<P> Prof. Vivian Banks ( née Smith ) , PhD , born on October 21 , 1951 , was portrayed by Janet Hubert - Whitten during the first three seasons and by Daphne Maxwell Reid for the last three . She is the mother of Nicky , Ashley , Carlton and Hillary Banks ; the aunt of Will Smith and the wife of Phillip Banks . She has been a retired Doctor then earned her PhD at UCLA since 1971 , and in one early episode takes a temporary job as a teacher for a unit in Black History at Bel - Air Academy , the upscale preparatory high school attended by Will and Carlton , and later by Ashley . She has one older sister , Vy ( Will 's mother ) , and two younger sisters , Helen and Janice . </P>
<P> Prof. Vivian Banks ( née Smith ) , PhD , born on October 21 , 1951 , was portrayed by Janet Hubert - Whitten during the first three seasons and by Daphne Maxwell Reid for the last three . She is the mother of Nicky , Ashley , Carlton and Hillary Banks ; the aunt of Will Smith and the wife of Phillip Banks . She has been a retired Doctor then earned her PhD at UCLA since 1971 , and in one early episode takes a temporary job as a teacher for a unit in Black History at Bel - Air Academy , the upscale preparatory high school attended by Will and Carlton , and later by Ashley . She has one older sister , Vy ( Will 's mother ) , and two younger sisters , Helen and Janice . </P>
who played the mother on fresh prince of bel air
who played the mother on fresh prince of bel air
Janet Hubert - Whitten Daphne Maxwell Reid
Janet Hubert - Whitten Daphne Maxwell Reid