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Phylicia RashΔd
Acting
Biography
Phylicia Rashad (nΓ©e 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 (1984β1992) 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 (1996β2000), and Brenda Glover in Little Bill (1999β2004). She was also Emmy-nominateβ¦
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Phylicia Rashad (nΓ©e 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 (1984β1992) 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 (1996β2000), and Brenda Glover in Little Bill (1999β2004). She was also Emmy-nominated for her roles in A Raisin in the Sun (2008) and This Is Us (2019β2021). 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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BODY OF WORK
Phylicia RashΔd's Filmography
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Ruth & Boaz
as Naomi
The Beekeeper
as Eloise Parker
Heaven Down Here
as Nancy
Our Son
as Maya
Being Mary Tyler Moore
as Self (voice)
Creed III
as Mary-Anne Creed
tick, tick... BOOM!
as "Sunday" Legend #12
Show of Titles
as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
as Self
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
as Anna Campbell
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
as Narrator (voice)
Soul
as Libba Gardner (voice)
Between the World and Me
as Self
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
as Grandmother Journey
Black Box
as Lillian
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
as Self - Actress
A Fall from Grace
as Sarah
Creed II
as Mary Anne Creed
No Poster
Charlie's Place
as Narrator (voice)
Tour de Pharmacy
as Victoria Young
No Poster
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
as Self - Host
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Creed
as Mary Anne Creed
Emily & Tim
as Emily (Segment 5)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
as Self
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
Gods Behaving Badly
as Demeter
Steel Magnolias
as Clairee
Good Deeds
as Wilimena Deeds
Change of Plans
as Dorothy
Frankie & Alice
as Edna
For Colored Girls
as Gilda
Just Wright
as Ella McKnight
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"
as Self
A Raisin in the Sun
as Lena Younger
God and the Inner City
as Self (voice)
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
as Self
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
as Cassandra Hawkins
The Old Settler
as Elizabeth Barney
The Visit
as Dr. Coles
Free of Eden
as Desiree
Dinosaur - Preshow
as Dr Helen Marsh
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
as Ma Ponk
The Babysitter's Seduction
as Kate Jacobs
The Possession of Michael D.
as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
David's Mother
as Gladys Johnson
No Poster
Hallelujah
as Mayor Turner
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
as Self
Jailbirds
as Janice Grant
Polly: Comin' Home!
as Aunt Polly
The Earth Day Special
as Clair Huxtable
Polly
as Aunt Polly
False Witness
as Lynne Jacobi
No Poster
The Debbie Allen Special
as Self
Mickey's 60th Birthday
as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
Uncle Tom's Cabin
as Eliza
Superstars and their Moms
as Self
No Poster
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream
We're Fighting Back
The Broad Coalition
No Poster
Alone
No Poster
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair
as Judge Elaine Carter
No Poster
Coretta Scott
as Self - Narrator (voice)