Phylicia Rashād
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1948-06-19
    • Born Place: Houston, Texas, USA
  • Also Known As:

    Phylicia Ayers-Allen, Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashād

Phylicia Rashād (née Phylicia Ayers Allen), born on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas, is an American actress, singer, and stage director, and the sister of performer Debbie Allen. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre from Howard University in 1970. Rashād's early career involved working with the Negro Ensemble Company and appearing on Broadway in musicals like The Wiz (as a Munchkin) and Dreamgirls. She rose to national prominence for her role as attorney Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned her two Primetime Emmy nominations, and she later co-starred in the sitcom Cosby. A highly distinguished stage actress, she made history in 2004 as the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Lena Younger in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun, for which she also won a Drama Desk Award; she won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Skeleton Crew in 2022. Her notable film roles include her recurring part as Mary Anne Creed in the Creed film series and her voice role in Pixar's Soul. In addition to her acting, Rashād is an accomplished director, with credits including several works by August Wilson, and has served in academia, notably as the inaugural Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University until May 2024.

Person History