Reginald VelJohnson - Pencil Sketch of the Day. Saturday, July 15, 2017. Reginald VelJohnson (born Reginald Vel Johnson Jr., August 16, 1952) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing policeman characters such as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, which ran from 1989 to 1998, and LAPD Sgt. Al Powell in the films Die Hard and Die Hard 2.