Vivian Banks

Vivian Banks is the Bel-Air matriarch, a college professor and mother of four who welcomes her nephew Will into her home when he's sent from Philadelphia. Cultured, warm, and unflappable, she's the household's moral center — the one who can calm Philip's blustering and match Will's cheek without losing her dignity.

She could easily be reduced to the sensible mom in a house full of comedians, but both actresses give her wit as sharp as anyone's and a steel underneath the warmth. She's affectionate without being soft, and her scenes with Will carry real tenderness precisely because she never overplays it.