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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0711118
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q242739
Facebook: No data
Instagram: https://instagram.com/phyliciarashad
Filmography (Movies)
Ruth & Boaz
Character:Naomi
Release Date:25/09/2025
The Beekeeper
Character:Eloise Parker
Release Date:08/01/2024
Heaven Down Here
Character:Nancy
Release Date:14/12/2023
Our Son
Character:Maya
Release Date:14/10/2023
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Character:Self (voice)
Release Date:13/03/2023
Creed III
Character:Mary-Anne Creed
Release Date:01/03/2023
tick, tick... BOOM!
Character:"Sunday" Legend #12
Release Date:11/11/2021
Show of Titles
Character:"There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Release Date:13/06/2021
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
Character:Self
Release Date:17/04/2021
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Character:Anna Campbell
Release Date:08/04/2021
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:26/03/2021
Soul
Character:Libba Gardner (voice)
Release Date:25/12/2020
Between the World and Me
Character:Self
Release Date:21/11/2020
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Character:Grandmother Journey
Release Date:06/11/2020
Black Box
Character:Lillian
Release Date:06/10/2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Character:Self - Actress
Release Date:30/08/2020
A Fall from Grace
Character:Sarah
Release Date:17/01/2020
Creed II
Character:Mary Anne Creed
Release Date:21/11/2018
Charlie's Place
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:26/04/2018
Tour de Pharmacy
Character:Victoria Young
Release Date:08/07/2017
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:23/05/2017
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Character:
Release Date:11/07/2016
Creed
Character:Mary Anne Creed
Release Date:25/11/2015
Emily & Tim
Character:Emily (Segment 5)
Release Date:29/08/2015
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Character:Self
Release Date:20/02/2015
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
Character:Self
Release Date:22/06/2014
Gods Behaving Badly
Character:Demeter
Release Date:13/11/2013
Steel Magnolias
Character:Clairee
Release Date:07/10/2012
Good Deeds
Character:Wilimena Deeds
Release Date:23/02/2012
Change of Plans
Character:Dorothy
Release Date:08/01/2011
Frankie & Alice
Character:Edna
Release Date:10/12/2010
For Colored Girls
Character:Gilda
Release Date:05/11/2010
Just Wright
Character:Ella McKnight
Release Date:14/05/2010
A Raisin in the Sun
Character:Lena Younger
Release Date:25/02/2008
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Character:Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
Release Date:19/05/2002
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Character:Self
Release Date:05/05/2002
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
Character:Cassandra Hawkins
Release Date:02/05/2001
The Old Settler
Character:Elizabeth Barney
Release Date:25/04/2001
The Visit
Character:Dr. Coles
Release Date:20/04/2001
Free of Eden
Character:Desiree
Release Date:21/02/1999
Dinosaur - Preshow
Character:Dr Helen Marsh
Release Date:22/04/1998
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
Character:Ma Ponk
Release Date:26/01/1996
The Babysitter's Seduction
Character:Kate Jacobs
Release Date:22/01/1996
The Possession of Michael D.
Character:Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
Release Date:02/05/1995
David's Mother
Character:Gladys Johnson
Release Date:10/04/1994
Hallelujah
Character:Mayor Turner
Release Date:22/12/1993
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
Character:Self
Release Date:19/12/1992
Jailbirds
Character:Janice Grant
Release Date:16/05/1991
Polly: Comin' Home!
Character:Aunt Polly
Release Date:18/11/1990
The Earth Day Special
Character:Clair Huxtable
Release Date:22/04/1990
Polly
Character:Aunt Polly
Release Date:12/11/1989
False Witness
Character:Lynne Jacobi
Release Date:23/10/1989
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Character:Disneyland Cleaning Lady
Release Date:13/11/1988
A Different World
Character:Clair Huxtable
Release Date:24/09/1987
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Character:Eliza
Release Date:14/06/1987
We're Fighting Back
Character:
Release Date:28/04/1981
The Broad Coalition
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1972
Television Appearances
Diarra from Detroit
Character:Vonda
Curses!
Character:Georgia (voice)
Sherri
Character:Self - Guest
The Gilded Age
Character:Elizabeth Kirkland
Inside the Black Box
Character:
Little America
Character:Margaret Jean the Queen
Tamron Hall
Character:Self - Guest
David Makes Man
Character:Dr. Woods-Trap
Station 19
Character:Pilar
The Good Fight
Character:Renetta Clark
This Is Us
Character:Carol Clarke
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Character:Jane
Do No Harm
Character:Dr. Vanessa Young
Sofia the First
Character:Mountain Witch (voice)
Psych
Character:Winnifred Guster
Everybody Hates Chris
Character:
Grey's Anatomy
Character:Nell Timms
Bull
Character:
Little Bill
Character:Brenda Glover (voice)
Cosby
Character:Ruth Lucas
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Character:Self - Guest
In the House
Character:
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Character:Lady Fulton (voice)
Touched by an Angel
Character:Elizabeth Jessup
Intimate Portrait
Character:Self
Blossom
Character:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Character:Jane Goodfellow (voice)
A Different World
Character:Clair Huxtable
The Cosby Show
Character:Clair Huxtable
Reading Rainbow
Character:Narrator (voice)
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
The Emmy Awards
Character:Self
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Character:
Images
