Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad
Rashad in 1998
Born
Phylicia Ayers-Allen

(1948-06-19) June 19, 1948 (age 76)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materHoward University (BFA)
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1972–present
Spouses
  • William Lancelot Bowles Jr.
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1972; div. 1975)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1978; div. 1982)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1985; div. 2001)​
Children2, including Condola Rashad
Relatives

Phylicia Rashad (/fɪˈliːʃə rəˈʃɑːd/ fih-LEE-shə rə-SHAHD) (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.[1] She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She also played Ruth Lucas on Cosby (1996–2000).

In 2004, Rashad became the first black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she won for her role in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun.[2][3] In 2022, Rashad won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew.[4] 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). Rashad won an NAACP Image Award when she reprised her A Raisin in the Sun role in the 2008 television adaptation.

She has appeared in the films For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), Creed III (2023), and The Beekeeper (2024). She also voiced Brenda Glover on the Nick Jr. animated children's educational television series Little Bill (1999–2004). 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.

  1. ^ Foster, Lesli; Spaht, Erin; Morton, Ruth; Kopania, Tom (May 10, 2024). "From Student to Dean: Howard University's Phylicia Rashad prepares to step down and ponder her future". wusa9.com. WUSA9. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Rashad makes Tony Awards history". Today.com. June 6, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  3. ^ "Tony Awards (official site)". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "Phylicia Rashad Wins Tony for Best Featured Actress for 'Skeleton Crew'". The New York Times. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.