Phylicia Rashād
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.
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Movies (64)
Ruth & Boaz
2025 · Naomi
The Beekeeper
2024 · Eloise Parker
Heaven Down Here
2023 · Nancy
Nuestro Hijo
2023 · Maya
Mary Tyler Moore: La Dama de la TV
2023 · Self (voice)
Creed III
2023 · Mary-Anne Creed
tick, tick... BOOM!
2021 · "Sunday" Legend #12
Show of Titles
2021 · "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
2021 · Self
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
2021 · Anna Campbell
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
2021 · Narrator (voice)
Soul
2020 · Libba Gardner (voice)
Between the World and Me
2020 · Self
Jingle Jangle: Una mágica Navidad
2020 · Grandmother Journey
La Caja Negra
2020 · Lillian
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
2020 · Self - Actress
A Traición
2020 · Sarah
Creed 2: Defendiendo el Legado
2018 · Mary Anne Creed
Charlie's Place
2018 · Narrator (voice)
Tour de Pharmacy
2017 · Victoria Young
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
2017 · Self - Host
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
2016
Creed. Corazón de campeón
2015 · Mary Anne Creed
Emily & Tim
2015 · Emily (Segment 5)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
2015 · Self
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
2014 · Self
Gods Behaving Badly
2013 · Demeter
Steel Magnolias
2012 · Clairee
Good Deeds
2012 · Wilimena Deeds
Change of Plans
2011 · Dorothy
Frankie & Alice
2010 · Edna
For Colored Girls
2010 · Gilda
Jugada Perfecta
2010 · Ella McKnight
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"
2008 · Self
A Raisin in the Sun
2008 · Lena Younger
God and the Inner City
2003 · Self (voice)
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
2002 · Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
2002 · Self
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
2001 · Cassandra Hawkins
The Old Settler
2001 · Elizabeth Barney
The Visit
2001 · Dr. Coles
Free of Eden
1999 · Desiree
Dinosaur - Preshow
1998 · Dr Helen Marsh
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
1996 · Ma Ponk
The Babysitter's Seduction
1996 · Kate Jacobs
The Possession of Michael D.
1995 · Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
David's Mother
1994 · Gladys Johnson
Hallelujah
1993 · Mayor Turner
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
1992 · Self
Jailbirds
1991 · Janice Grant
Polly: Comin' Home!
1990 · Aunt Polly
The Earth Day Special
1990 · Clair Huxtable
Polly
1989 · Aunt Polly
False Witness
1989 · Lynne Jacobi
The Debbie Allen Special
1989 · Self
Mickey's 60th Birthday
1988 · Disneyland Cleaning Lady
Uncle Tom's Cabin
1987 · Eliza
Superstars and their Moms
1987 · Self
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream
1986
We're Fighting Back
1981
The Broad Coalition
1972
Coretta Scott
· Self - Narrator (voice)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair
· Judge Elaine Carter
Alone
TV shows (35)
Diarra from Detroit
2024 · Vonda
Una maldición familiar
2023 · Georgia (voice)
Sherri
2022 · Self - Guest
The Gilded Age
2022 · Elizabeth Kirkland
Inside the Black Box
2022
Little America
2020 · Margaret Jean the Queen
The Tamron Hall Show
2019 · Self - Guest
David Makes Man
2019 · Dr. Woods-Trap
Estación 19
2018 · Pilar
The Good Fight
2017 · Renetta Clark
This Is Us
2016 · Carol Clarke
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
2016 · Jane
Empire
2015 · Diana DuBois
Do No Harm
2013 · Dr. Vanessa Young
Princesita Sofía
2013 · Mountain Witch (voice)
Psych
2006 · Winnifred Guster
Todos Odian a Chris
2005
Grey's Anatomy
2005 · Nell Timms, Director
Bull
2000
Little Bill
1999 · Brenda Glover (voice)
Cosby
1996 · Ruth Lucas
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996 · Self - Guest
In the House
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995 · Lady Fulton (voice)
Touched by an Angel
1994 · Elizabeth Jessup
Intimate Portrait
1993 · Self
Blossom
1990
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1987 · Jane Goodfellow (voice)
A Different World
1987 · Clair Huxtable
The Cosby Show
1984 · Clair Huxtable
Reading Rainbow
1983 · Narrator (voice)
American Playhouse
1982 · Mayor Turner
Tony Awards
1956 · Self - Presenter
The Emmy Awards
1949 · Self
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
1948