andrew Banks".

text: Geoffrey Barbara Butler[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "G", "Chicken George" (Season 3, Episode 20) - "The Baby Comes Out"

text: Geoffrey Barbara Butler (played by Joseph Marcell), born in London on November 18, 1947, serves as the Banks family's cynical butler. Geoffrey is the first character that appears on screen in the pilot episode The Fresh Prince Project. He is seen going to answer the door to Will, who mistakes him for Philip.

text: In addition to four years at Oxford University and a long career working for British aristocrats, Geoffrey was an Olympic runner several years before being hired by the Banks family (as revealed in the episode "It's Better to Have Loved and Lost It..." from the fourth season, when Geoffrey shows the Banks family a videotape of a documentary called Shame of a Nation), but fled his home country in shame after being exposed for cheating while participating in the men's marathon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, winning the Gold Medal only because he had taken a cab ride to the stadium parking lot (shortly after receiving his medal, Queen Elizabeth II, who apparently presented the medals, got word of Geoffrey's cheating, pushing aside the bronze medalist to hit Geoffrey with her purse and rip the medal off his neck: Geoffrey then ran from the stadium in shame.) In the 1970s, he was a butler for the band Led Zeppelin. In the early 1980s, Geoffrey was sparring butler for Chuck Norris. In the episode Nice Lady, he reveals having practiced Greco-Roman wrestling in his youth.

text: Geoffrey's character changes over the series: in early episodes, he is very dutiful and gentlemanly, whereas he becomes very cynical in later episodes. Joseph Marcell explains that he began by playing Geoffrey as stereotypically English but then felt that the American audience was not accustomed to seeing Black Englishmen.[3] Geoffrey's favorite television program (as revealed in the pilot episode) is Masterpiece Theatre, which he routinely watches when he goes off duty at 9 pm

text: Geoffrey always refers to Will as "Master William" (except once in part two of the series finale "I, Done", at Will's request) and the other Banks children as "Master Carlton", "Miss Hilary", "Miss Ashley", and "Master Nicky". Known for his sarcasm, he is the voice of caustic humor on the show, often commenting on Philip's weight, his own low pay, his lack of a social or romantic life, the overall laziness of the family, or Will's goofiness. However, Geoffrey did seem to impress women by having the confidence to be himself, such as when he was set up on a blind date with a Black English woman (played by Naomi Campbell).

text: In early episodes, he has an interest in classical music and is often hinted at as leading a vibrant private life. Ironically, although a stickler for tradition, he incorrectly tells Will it is proper to refer to a butler by his first name, although this is possibly because his surname and job title are the same.[4] He considers himself to be part of the English working-class, despite speaking the Queen's English and, in one episode, being wary of a relationship with a rich woman.

text: He becomes the godfather of Nicky Banks in the fourth-season episode "Twas the Night Before Christening", after Vivian tires of the bickering amongst her sisters Vy and Helen and noted that no one has been more devoted to her youngest son than Geoffrey has. Midway into the sixth season, Geoffrey discovers he has a son he never knew about, named Frederick, born to a former lover. During the same episode, it is also revealed that his middle name is "Barbara", which he explains is a "family name". In the series finale "I, Done", Geoffrey leaves to be with his son in London; however, in the fourth-season episode "'Twas the Night Before Christening", a sequence set in 1998 (two years after the ending of the series) portrays him as still being the Banks family's butler.

text: There are two running gags centered around Geoffrey. One is that he is often compared to or confused with Benson, from the series with the same name. The other, which is more common is that whenever the doorbell rings, everyone continues with what they were previously doing, or look to Geoffrey, prompting Geoffrey to say "oh, please, will you let me get it this time?" or some variation, in a sarcastic tone. Niles, from The Nanny is very similar to him, as they are both British butlers, both went to Oxford, and both have the same sarcastic personality. Geoffrey appeared in 143 episodes of the series.

text: Jazz[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Jazz, man" (also "J", Jazzy Jazzerzon, The Jazzmeister, JazzZ, Jazzertron 3000 and Jazzeroonie)
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Mr. Jazz"

text: Jazz was portrayed by Will Smith's musical partner Jeffrey A. Townes, popularly known as DJ Jazzy Jeff. Jazz was born on May 20, 1971 and is Will's ill-mannered and dim-witted best friend who lives in the inner-city community of Compton, California. He has had a long-standing crush on Hilary Banks, and almost every time his advances are rejected. Jazz eventually marries a prison inmate named Jewel who had appeared on an episode of COPS, in which she bites the arm of a police officer (this is not shown, although the officer is heard calling for police backup because of it). In the season four episode "Mother's Day", Jewel reveals that she and Jazz are expecting a baby though no other mention of their child is ever made after that point. Jazz divorces her shortly afterward, realizing he knows nothing about her, finding out that she cheated on him with several men and that her real name is not even Jewel (it is Hortense). Jazz is almost completely tactless, and succeeds in insulting or irritating Philip almost every time they are together. He knows how to play the drums very well, and once gave Ashley a lesson in the episode his character is introduced "Bang the Drum, Ashley". Jazz wears sunglasses in nearly every episode he is seen. While in an early episode of season one, Jazz wears regular glasses for the entire episode instead of his trademark sunglasses, the show's writers had initially intended for the character to be blind.[5] This is evidenced throughout early episodes, as Jazz is rarely looking directly at other characters. However, by the second season, in the episode "Cased Up", Hilary asks her boyfriend (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) to take off his glasses; thinking she was speaking to him, Jazz charmingly removes his glasses, revealing his eyes.

text: In a running gag throughout the series, Jazz usually ends up being literally thrown, or, as it was referred to the first time, drop kicked out of the house. This is usually done by Philip, although sometimes Hilary, Geoffrey, Vivian, and even Will (the only character other than Philip to do it more than once) throw him out. Whenever Jazz is thrown out of the house, he is usually wearing the same clothes; it was decided to use the same clip of Jazz being thrown out the front door as often as possible rather than returning to the exterior location each time (the reuse of the clip is evidenced by the sudden noise of a sprinkler whenever Jazz is thrown out). Will was once on the receiving end of this punishment after making egregious changes to Philip's political campaign tape in "A Night at the Oprah", and in similar jokes was thrown out of a nightclub by a bouncer while trying to dance with Geoffrey's blind date in "Kiss My Butler", and out of Jay Leno's studio in "Will's Up the Dirt Road," after trying to hog the show after apologizing to Leno. In one instance, in the third-season premiere "How I Spent My Summer Vacation", Will was even thrown out of Jazz's apartment by Jazz himself after he tried to guilt Jazz into letting him stay over after a fight with his relatives despite Jazz mentioning he already had company over. In this same episode, it is briefly mentioned by Geoffrey that Philip did also throw Will out of the house onto the front lawn when he was leaving the house, but was never shown. During the 1993 Halloween episode "Hex and the Single Guy", Jazz got revenge by throwing Philip out instead, as the main plot to the story was that misfortune-plagued the Banks family following a so-called "hex" from a con psychic communicator. This was later shown to be in a dream Will was having, though when he woke up, the dream appeared to be a premonition, and it was implied that the whole ordeal may truly happen indeed. There was also an instance (Season 2, in the episode "Cased Up") where Jazz was standing outside of the house, taunting Philip because he was already standing outside; as a result, Philip throws him inside the house. In another episode, Jazz was thrown out in the backyard along with a cardboard cutout of Bill Cosby that he was lugging around. There was a time when Vivian threw Jazz out through the back door for saying that he would bring a stripper to Will's birthday party. In another episode Jazz gets a pillow for the Banks' newborn baby until Will finds a tag saying "Wendy Beth" on the back meaning that Jazz had stolen the pillow. Jazz then thinks "it's the thought that counts" only ending up with Will throwing Jazz out through the backdoor with the pillow. At the beginning of the episode "Cased Up," a nighttime version of the shot is used, with crickets as a sound effect (though the actual video of Jazz getting thrown out is simply darkened for effect).

text: It was show that Jazz enjoys being thrown out sometimes. In one episode, after Jazz and Will made up over a fight, Jazz asked Will to throw him out "like the good ol' times." In another episode, to taunt a guy for trying to walk to his car, Jazz purposely insulted Phil just so he can throw him out.

text: Jazz's last appearance was in the first part of the series finale "I, Done", in which he gave Philip his grandmother's teeth as a gift for Philip's 50th birthday, because Jazz thought Philip was getting old. Thus, Philip was once again angry and threw Jazz out of the house (it is actually mentioned that Philip broke his previous record in tossing him). After the house had been sold in the second part of the episode and Will had found an apartment, Philip was the only person to mention Jazz when asking when he was coming by to help Will pack, to which Will responded, "As soon as you leave." Philip was not surprised, but he did want to wish Jazz luck in the future.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text: Vy Smith-Wilkes[edit]

text:
Nickname by Will: "Mom"
Nickname by Carlton, Ashley, Nicky & Hilary: "Aunt Vy"
Nickname by Geoffrey: "Mrs. Smith"

text: Viola "Vy" Smith-Wilkes, portrayed by Vernee Watson-Johnson, is Vivian's oldest sister and Will's loving mother. She is a stern, no-nonsense disciplinarian who is not afraid to challenge anyone who gets in her way. It was her idea that Will should go to Bel Air to get a good education and avoid a life of violence in their West Philadelphia neighborhood. Vy works as a supervisor at the post office. It was due to this she opposed the decision when Janice decides to marry Frank, a white man. Though by their next encounter she is more acceptable. Vy eventually decides to marry Lisa Wilkes' father after Will and Lisa call off their second wedding attempt. However, it is unknown whether or not they married, since in Vy's next appearance, Mr. Wilkes is not seen or mentioned. Her maiden name and married name were previously the same, as Will's father was named Lou Smith.

text: Kellogg Lieberbaum[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "Cornflake"

text: Kellogg Lieberbaum (played by Michael Weiner) was a classmate and friend of Will and Carlton at Bel-Air Academy. Most of his appearances were in the first season, but he makes two appearances in the second season as well. As a pun on Kellogg's Corn Flakes, he is nicknamed "Cornflake" by Will. Much of the humor of his character comes from the dissonance of an unassuming Jewish preppie using such phrases as "She is one fly sister" and "Power to the people – say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!"

text: Toni[edit]

text: Toni (portrayed by Lisa Fuller) is Hilary's friend who only appeared in Season 1. She appears to be a dumb blonde. Her first appearance was in "Clubba Hubba" and her last was in "It Had to Be You". Her other appearances were "Def Poet's Society" and "Knowledge is Power".

text: Helen Smith[edit]

text: Helen Smith, portrayed by Jenifer Lewis, is Vivian's loud-mouthed younger sister. She has frequent marriage difficulties with her husband Lester (Felton Perry), whom she finally divorces after he cheats on her with "a cute little home wrecker", leaving him with custody over their delinquent son Bobby (Ahmad Stoner).

text: Janice Smith[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "Aunt J"

text: Janice Smith, played by Charlayne Woodard, is the youngest of the Smith sisters, flighty according to Vivian, and married to a white man named Frank (portrayed by Diedrich Bader in Season 2, Robert Torti in one episode in Season 3), a marriage older sister Vy initially objects to. She also appears in the series with a baby son.

text: Tyriq Johnson[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "Ty"

text: Tyriq Johnson, portrayed by Perry Moore, is one of Will's close friends in Bel-Air, who appears frequently in season 2. He is described in the episode "Eyes on the Prize" (wherein he and Jazz compete against Will and Carlton on a televised game show) as "Bel-Air's oldest tenth grader," a lover of frozen pizza, and a fan of Laverne and Shirley reruns.

text: Trevor Collins-Newsworthy[edit]

text: Trevor (portrayed by Brian Stokes Mitchell) was Hilary's news anchor fiancé back in 1992 and co-worker at the television station. Trevor often gave himself compliments. Also, he always left the air and the Banks' mansion by saying, "Goodnight and Godspeed." He was originally referred to as "Trevor Collins", but later episodes established his surname as "Newsworthy." He eventually proposes to Hilary, but she insists that he officially proposes on live television later that day. Trevor then proposes to her on television while bungee jumping, and dies during the stunt when something goes wrong with the jump and he hits the ground. Hilary mourns his death by bringing back what she presumes to be Trevor's ashes in an urn, but later learns that Trevor was not cremated, and that she grabbed a stranger's urn. His death continues to haunt Hilary for the next few episodes and his memory, unlike almost everything else (including Trevor's very name), never leaves her mind.

text: Jackie Ames[edit]

text: Jacqueline "Jackie" Ames, portrayed by Tyra Banks, was introduced in "Where There's A Will, There's a Way (Part 1)" in season four. At first, Carlton believed that Jackie was "the girl of his dreams" after she told off some people who were making fun of his peacock costume (Carlton participated in football games as ULA's mascot, the peacock). Later that night, at a party, Will discovers that this girl Carlton was talking about was Jackie, a girl he had known but did not keep in touch with back in Philly. She is initially upset that he did not attempt to contact her but eventually forgives him. As manager of The Peacock Stop, Jackie is the object of Will's affection and frequent come-ons but continually spurns his advances, deeming him too immature. The two were old childhood friends from Philadelphia but she feels Will has not grown up since those days. There are certain innuendos indicating she still has feelings for Will. Jackie seems to warm more to Carlton, arguably because she sees him as more mature and stable than Will, although she is not as keen on dancing to Bobby Vinton as is Carlton. However, Jackie cuts all ties to Will for good when Will challenges a jock to a drinking game while at the jock's birthday party. After being rebuffed by both Will and the football player when she tries to stop them, she has Carlton drive her home and is never seen again.

text: Lisa Wilkes[edit]

text: Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes , portrayed by Nia Long, was introduced in the fifth-season episode, "Will's Misery," as the girlfriend who tames Will into forsaking his womanizing ways. The two fall deeply in love and are engaged to be married, going so far as the ceremonies twice but never actually tie the knot. The first time, they elope to Las Vegas and try a Shaft-themed wedding but walk out on the ceremony after being interrupted so many times and realizing they were not ready. The second time they try to get married, Will starts feeling some doubts, especially when he notices that, like Jazz, he also knows very little about Lisa, culminating in him asking if Lisa is her real first name, upon which she reveals it's actually Beulah. Will manages to overcome these doubts but Lisa reveals that she is also having doubts and the two decide not to marry. She is never seen again. The night before the wedding, a rivalry flared up between Will's mother and Lisa's father. In order to help them work out their differences before their wedding, Lisa and Will send them to a restaurant to get to know each other and work things out. However, the plan backfires when they get along too well and Will catches them in bed together. Ultimately the two end up getting married at the same ceremony, resulting in Will and Lisa becoming step-siblings.

text: Guest stars[edit]

text: Judge Carl Robertson[edit]

text: Judge Carl Robertson was played by Sherman Hemsley. This man was a cunning lawyer and a one-time mentor to Phil. Judge Robertson visits a few times during the show and is known for being odd and mischievous. He also appears to have become greatly absent-minded but makes up for this with his boundless charisma. Philip begins to question the competence of his mentor and runs against him in the race for Superior Court judge and loses, largely due to Robertson's outrageous smear campaign against Phil. However, at the victory party where he is confronted by Will, Judge Robertson suffers a fatal heart attack, although it appeared that he suddenly died at the "voice" of Will who inadvertently told him to drop dead. The incident leaves Will guilt-ridden but at the funeral it's shown that quite a few people who knew the judge are quite happy to see him gone. They revealed that he was quite promiscuous and corrupt, for he wrongly convicted innocent people that he prosecuted and most of them attended just to make sure he was dead, actually applauding Will for his act. The Governor then appoints Phillip to take Judge Robertson's seat. Though Robertson dies in the third season, Hemsley played his other character George Jefferson from The Jeffersons in the series later. Hemsley as Jefferson appeared in the Season five episode "Will is from Mars", where he is with his wife (Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson) at counseling with Will and Lisa. George Jefferson also appears in "I Done, Part 2", having bought the Banks' mansion.

text: Hattie Banks[edit]

text: Nicknames by Will: "Granny" or "DJ Granny"

text: Hattie Banks, played by Virginia Capers, is Philip's mother, having appeared in six episodes over the series' run. She forms a close affinity with Will (to the point where he sees her as his own grandmother) and even falls for some of his pranks, much to Philip's irritation. She embarrasses Philip by telling stories of his humble origins and refers to him by his childhood name "Zeke."

text: Joe Banks[edit]

text: Nickname by Will: "Grandpa"

text: Joseph "Joe" Banks, played by Gilbert Lewis, was Philip's father, having appeared in only one episode, "Not With My Pig, You Don't". His death sometime later (offscreen) left Phillip and Hattie feeling lost.

text: Lou Smith[edit]

text: Lou Smith (played by Ben Vereen) was a one-time character, appearing only in the episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse." He is Will's father, and a trucker. Lou abandoned his family (Will and Viola "Vy" Smith) when Will was 3 years-old, and explains his motives for leaving by saying he wasn't ready for fatherhood, that he "started feeling trapped" and that he was scared.

text: Lou drops in unannounced at the Peacock café where Will and Carlton work. Will invites Lou to the Banks' residence but when he arrives, the family gives him the cold shoulder, especially Philip, who goes as far as to even skip dinner, shocking Geoffery (with the exception of Carlton and Hilary, who are excited to see their long lost Uncle and Ashley who's meeting him for the first time since her infancy). Will and his father go to a carnival where Lou explains to him his motives for leaving and asks for Will's forgiveness, telling Will he's a changed man and is ready to make up for his "selfish and cowardly" mistake to him. Will agrees, and calls him "Dad" for the first time after playing basketball. When they return to the house, Lou announces that Will is joining him for the summer on a nationwide trip in Lou's truck. Philip objects to this. Lou tries to convince Philip, but Philip subtly disses Lou by telling him to stay out of their "family discussion." After Lou leaves the mansion to go to the pool house, Will and Philip get into a heated argument; Will calls out Philip for dissing Lou, causing Philip to finally blow up; he knows that Lou has not had a change of heart, noticing his behavior shows no sign of guilt or acknowledgment of his past actions. Will believes not everybody is perfect and asks why he won't give him a chance; Philip responds that he's not seeing Will for his sake, but for his own selfish intentions. Vivian tries to ease the conflict, but Will officially announces he's going on the trip anyway. Philip once again objects, but Will hollers he doesn't care, as he isn't his biological father. Shocked and hurt by Will's words, Philip begins wondering if he's a good father. The next day, Philip is still contemplating, believing that with Lou back in Will's life, Will no longer appreciates what Philip has done for him over the years. Expressing his concerns to Vivian, he eventually goes on to accuse Will of being selfish for wanting to be with Lou again, despite playing a larger role in his life. Vivian turns it around on Philip as he was the selfish one by not letting Will reconnect with Lou. As Will packs up, the two of them make amends; Will appreciates everything Philip had done for him over the years, but he still needs this trip. Although Philip meant what he said, he admits to stepping out of line, and wishes him the best. As Philip leaves, Will reminds him that he's only going to be gone for the summer.

text: After a while, Vivian and Philip are still waiting for Lou to return, being an hour late. Philip begins to suspect him running off again. Although Lou eventually shows up, he tells them he has found a "big" new job in Maine that can't afford enough space in his truck for Will. Philip then offers to buy a plane ticket to fly Will to Maine to meet up with him and continue their trip from there, but Lou refuses the offer, saying this Maine job might lead to more job opportunities for him. Vivian expresses concern for Will's reaction, which Lou requests that they tell for him instead. Finally provoked, Philip requests Vivian to leave the room, but not before she tells Lou to stay out of Will's life if he leaves again. An irate Philip bluntly reminds him of his responsibility to Will; that Will isn't some come-and-go object that he can use whenever he feels and that Lou is supposed to be there for Will, not the other way around. Lou reacts defensively; that he didn't want this job opportunity to happen and uses his same excuse on Philip as to why he left Will to begin with. However, Philip tells him to stop because fatherhood scared him too but he never let that cause him to leave his family and explains that being there for his family is what a man does. However, an annoyed Lou still refuses to listen, admitting Philip to being a better man than himself. Will then walks in before Lou can duck out again. Lou tells Will that he can't take him along because of his job. He promises that the trip is only going to be "put on hold for just a couple weeks" and promises to "call him next week to iron out the details". Knowing he's just trying to weasel out easy and is never going to do any of those things, Will realizes that Philip was right. When Lou says goodbye to Will, Will closes the bridge by addressing him as "Lou" instead of "Dad." In a state of awkwardness, Lou leaves. Will is in denial about any feelings of hurt and betrayal, claiming he doesn't need him. He starts by talking about he's managed to go through life without him but then starts turning into angry rants about how he's going to successfully finish life without him, before breaking down in tears, asking Philip why Lou doesn't want to be there for him. Having seen his father abandon him a second time, Will finally realizes that Philip is the closest thing to a father that he has.

text: Although Lou never reappeared after this, Will was so hurt by the incident that he developed a deep resentment towards his father whenever he was mentioned. It is unknown if Lou ever reappeared after this, but if he did, he was most likely angrily thrown out by the Banks for his previous actions. In a later episode, during a heated argument with Carlton, Carlton insulted Will by comparing him to his father. Shaking with anger, he calmly but clearly stated, "I am nothing like my father." In an earlier episode before Lou's appearance, when Phil suffers a heart attack and Carlton is in denial, Will confronts Carlton to go visit Phil in the hospital. Will wins the argument using reverse psychology by reminding Carlton he has a father who is always there for his children when Will asks Carlton "Do you know where my father is"? When Carlton answers in the negative, Will rebuts "Neither do I". In the finale episode, Will states that Uncle Phil is the only father he ever had and Philip says, "You are my son, end of story."

text: Other guest stars[edit]

text:
Mark Burch
Antonio Fargas
Michael Clarke Duncan
Marc Thompson
John Amos
Vivica A. Fox
Cree Summer
Phil LaMarr
Bernie Kopell
Pat Morita
Kadeem Hardison
Queen Latifah*
Jasmine Guy
Glenn Shadix
Richard Roundtree*
Bo Jackson
Doctor Dré
Quincy Jones
Heavy D
Whoopi Goldberg
Tony Longo
Chris Rock
D.L. Hughley
Sherrié Austin
John Witherspoon
Don Cheadle
Vanessa Williams
Malcolm-Jamal Warner*
Milton Berle
Evander Holyfield
Tom Lister, Jr.
Nancy Cartwright
Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.
Brandon Quintin Adams*
Darryl Sivad*
Robert Costanzo
Jaleel White
Garcelle Beauvais*
Jim Meskimen*
Nicole Bilderback
Morgan Nagler
Tom Devanney
Conrad Bain
Tisha Campbell-Martin
Adrienne-Joi Johnson
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bell Biv DeVoe
Boyz II Men
Ben Vereen
Don Yesso
Kim Fields
Tyra Banks
Raven-Symoné
Zachery Ty Bryan
Robin Givens
Brad Garrett
Isiah Thomas
Olivia Brown
Nia Long
Jenifer Lewis
Donald Trump
Dick Clark
Susan Powter
Regis Philbin
Robert Guillaume
Sherman Hemsley
Isabel Sanford
Marla Gibbs
Tevin Campbell
Victoria Rowell
Oprah Winfrey
Branford Marsalis
Bree Walker
Reno Wilson
Hill Harper
Pam Grier
Tempestt Bledsoe
Phil Morris
Monica Allison
Craig Kirkwood
Tatiana Thumbtzen
Leeza Gibbons
Lark Voorhies
Riddick Bowe
Isaac Hayes
William Shatner
Anna Maria Horsford
Tom Jones
Joan Van Ark
B.B. King
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Genesis P-Orridge
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Hugh Hefner
Naomi Campbell
Wayne Newton
Bob Eubanks
Jay Leno
Stacey Dash
Al B. Sure!
Gary Coleman
Tim Russ
Allen Payne
Kathy Griffin
Robert Hooks
Milo Ventimiglia
Dante Basco
Karen Malina White
Elise Neal
Don Cornelius
Keith Hamilton Cobb
Leann Hunley
Arthel Neville
Ajai Sanders
Tamala Jones
Kathie Lee Gifford
Stephen Lang (Uncredited)
Naya Rivera
Michole Briana White
Bumper Robinson