Reginald VelJohnson (born Reginald Vel Johnson, August 16, 1952) is an American actor. 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.\n', '

VelJohnson was born Reginald Vel Johnson on August 16, 1952, in Queens, New York, the son of Eve, a nurse, and Reginald Johnson, Sr., a hospital attendant. His father left the family, which included Reginald\'s brother Barry, when Johnson was 13 years old. Their mother subsequently married John Reilly. Johnson attended Benjamin N. Cardozo High School where he was classmates with George Tenet. He later obtained a Master of Fine 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."\n', '

VelJohnson was the subject of an internet hoax when, on February 13, 2017, a website reported that the actor had died as a result of a heart attack. The fact checking website Snopes.com proved the claim to be false and VelJohnson took to Twitter to show he was still alive and doing well.\n', '

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