Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashād (née Ayers-Allen; June 19, 1948) is an American Tony Award-winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, which earned her Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She reprised her role on the sitcom A Different World.
She's also known for her roles as Eloise Parker in The Beekeeper, Mary Anne Creed in the Creed film trilogy, Dr. Woods-Trap on OWN's David Makes Man, Dr. Vanessa Young on the drama series Do No Harm, Clairee in the remake of Steel Magnolias (2012), Wilimena Deeds in Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, Edna in Frankie & Alice, Gilda in For Colored Girls, Ella McKnight in Just Wright, Lena Younger in the remake of A Raisin in the Sun, and Ruth Lucas on the sitcom Cosby (1996–2000). She also voiced Libba Gardner in the animated movie Soul, and Brenda Glover in Nickelodeon's animated series Little Bill.
She has had recurring roles as Renetta Clark on The Good Fight, Carol Clarke on Thus is Us, Pastor on 13 Reasons Why, Diana Dubois on Empire, Jane on Jean-Claude Van Johnson, Winnifred Guster on Psych and voice of Dee Dee Tubbs on The Cleveland Show. She's had guest roles on Station 19, Grey's Anatomy, Everybody Hates Chris, Touched by an Angel, Blossom, The Love Boat, Santa Barbara, and One Life to Live.
In 2004, she became the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role as Lena Younger in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. She reprised her role in the 2008 television adaption of A Raisin in the Sun, which earned her the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.
In 2022, she won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew. 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 directed revivals of three plays by August Wilson, in major theaters in Seattle, Princeton, New Jersey; and Los Angeles.
She was dubbed "the mother" of the African-American community at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards.
She is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University.
Her sister is actress Debbie Allen. Her first marriage (1972-1975), was to dentist William Lancelot Bowles, Jr.; they had one son, William Lancelot Bowles III. Her second marriage (1978-1982) was to Victor Willis, original lead singer of the Village People; they met during the run of The Wiz. Her third marriage (1985-2001) was to Ahmad Rashad, a former NFL wide receiver and sportscaster; they had a daughter, Condola Phylea Rashād. She has retained the surname Rashad.
Some info above is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Acted in
Diarra from Detroit
2024
as Vonda
The Beekeeper
2024
as Eloise Parker
Heaven Down Here
2023
as Nancy
Curses!
2023
as Georgia Snitker (voice)
Curses!
2023
as Georgia (voice)
Our Son
2023
as Maya
Being Mary Tyler Moore
2023
as Self (voice)
Creed III
2023
as Mary-Anne Creed
tick, tick... BOOM!
2021
as "Sunday" Legend #12
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
2021
as Self
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
2021
as Anna Campbell
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
2021
as Narrator (voice)
Soul
2020
as Libba Gardner (voice)
Between the World and Me
2020
as Self
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
2020
as Grandmother Journey
Black Box
2020
as Lillian
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
2020
as Self - Actress
A Fall from Grace
2020
as Sarah
Little America
2020
as Margaret Jean the Queen
David Makes Man
2019
as Dr. Woods-Trap
Creed II
2018
as Mary Anne Creed
Charlie's Place
2018
as Narrator (voice)
Station 19
2018
as Pilar
Tour de Pharmacy
2017
as Victoria Young
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
2017
as Self - Host
The Good Fight
2017
as Renetta Clark
This Is Us
2016
as Carol Clarke
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
2016
as Jane
Creed
2015
as Mary Anne Creed
Emily & Tim
2015
as Emily (Segment 5)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
2015
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
2014
as Self
Do No Harm
2013
as Dr. Vanessa Young
Sofia the First
2013
as Mountain Witch (voice)
Steel Magnolias
2012
as Clairee
Good Deeds
2012
as Wilimena Deeds
Change of Plans
2011
as Dorothy
Frankie & Alice
2010
as Edna
For Colored Girls
2010
as Gilda
Just Wright
2010
as Ella McKnight
A Raisin in the Sun
2008
as Lena Younger
Psych
2006
as Winnifred Guster
Everybody Hates Chris
2005
Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Nell Timms
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
2002
as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
2002
as Self
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
2001
as Cassandra Hawkins
The Old Settler
2001
as Elizabeth Barney
The Visit
2001
as Dr. Coles
Bull
2000
Little Bill
1999
as Brenda Glover (voice)
Free of Eden
1999
as Desiree
Dinosaur: The Ride - Pre-Show Video
1998
as Dr. Helen Marsh
Cosby
1996
as Ruth Lucas
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
1996
as Ma Ponk
The Babysitter's Seduction
1996
as Kate Jacobs
The Possession of Michael D.
1995
as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
In the House
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as Lady Fulton (voice)
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Elizabeth Jessup
David's Mother
1994
as Gladys Johnson
Hallelujah
1993
as Mayor Turner
Intimate Portrait
1993
as Self
Jailbirds
1991
as Janice Grant
Polly: Comin' Home!
1990
as Aunt Polly
Blossom
1990
The Earth Day Special
1990
as Clair Huxtable
Polly
1989
as Aunt Polly
False Witness
1989
as Lynne Jacobi
Mickey's 60th Birthday
1988
as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1987
as Jane Goodfellow (voice)
A Different World
1987
as Clair Huxtable
Uncle Tom's Cabin
1987
as Eliza
The Cosby Show
1984
as Clair Huxtable
Reading Rainbow
1983
as Narrator (voice)
We're Fighting Back
1981
The Broad Coalition
1972
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Presenter
Coretta Scott
as Narrator
R&B
as Naomi