Family Matters dad Reginald VelJohnson, 74, stuns fans with rare red carpet appearance

Family Matters star Reginald VelJohnson looked incredibly spritely in a rare appearance for the 74-year-old, who cemented himself as a beloved TV staple in the ’90s.

Reginald portrayed policeman and loving father Carl Winslow on the hit sitcom from 1989 to 1998, and previously starred opposite Bruce Willis as Sergeant Al Powell in Die Hard.

Reginald’s triumphant return

The actor made a rare appearance on Wednesday at the premiere of his newest film, Onslaught, at Regal LA Live in Los Angeles. 

Reginald sported a cane and a wide smile as he graced the blue carpet, dressed in a lion-print tee, white trousers and animal-print shoes.

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He added a beaded necklace, various bangles and a white cap to complete the look. Reginald spoke about his latest project with Remind in June, and shared that he was playing a vagrant defending a trailer park.

“He lives in a trailer park, and this group comes to try to take over the trailer park, and I get caught in the middle. I’m firing a gun and fun stuff like that,” he explained.

Working with Bruce Willis

The star opened up about his experience filming 1988’s Die Hard, and revealed that Bruce Willis personally asked for him to play the major role of Sergeant Powell.

“I didn’t know it was going to become a classic; I just wanted to do a good job for [the director] – I just closed my mouth and just did the job, and it turned out okay – good thing I did that,” he told the outlet.

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“[Bruce] was a cool guy,” Reginald added. “He actually gave me the job. He was the one who said, ‘I want you to do the job.’ Working with him was the first time I worked with a big star, and we did well together. I enjoyed it.”

Sitcom stardom

Reginald rose to fame after the release of Die Hard, but it was his role in Family Matters that made him a household name. 

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“It was the first time I had a chance to really enjoy what I do. That was the best thing about it,” he said of filming the sitcom. “They became my family. I love them, and I miss them too.”

Reginald co-starred in the series alongside Jaleel White, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams and Jo Marie Payton.

Health journey

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Jo Marie, who portrayed Reginald’s on-screen wife, Harriette Winslow, has been open about her health struggles in recent months.

“Two months ago, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t talk at the start of this last year. But I’m walking better than I thought I would walk, talking better than I thought I would talk. I’m doing okay. Keep praying for me, I’ll be back,” she shared in a Facebook video in April.

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Jo Marie opted to leave the show halfway through its ninth and final season, and was replaced by Judyann Elder. She spoke on her abrupt exit during a cast reunion in 2017.

“I actually made the decision to leave the show two years before I left,” she explained. “I was unhappy about a lot of things; I was going through a divorce, I wasn’t happy on the show – it didn’t mean I did not want to perform as an actress or an artist…I wanted to do something else.”