Reginald VelJohnson

Reginald VelJohnson was born in New York City on August 16, 1952. He is best known for his roles in Family Matters and the Die Hard franchise.

VelJohnson studied theater at New York University and made his film debut in 1981’s Wolven. Three years later, he started his streak of playing law enforcement officers when he landed the role of a corrections officer in 1984’s Ghostbusters. He also played LAPD Sergeant Al Powell in 1988’s Die Hard, later making a cameo in the 1990 sequel, and detective David Sutton in 1989’s Turner & Hooch.

He went on to star as the iconic police officer and patriarch Carl Winslow on Family Matters from 1989 to 1998. VelJohnson also appeared on shows including The Bold and the Beautiful, That’s So Raven, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Will & Grace, Monk and more.

VelJohnson was the only cast member from the original Turner & Hooch film to appear in the 2021 reboot series. The actor joined the cast for season 33 of Dancing With the Stars in September 2024 and was partnered with Emma Slater.