Reginald VelJohnson was born Reginald Vel Johnson Jr., August 16, 1952. He is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing policeman characters such as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, which ran from 1989 to 1998, and LAPD Sgt. Al Powell in the films Die Hard and Die Hard 2. The son of Eve, a nurse, and Reginald Johnson, Sr., a hospital attendant.His father left the family when VelJohnson was 13 years old and his mother subsequently married John Reilly.VelJohnson attended Benjamin N. Cardozo High School where he was classmates with George Tenet, and porn star Ron Jeremy. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts from New York University.Before embarking on an acting career, he changed his name from Reginald Vel Johnson (his birth name) to Reginald VelJohnson. He later said he changed the spelling, "because I wanted a name people would remember.

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