Phylicia Rashād
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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
Credits
The Beekeeper (2024)
as Eloise Parker
Soul (2020)
as Libba Gardner (voice)
Creed (2015)
as Mary Anne Creed
Creed II (2018)
as Mary Anne Creed
Creed III (2023)
as Mary-Anne Creed
tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
as "Sunday" Legend #12
Emily & Tim (2015)
as Emily (Segment 5)
A Fall from Grace (2020)
as Sarah
God and the Inner City (2003)
as Self (voice)
Being Mary Tyler Moore (2023)
as Self (voice)
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun" (2008)
as Self
Just Wright (2010)
as Ella McKnight
Show of Titles (2021)
as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
as Grandmother Journey
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens (2016)
Actor
Tour de Pharmacy (2017)
as Victoria Young
Ruth & Boaz (2025)
as Naomi
The Babysitter's Seduction (1996)
as Kate Jacobs
For Colored Girls (2010)
as Gilda
Black Box (2020)
as Lillian
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair (—)
as Judge Elaine Carter
Polly (1989)
as Aunt Polly
Alone (—)
Actor
Our Son (2023)
as Maya
Heaven Down Here (2023)
as Nancy
Frankie & Alice (2010)
as Edna
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)
as Cassandra Hawkins
Steel Magnolias (2012)
as Clairee
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
as Self - Actress
Free of Eden (1999)
as Desiree
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987)
as Eliza
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream (1986)
Actor
Good Deeds (2012)
as Wilimena Deeds
Mickey's 60th Birthday (1988)
as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
The Debbie Allen Special (1989)
as Self
Between the World and Me (2020)
as Self
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist (2021)
as Self
NBC 75th Anniversary Special (2002)
as Self
A Raisin in the Sun (2008)
as Lena Younger
Coretta Scott (—)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Polly: Comin' Home! (1990)
as Aunt Polly
We're Fighting Back (1981)
Actor
False Witness (1989)
as Lynne Jacobi
The Earth Day Special (1990)
as Clair Huxtable
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous (2021)
as Anna Campbell
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee (2014)
as Self
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (2015)
as Self
The Old Settler (2001)
as Elizabeth Barney
The Cosby Show: A Look Back (2002)
as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
Dinosaur - Preshow (1998)
as Dr Helen Marsh
The Possession of Michael D. (1995)
as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
David's Mother (1994)
as Gladys Johnson
Superstars and their Moms (1987)
as Self
The Broad Coalition (1972)
Actor
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (2021)
as Narrator (voice)
Hallelujah (1993)
as Mayor Turner
Jailbirds (1991)
as Janice Grant
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio (1992)
as Self
The Visit (2001)
as Dr. Coles
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1996)
as Ma Ponk
Gods Behaving Badly (2013)
as Demeter
Change of Plans (2011)
as Dorothy
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala (2017)
as Self - Host
Charlie's Place (2018)
as Narrator (voice)