Phylicia Rashad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phylicia Rashad
Rashad in 1998
Born	Phylicia Ayers-Allen (1948-06-19) June 19, 1948 (age 77) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1972–present
Spouse(s)	William Lancelot Bowles Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1975)​ Victor Willis ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1982)​ Ahmad Rashad ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 2001)​
Children	2, including Condola Rashad
Relatives	Debbie Allen (sister) DeVaughn Nixon (nephew) Vivian Nixon (niece)

Phylicia Rashad (born June 19, 1948) is an American actress. She is famous for playing Clair Huxtable on the TV show The Cosby Show (1984–1992). This role earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. She also played Ruth Lucas on the show Cosby (1996–2000).

In 2004, Rashad made history. She became the first black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She won for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. In 2022, she won her second Tony Award for her role in Skeleton Crew. She has also acted in many other Broadway plays. These include Into the Woods (1988) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008). She also won an NAACP Image Award for her role in the 2008 TV movie A Raisin in the Sun.

Phylicia Rashad has appeared in several movies. Some of these are For Colored Girls (2010), Creed (2015), and Creed III (2023). She also lent her voice to Brenda Glover in the children's TV show Little Bill (1999–2004). She has also directed plays by famous writer August Wilson. From 2021 to 2024, she was the dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University.

Early Life and Education

Phylicia Ayers-Allen was born on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas. Her mother, Vivian Ayers, was an artist, poet, and writer. Her father, Andrew Arthur Allen, was an orthodontist. Phylicia has three siblings. Her sister, Debbie Allen, is also a well-known actress and choreographer.

When Phylicia was six, her parents divorced. Seven years later, her mother moved with Phylicia and Debbie to Mexico City, Mexico. This was to avoid segregation in the United States. Segregation was a system that kept people of different races apart. Later, Phylicia studied at Howard University. She graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Career Highlights

Early Work and Broadway Debut (1971–1983)

Phylicia Ayers-Allen first became known for her stage roles. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death in 1971. She also played a Munchkin in The Wiz for over three years. In 1978, she released a concept album called Josephine Superstar. A concept album tells a story through its songs. This album told the life story of Josephine Baker, a famous entertainer.

The Cosby Show and Other Roles (1982–2003)

Phylicia Rashad joined the TV show One Life to Live in 1983. She is most famous for playing attorney Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. A sitcom is a comedy show about everyday life. The show ran from 1984 to 1992. It starred Bill Cosby as obstetrician Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable. The show focused on their family life with their five children.

In 1996, Bill Cosby returned to TV with the show Cosby. He asked Rashad to play Ruth Lucas, his character's wife. This show ran until 2000. Cosby also asked Rashad to work on his animated television series Little Bill. She voiced Bill's mother, Brenda, until the show ended in 2004.

In 1993, Rashad was the first narrator for Disney's Candlelight Processional at Epcot. She also played Dr. Helen Marsh in the pre-show for the Dinosaur ride at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Theatre Roles and Acclaim (2004–2018)

In the early 2000s, Rashad became the first black actress to win the Best Actress Tony Award. She won in 2004 for her role as Lena Younger in A Raisin in the Sun. She also won the Drama Desk Award for this role. The next year, she was nominated for another Tony for her role in Gem of the Ocean.

In 2007, Rashad started directing plays. Her first play was Gem of the Ocean at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. In 2008, Rashad starred on Broadway as Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Her sister, Debbie Allen, directed this play.

Marquee for the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire in 2008

In February 2008, Rashad played Lena Younger again in the TV movie A Raisin in the Sun. This movie was watched by 12.7 million viewers.

Rashad continued to direct plays by August Wilson. In 2014, she directed Fences. In 2016, she directed Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Both plays received good reviews.

Rashad at the 2007 Red Dress Collection for The Heart Truth Foundation

In 2012, she starred in the movie Good Deeds. Also in 2012, Rashad played Clairee Belcher in the remake of Steel Magnolias. This version had an all-African American cast, including Queen Latifah and Jill Scott. From 2016 to 2018, Rashad had a recurring role as Diana DuBois in the TV series Empire.

Recent Work (2019–Present)

From 2019 to 2021, she played Carol Clarke in the NBC drama series This is Us. She earned three Emmy nominations for this role. In 2020, Rashad voiced Libba Gardner, Joe Gardner's mother, in the Pixar animated film Soul. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. That same year, she was in the Christmas movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.

She also had roles in the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why (2020) and The Good Fight (2022). She returned to Broadway in the play Skeleton Crew (2022). For this, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In 2024, she appeared in the action film The Beekeeper.

Academia and Legacy

In 2010, she was called "The Mother of the Black Community" at the NAACP Image Awards. In May 2021, Rashad was chosen to be the dean of Howard University's Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. In August 2023, Howard University announced that Rashad would step down as dean at the end of the 2023–24 school year.

Personal Life

Marriages and Family

Phylicia Rashad has been married three times. Her first marriage was in 1972 to William Lancelot Bowles Jr. They had one son, William Lancelot Bowles III. They divorced in 1975.

In 1978, Rashad married Victor Willis, the lead singer of the Village People. They divorced in 1982.

Her third marriage was to Ahmad Rashad on December 14, 1985. He was a former NFL football player and sportscaster. They had a daughter, Condola Phylea Rashād, born in 1986. They divorced in 2001, and she kept his last name, Rashad.

Phylicia Rashad is a vegetarian.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Honors

• 2003: Honored as Woman of the Year by the Harvard Black Men's Forum
• 2005: received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) degree from Brown University
• 2011: received an honorary doctorate degree from Spelman College for her work in the Arts
• 2011: named the first Denzel Washington Chair professor in theatre at Fordham University
• 2019: received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from The University of South Carolina for her work in the Arts and Arts Education

See also

In Spanish: Phylicia Rashād para niños