A Pioneering Actress in Black Media

Learn about Phylicia Rashad’s journey as a trailblazing barrier-breaker in theater, television, and film, and how she continues to inspire generations of Black artists.

Phylicia Rashad is known for building a legacy of excellence as a black actress on stage and screen. From her early life in Houston, through her college years, and into her later career, Rashad broke barriers. Despite insecurities about her appearance and thinking she wasn’t beautiful as a child, Rashad said she was bitten by the performing bug when she was chosen for a school music program at age 11.

“I wanted to be like my mother because she was so beautiful, but I had a voice, and my mother insisted on good speech, and my teachers appreciated that, so when I was 11, I was chosen for a music program that all the schools in our community participated in,” Rashad is quoted as saying. Against societal expectations, she embraced her passion for performing, and the rest is history.

Early life and education

Born Phylicia Allen in 1948 in Houston, Texas, Rashad had three siblings. Her sister Debbie Allen was also an actress and writer, and her older brother became a jazz musician. Rashad’s father was a dentist, and her mother was a Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet and one of the Apollo 11 Hidden Figures.

Rashad graduated magna cum laude from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater in 1970 and immediately pursued a career in entertainment. When asked about early influences on her life and career, Rashad often cited author and speaker Maya Angelou.

Career Highlights

Rashad appeared in several television series and films, including “Watch Your Mouth” and “We’re Fighting Back,” in the 1970s and early 1980s — under the name Phylicia Allen. She also appeared in a two-episode arc on “One Life to Live” before landing her breakthrough role as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.”

Rashad continued to appear on both big and small screens after “The Cosby Show” ended in 1992, including Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” in 2010, “Creed” and “Creed II” in 2015 and 2018, and numerous episodes of “This is Us” and “David Makes Man” from 2019 to 2021. But from the early ’90s to the early 2000s, Rashad made her mark on the stage. Rashad broke new ground on Broadway with her lead role in the historic 2006 production featuring an all-black cast, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” a powerful statement of black excellence and representation in American theater.

Here are some of the awards and nominations Rashad has received throughout her career:

• Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1985 and 1986 for her role as Clair on The Cosby Show.

• Nominated for an Emmy Award in 2008 in the category “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie” for her role as Lena Younger in “A Raisin in the Sun.”

• Three Emmy nominations in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for This Is Us (2019, 2020, 2021)

• Five People’s Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actress (1985 to 1990)

• 2004 Tony Award for her performance in A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway – the first time in history that a black actress won a Tony Award for a leading dramatic role

• 2022 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Skeleton Crew

Rashad’s awards also include nominations and wins from the Drama Desk Awards, Black Reel Awards, the BET Honors, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards, cementing her status as a cultural icon and symbol of excellence in the arts. In 2010, Rashad was named “Mother of the Black Community” at the NAACP Image Awards.

Rashad told Oprah Daily that she feels no pressure to live up to expectations as a trailblazing black actress. “I feel grateful,” she said. “I feel grateful that I’ve done work that means something to people.”

Personal Life and Advocacy

Rashad has been married three times and has two children: William Bowles III and Condola Rashad. Rashad married her third husband, Ahmad Rashad, in 1985, and the couple divorced in 2001.

Asked about motherhood for a 2020 article, the actress, who has played multiple mothers in films, TV shows and plays, said she doesn’t think of herself as a black mother or her children as black children. She thinks of herself as a mother and her children as children. “Ethnicity is obvious,” Rashad said. “It’s in the food we eat, the music we listen to, the books we read … the way we live … the company we keep and the dances we do. I don’t have to consciously talk about it because I know who I am.”

Rashad served as dean of the College of Fine Arts at her alma mater, Howard University. Although the actress-turned-dean doesn’t like to talk about herself, according to friend and playwright Pearl Cleage, Rashad is known for working behind the scenes to support others. Although she’s known for her unwavering support of her peers, Rashad’s public defense of Bill Cosby in 2015 sparked controversy, reflecting the complexity and nuance of her advocacy.

Rashad has served as an advisor to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and is known for offering support and advice to other black women in interviews and speaking engagements. In 2021, while narrating a documentary about her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Rashad emphasized the culture of service and dedication to lifting others within the nation’s first black Greek-letter sorority.

Phylicia Rashad’s story is one of resilience, talent, and unyielding dedication to her craft. Her legacy as an actress is a reminder of the power of pursuing your dreams.

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