Phylicia Rashād
Acting
- Born:
- 1948-06-19
- Place of birth:
- Houston, Texas, USA
Biography
Phylicia Rashad (née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress. She was most recently dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University before her three-year contract ended in May 2024. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Tony Awards as well as nominations for six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominations in 1985 and 1986. She also played Ruth Lucas on Cosby (1996–2000), and Brenda Glover in Little Bill (1999–2004). She was also Emmy-nominated for her roles in A Raisin in the Sun (2008) and This Is Us (2019–2021). On stage, Rashad became the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, for a revival of A Raisin in the Sun (2004). She won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew (2022). Her other Broadway credits include Into the Woods (1988), Jelly's Last Jam (1993), Gem of the Ocean (2004), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008). She has appeared in various films such as For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), Creed III (2023), and The Beekeeper (2024). She lent her voice to the Disney-Pixar animated film Soul (2020). In the 21st century, she has directed revivals of three plays by August Wilson, in major theaters in Seattle, Princeton, New Jersey; and Los Angeles. She also directed Purpose (play) in its 2024-2025 run at the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway.
Known For
Filmography
Ruth & Boaz
Diarra from Detroit
The Beekeeper
Heaven Down Here
Curses!
Our Son
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Creed III
Sherri
The Gilded Age
Inside the Black Box
tick, tick... BOOM!
Show of Titles
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Soul
Between the World and Me
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Black Box
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
A Fall from Grace
Little America
The Tamron Hall Show
David Makes Man
Creed II
Charlie's Place
Station 19
Tour de Pharmacy
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
The Good Fight
This Is Us
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Creed
Emily & Tim
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Empire
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
Gods Behaving Badly
Do No Harm
Sofia the First
Steel Magnolias
Good Deeds
Change of Plans
Frankie & Alice
For Colored Girls
Just Wright
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"
A Raisin in the Sun
Psych
Everybody Hates Chris
Grey's Anatomy
God and the Inner City
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
The Old Settler
The Visit
Bull
Little Bill
Free of Eden
Dinosaur - Preshow
Cosby
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
The Babysitter's Seduction
The Possession of Michael D.
In the House
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Touched by an Angel
David's Mother
Hallelujah
Intimate Portrait
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
Jailbirds
Polly: Comin' Home!
Blossom
The Earth Day Special
Polly
False Witness
The Debbie Allen Special
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A Different World
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Superstars and their Moms
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream
The Cosby Show
Reading Rainbow
American Playhouse
We're Fighting Back
The Broad Coalition
Tony Awards
The Emmy Awards
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Coretta Scott
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair
Alone