Vernee Watson-Johnson

Vernee Watson-Johnson (born January 14, 1954) is an American character actress. She played a small role on Sister, Sister as Lisa's (Jackée Harry) best friend, Patrice. She also played Verna Jean Williams on Welcome Back, Kotter, and had a recurring role as the title character's mother, Viola "Vy" Smith in the Will Smith sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She also played the mayor's secretary, Lucille Banks, on Carter Country. She also had a recurring role as "Birdie" on The Young and the Restless. Watson-Johnson appeared as Dr. Ella Kraft on Days of our Lives. She appeared in Christmas with the Kranks starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis.

In addition, she has made appearances in episodes of such shows as The Love Boat, Hill Street Blues, Married... With Children, LA Law, Suddenly Susan, Dharma & Greg, ER, Malcolm in the Middle, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Benson, The Big Bang Theory, Good Times, Dexter, Two and a Half Men, Southland and several others.

As a voice actress she has been tied to Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. Animation with roles in shows such as Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Laff-A-Lympics, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond, as well as the feature film The Ant Bully, and several video games related to these productions.

In early 1990, she lent her voice to the show Baby Talk, where she was the voice of baby Danielle (played by Alicia and Celicia Johnson). In 2006, Watson-Johnson had roles in three films: The Ant Bully, The Celestine Prophecy and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.

She is also a dancer who opened a studio in Los Angeles.