Share

Phylicia Rashad biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

  • NAME: Phylicia Rashad
  • OCCUPATION: Theater Actress, Television Actress
  • BIRTH DATE: June 19, 1948 (Age: 64)
  • EDUCATION: Howard University
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Houston, Texas
  • Originally: Phylicia Ayers-Allen
  • ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini

Best Known For

Phylicia Rashad is an Toby-winning African American actress who is best known as Clair Huxtable on NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.

Videos see all videos

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now
Bill Cosby - Reinventing the Sitcom watch more videos (0)

Synopsis

Phylicia Rashad is an African American actress who is best known as mother and attorney Clair Huxtable on NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. She stayed with the show for eight years. Rashad starred in many Broadway and off-Broadway productions and was the first African American actress to win a Tony Award, given for for her portrayal of Lena Younger in A Raisin n the Sun.

Contents

Profile

Actress. Born Phylicia Ayers-Allen on June 19, 1948 in Houston, Texas. The daughter of a dentist and graduate of Howard University, Rashad made her television debut in 1978's The Wiz. She is best known to American audiences for her portrayal of mother and attorney Clair Huxtable on the seminal '80s hit The Cosby Show. She stayed with the sitcom for its eight-year run from 1984 to 1992.

Rashad continued to appear on television throughout the 1990s, often in made-for-TV movies that ranged from ill-conceived thrillers like The Babysitter's Seduction to more dramatic fare that ran close to Rashad's heart, including Uncle Tom's Cabin and Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored.

Rashad has performed in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway shows throughout her career, including Jelly's Last Jam and Dreamgirls. In 2003, she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Lena Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, becoming the first black woman to win the coveted honor for a dramatic lead role. in 2008, she revisited the role in a television adaption for which she earned the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.

Rashad's sister is choreographer and actress Debbie Allen. She was married to Village People member Victor Willis in 1975 and to Minnesota Viking and sports announcer Ahmad Rashad from 1985 to 2001.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

ADVERTISEMENT
12816787 12816787
profile id: 12816787
profile name: Phylicia Rashad
profile occupation:
related profile id: 12816787
related profile name: Phylicia Rashad
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/R/Phylicia-Rashad-12816787-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/phylicia-rashad-12816787
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups

    See all related groups

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!