Phylicia Rashād
Born: 1948-06-19 in Houston, Texas, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2025
- Ruth & Boaz as Naomi
2024
- The Beekeeper as Eloise Parker
- Diarra from Detroit as Vonda
2023
- Creed III as Mary-Anne Creed
- Curses! as Georgia (voice)
- Our Son as Maya
- Being Mary Tyler Moore as Self (voice)
- Heaven Down Here as Nancy
2022
- Sherri as Self - Guest
- The Gilded Age as Elizabeth Kirkland
- Inside the Black Box
2021
- tick, tick... BOOM! as "Sunday" Legend #12
- Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist as Self
- Show of Titles as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
- Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous as Anna Campbell
- Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as Narrator (voice)
2020
- Soul as Libba Gardner (voice)
- Little America as Margaret Jean the Queen
- A Fall from Grace as Sarah
- Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey as Grandmother Journey
- Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self - Actress
- Black Box as Lillian
- Between the World and Me as Self
2019
- Tamron Hall as Self - Guest
- David Makes Man as Dr. Woods-Trap
2018
- Station 19 as Pilar
- Creed II as Mary Anne Creed
- Charlie's Place as Narrator (voice)
2017
- The Good Fight as Renetta Clark
- Tour de Pharmacy as Victoria Young
- JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala as Self - Host
2016
- This Is Us as Carol Clarke
- Jean-Claude Van Johnson as Jane
- VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
2015
- Empire as Diana DuBois
- Creed as Mary Anne Creed
- August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand as Self
- Emily & Tim as Emily (Segment 5)
2014
- Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee as Self
2013
- Sofia the First as Mountain Witch (voice)
- Do No Harm as Dr. Vanessa Young
- Gods Behaving Badly as Demeter
2012
- Good Deeds as Wilimena Deeds
- Steel Magnolias as Clairee
2011
- Change of Plans as Dorothy
2010
- Just Wright as Ella McKnight
- For Colored Girls as Gilda
- Frankie & Alice as Edna
2008
- A Raisin in the Sun as Lena Younger
2006
- Psych as Winnifred Guster
2005
- Grey's Anatomy as Nell Timms
- Everybody Hates Chris
2003
- God and the Inner City as Self (voice)
2002
- NBC 75th Anniversary Special as Self
- The Cosby Show: A Look Back as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
2001
- Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man as Cassandra Hawkins
- The Old Settler as Elizabeth Barney
- The Visit as Dr. Coles
2000
1999
- Little Bill as Brenda Glover (voice)
- Free of Eden as Desiree
1998
- Dinosaur - Preshow as Dr Helen Marsh
1996
- Cosby as Ruth Lucas
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show as Self - Guest
- The Babysitter's Seduction as Kate Jacobs
- Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored as Ma Ponk
1995
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Lady Fulton (voice)
- In the House
- The Possession of Michael D. as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
1994
- Touched by an Angel as Elizabeth Jessup
- David's Mother as Gladys Johnson
1993
- Intimate Portrait as Self
- Hallelujah as Mayor Turner
1991
- Jailbirds as Janice Grant
1990
- Blossom
- The Earth Day Special as Clair Huxtable
- Polly: Comin' Home! as Aunt Polly
1989
- Polly as Aunt Polly
- False Witness as Lynne Jacobi
- The Debbie Allen Special as Self
1988
- Mickey's 60th Birthday as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
1987
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Jane Goodfellow (voice)
- A Different World as Clair Huxtable
- Uncle Tom's Cabin as Eliza
1984
- The Cosby Show as Clair Huxtable
1983
- Reading Rainbow as Narrator (voice)
1981
1972
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
1949
- The Emmy Awards as Self