Acting
Phylicia Rashād
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). She was also Emmy-nominated for her roles in A Raisin in the Sun (2008) and This Is Us (2019–2021). On stage, Rashad became the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, for a revival of A Raisin in the Sun (2004). She won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew (2022). 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 appeared in various films such as For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), Creed III (2023), and The Beekeeper (2024). She lent her voice to the Disney-Pixar animated film Soul (2020). In the 21st century, she has directed revivals of three plays by August Wilson, in major theaters in Seattle, Princeton, New Jersey; and Los Angeles. She also directed Purpose (play) in its 2024-2025 run at the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway.
Filmography
Ruth & Boaz
Film · 2025
The Beekeeper
Film · 2024
Diarra from Detroit
Series · 2024
Our Son
Film · 2023
Being Mary Tyler Moore
Film · 2023
Heaven Down Here
Film · 2023
Creed III
Film · 2023
Curses!
Series · 2023
Inside the Black Box
Series · 2022
Sherri
Series · 2022
The Gilded Age
Series · 2022
tick, tick... BOOM!
Film · 2021
Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Film · 2021
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist
Film · 2021
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Film · 2021
Show of Titles
Film · 2021
Soul
Film · 2020
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Film · 2020
A Fall from Grace
Film · 2020
Black Box
Film · 2020
Between the World and Me
Film · 2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Film · 2020
Little America
Series · 2020
The Tamron Hall Show
Series · 2019
David Makes Man
Series · 2019
Creed II
Film · 2018
Charlie's Place
Film · 2018
Station 19
Series · 2018
JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala
Film · 2017
Tour de Pharmacy
Film · 2017
The Good Fight
Series · 2017
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens
Film · 2016
Jean-Claude Van Johnson
Series · 2016
This Is Us
Series · 2016
Emily & Tim
Film · 2015
Creed
Film · 2015
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Film · 2015
Empire
Series · 2015
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
Film · 2014
Gods Behaving Badly
Film · 2013
Do No Harm
Series · 2013
Sofia the First
Series · 2013
Good Deeds
Film · 2012
Steel Magnolias
Film · 2012
Change of Plans
Film · 2011
Just Wright
Film · 2010
For Colored Girls
Film · 2010
Frankie & Alice
Film · 2010
A Raisin in the Sun
Film · 2008
Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"
Film · 2008
Psych
Series · 2006
Everybody Hates Chris
Series · 2005
Grey's Anatomy
Series · 2005
God and the Inner City
Film · 2003
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Film · 2002
The Cosby Show: A Look Back
Film · 2002
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man
Film · 2001
The Old Settler
Film · 2001
The Visit
Film · 2001
Bull
Series · 2000
Free of Eden
Film · 1999
Little Bill
Series · 1999
Dinosaur - Preshow
Film · 1998
The Babysitter's Seduction
Film · 1996
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
Film · 1996
Cosby
Series · 1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Series · 1996
The Possession of Michael D.
Film · 1995
In the House
Series · 1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Series · 1995
David's Mother
Film · 1994
Touched by an Angel
Series · 1994
Hallelujah
Film · 1993
Intimate Portrait
Series · 1993
Bob Hope's Four-Star Christmas Fiesta from San Antonio
Film · 1992
Jailbirds
Film · 1991
Polly: Comin' Home!
Film · 1990
The Earth Day Special
Film · 1990
Blossom
Series · 1990
Polly
Film · 1989
False Witness
Film · 1989
The Debbie Allen Special
Film · 1989
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Film · 1988
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Film · 1987
Superstars and their Moms
Film · 1987
A Different World
Series · 1987
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Series · 1987
Nell Carter... Never Too Old to Dream
Film · 1986
The Cosby Show
Series · 1984
Reading Rainbow
Series · 1983
American Playhouse
Series · 1982
We're Fighting Back
Film · 1981
The Broad Coalition
Film · 1972
Tony Awards
Series · 1956
The Emmy Awards
Series · 1949
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Series · 1948
Coretta Scott
Film
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair
Film
Alone
Film