Phylicia Rashād
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 19, 1948 (age 78)
- Birthplace
- 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
Photos
Filmography
Coretta Scott
Movie · as Self - Narrator (voice)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair
Movie · as Judge Elaine Carter
Alone
Movie
Ruth & Boaz
Movie · as Naomi
The Beekeeper
Movie · as Eloise Parker
Diarra from Detroit
TV · as Vonda · 8 eps
Our Son
Movie · as Maya
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Movie · as Self (voice)
Heaven Down Here
Movie · as Nancy
Creed III
Movie · as Mary-Anne Creed
Curses!
TV · as Georgia (voice) · 10 eps
Inside the Black Box
TV · 20 eps
Sherri
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Gilded Age
TV · as Elizabeth Kirkland · 5 eps
tick, tick... BOOM!
Movie · as "Sunday" Legend #12
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
Movie · as Self
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Movie · as Anna Campbell
Show of Titles
Movie · as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Soul
Movie · as Libba Gardner (voice)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Movie · as Grandmother Journey
A Fall from Grace
Movie · as Sarah
Black Box
Movie · as Lillian
Between the World and Me
Movie · as Self
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Movie · as Self - Actress
Little America
TV · as Margaret Jean the Queen · 1 ep
The Tamron Hall Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
David Makes Man
TV · as Dr. Woods-Trap · 11 eps
Creed II
Movie · as Mary Anne Creed
Charlie's Place
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Station 19
TV · as Pilar · 1 ep
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
Movie · as Self - Host
Tour de Pharmacy
Movie · as Victoria Young
The Good Fight
TV · as Renetta Clark · 4 eps
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Movie
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
TV · as Jane · 6 eps
This Is Us
TV · as Carol Clarke · 4 eps
Emily & Tim
Movie · as Emily (Segment 5)
Creed
Movie · as Mary Anne Creed
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Movie · as Self
Empire
TV · as Diana DuBois · 16 eps
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
Movie · as Self
Gods Behaving Badly
Movie · as Demeter
Do No Harm
TV · as Dr. Vanessa Young · 13 eps
Sofia the First
TV · as Mountain Witch (voice) · 1 ep
Good Deeds
Movie · as Wilimena Deeds
Steel Magnolias
Movie · as Clairee
Change of Plans
Movie · as Dorothy
Just Wright
Movie · as Ella McKnight
For Colored Girls
Movie · as Gilda
Frankie & Alice
Movie · as Edna
A Raisin in the Sun
Movie · as Lena Younger
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"
Movie · as Self
Psych
TV · as Winnifred Guster · 3 eps
Everybody Hates Chris
TV · 1 ep
Grey's Anatomy
TV · as Nell Timms · 1 ep
God and the Inner City
Movie · as Self (voice)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Movie · as Self
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Movie · as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
Movie · as Cassandra Hawkins
The Old Settler
Movie · as Elizabeth Barney
The Visit
Movie · as Dr. Coles
Bull
TV · 1 ep
Free of Eden
Movie · as Desiree
Little Bill
TV · as Brenda Glover (voice) · 52 eps
Dinosaur - Preshow
Movie · as Dr Helen Marsh
The Babysitter's Seduction
Movie · as Kate Jacobs
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
Movie · as Ma Ponk
Cosby
TV · as Ruth Lucas · 97 eps
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Possession of Michael D.
Movie · as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
In the House
TV · 1 ep
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
TV · as Lady Fulton (voice) · 1 ep
David's Mother
Movie · as Gladys Johnson
Touched by an Angel
TV · as Elizabeth Jessup · 2 eps
Hallelujah
Movie · as Mayor Turner
Intimate Portrait
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
Movie · as Self
Jailbirds
Movie · as Janice Grant
Polly: Comin' Home!
Movie · as Aunt Polly
The Earth Day Special
Movie · as Clair Huxtable
Blossom
TV · 1 ep
Polly
Movie · as Aunt Polly
False Witness
Movie · as Lynne Jacobi
The Debbie Allen Special
Movie · as Self
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Movie · as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Movie · as Eliza
Superstars and their Moms
Movie · as Self
A Different World
TV · as Clair Huxtable · 4 eps
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
TV · as Jane Goodfellow (voice) · 1 ep
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream
Movie
The Cosby Show
TV · as Clair Huxtable · 197 eps
Reading Rainbow
TV · as Narrator (voice) · 1 ep
American Playhouse
TV · as Mayor Turner · 1 ep
We're Fighting Back
Movie
The Broad Coalition
Movie
Tony Awards
TV · as Self - Presenter · 1 ep
The Emmy Awards
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
TV · 1 ep