Vernee Watson-Johnson

Vernee Watson-Johnson is an American character actress, born on January 14, 1954 in North Trenton, New Jersey. She played a small role on Sister, Sister as Lisa's (Jackée Harry) best friend, Patrice. She also played Verna Jean on Welcome Back, Kotter; Will Smith's mother, Viola "Vy" Smith, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and 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 can currently be seen as Dr. Ella Kraft on Days of our Lives. She was also seen in "Christmas With The Kranks" starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Watson-Johnson's TV animation voice credits include Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, the "Universe of Evil" episode of The World's Greatest Superfriends and Batman: The Animated Series. 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. Currently, she can be seen on the Doubleshot ad campaign from Starbucks.