Phylicia Rashād (née Ayers-Allen; June 19, 1948) is an American Tony Award-winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, which earned her Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She reprised her role on the sitcom A Different World.
She's also known for her roles as Eloise Parker in The Beekeeper, Mary Anne Creed in the Creed film trilogy, Dr. Woods-Trap on OWN's David Makes Man, Dr. Vanessa Young on the drama series Do No Harm, Clairee in the remake of Steel Magnolias (2012), Wilimena Deeds in Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, Edna in Frankie & Alice, Gilda in For Colored Girls, Ella McKnight in Just Wright, Lena Younger in the remake of A Raisin in the Sun, and Ruth Lucas on the sitcom Cosby (1996–2000). She also voiced Libba Gardner in the animated movie Soul, and Brenda Glover in Nickelodeon's animated series Little Bill.
She has had recurring roles as Renetta Clark on The Good Fight, Carol Clarke on Thus is Us, Pastor on 13 Reasons Why, Diana Dubois on Empire, Jane on Jean-Claude Van Johnson, Winnifred Guster on Psych and voice of Dee Dee Tubbs on The Cleveland Show. She's had guest roles on Station 19, Grey's Anatomy, Everybody Hates Chris, Touched by an Angel, Blossom, The Love Boat, Santa Barbara, and One Life to Live.
In 2004, she became the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role as Lena Younger in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. She reprised her role in the 2008 television adaption of A Raisin in the Sun, which earned her the 2009 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.
In 2022, she won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew. 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 directed revivals of three plays by August Wilson, in major theaters in Seattle, Princeton, New Jersey; and Los Angeles.
She was dubbed "the mother" of the African-American community at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards.
She is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University.
Her sister is actress Debbie Allen. Her first marriage (1972-1975), was to dentist William Lancelot Bowles, Jr.; they had one son, William Lancelot Bowles III. Her second marriage (1978-1982) was to Victor Willis, original lead singer of the Village People; they met during the run of The Wiz. Her third marriage (1985-2001) was to Ahmad Rashad, a former NFL wide receiver and sportscaster; they had a daughter, Condola Phylea Rashād. She has retained the surname Rashad.
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The Beekeeper
Eloise Parker
2024
Heaven Down Here
Nancy
2023
Our Son
Maya
2023
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Self (voice)
2023
Creed III
Mary-Anne Creed
2023
tick, tick... BOOM!
"Sunday" Legend #12
2021
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Narrator (voice)
2021
Soul
Libba Gardner (voice)
2020
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Grandmother Journey
2020
Black Box
Lillian
2020
A Fall from Grace
Sarah
2020
Creed II
Mary Anne Creed
2018
Charlie's Place
Narrator (voice)
2018
Tour de Pharmacy
Victoria Young
2017
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
Self - Host
2017
Creed
Mary Anne Creed
2015
Emily & Tim
Emily (Segment 5)
2015
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Self
2015
Steel Magnolias
Clairee
2012
Good Deeds
Wilimena Deeds
2012
Change of Plans
Dorothy
2011
Frankie & Alice
Edna
2010
For Colored Girls
Gilda
2010
Just Wright
Ella McKnight
2010
A Raisin in the Sun
Lena Younger
2008
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Self
2002
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
Cassandra Hawkins
2001
The Old Settler
Elizabeth Barney
2001
The Visit
Dr. Coles
2001
Free of Eden
Desiree
1999
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
Ma Ponk
1996
The Babysitter's Seduction
Kate Jacobs
1996
The Possession of Michael D.
Dr. Marion Hale (Psychiatrist)
1995
David's Mother
Gladys Johnson
1994
Jailbirds
Janice Grant
1991
Polly: Comin' Home!
Aunt Polly
1990
Polly
Aunt Polly
1989
False Witness
Lynne Jacobi
1989
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Disneyland Cleaning Lady
1988
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Eliza
1987
We're Fighting Back
1981
The Broad Coalition
1972
Coretta Scott
Self - Narrator (voice)
Diarra from Detroit
Vonda · (8 episodes)
2024
Curses!
Georgia (voice) · (10 episodes)
2023
Sherri
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2022
The Gilded Age
Elizabeth Kirkland · (1 episode)
2022
Inside the Black Box
(20 episodes)
2022
Show of Titles
"There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
2021
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
Self
2021
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Anna Campbell
2021
Between the World and Me
Self
2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Self - Actress
2020
Little America
Margaret Jean the Queen · (1 episode)
2020
Tamron Hall
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2019
David Makes Man
Dr. Woods-Trap · (11 episodes)
2019
Station 19
Pilar · (1 episode)
2018
The Good Fight
Renetta Clark · (4 episodes)
2017
This Is Us
Carol Clarke · (4 episodes)
2016
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Jane · (6 episodes)
2016
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
Self
2014
Gods Behaving Badly
Demeter
2013
Do No Harm
Dr. Vanessa Young · (13 episodes)
2013
Sofia the First
Mountain Witch (voice) · (1 episode)
2013
Psych
Winnifred Guster · (3 episodes)
2006
Everybody Hates Chris
(1 episode)
2005
Grey's Anatomy
Nell Timms · (1 episode)
2005
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Self / Clair Huxtable (archive footage)
2002
Bull
(1 episode)
2000
Little Bill
Brenda Glover (voice) · (47 episodes)
1999
Cosby
Ruth Lucas · (97 episodes)
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1996
In the House
(1 episode)
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Lady Fulton (voice) · (1 episode)
1995
Touched by an Angel
Elizabeth Jessup · (2 episodes)
1994
Hallelujah
Mayor Turner
1993
Intimate Portrait
Self · (1 episode)
1993
Blossom
(1 episode)
1990
The Earth Day Special
Clair Huxtable
1990
R&B
Naomi
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Jane Goodfellow (voice) · (1 episode)
1987
A Different World
Clair Huxtable
1987
A Different World
Clair Huxtable · (4 episodes)
1987
The Cosby Show
Clair Huxtable · (197 episodes)
1984
Reading Rainbow
Narrator (voice) · (1 episode)
1983
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1956