Phylicia Rashād

Personal Info

Birthday

June 19, 1948

(77 years old)

Place of Birth

Houston, Texas, USA

Also Known As

Phylicia Ayers-Allen

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashād

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).

Known For

Grey's Anatomy

Psych

Sofia the First

This Is Us

Station 19

The Cosby Show

The Gilded Age

The Good Fight

Filmography

2024
The Beekeeper
as Eloise Parker
2023
Heaven Down Here
as Nancy
Our Son
as Maya
Being Mary Tyler Moore
as Self (voice)
Creed III
as Mary-Anne Creed
2021
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)
2020
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
2018
Creed II
as Mary Anne Creed
Charlie's Place
as Narrator (voice)
2017
Tour de Pharmacy
as Victoria Young
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
as Self - Host
2015
Creed
as Mary Anne Creed
Emily & Tim
as Emily (Segment 5)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
as Self
2014
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
2013
Gods Behaving Badly
as Demeter
2012
Steel Magnolias
as Clairee
Good Deeds
as Wilimena Deeds
2011
Change of Plans
as Dorothy
2010
Frankie & Alice
as Edna
For Colored Girls
as Gilda
Just Wright
as Ella McKnight
2008
A Raisin in the Sun
as Lena Younger
2002
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
as Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
as Self
2001
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
as Cassandra Hawkins
The Old Settler
as Elizabeth Barney
The Visit
as Dr. Coles
1999
Free of Eden
as Desiree
1996
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
as Ma Ponk
The Babysitter's Seduction
as Kate Jacobs
1995
The Possession of Michael D.
as Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
1994
David's Mother
as Gladys Johnson
1993
Hallelujah
as Mayor Turner
1991
Jailbirds
as Janice Grant
1990
Polly: Comin' Home!
as Aunt Polly
The Earth Day Special
as Clair Huxtable
1989
Polly
as Aunt Polly
False Witness
as Lynne Jacobi
1988
Mickey's 60th Birthday
as Disneyland Cleaning Lady
1987
Uncle Tom's Cabin
as Eliza