On June 19, 1948, Phylicia Ayers-Allen was born in Houston, Texas. Her mother, Vivian Ayers, is an author, poet, playwright, academic, and publisher who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen was her father. Her siblings include Debbie Allen, an actress, choreographer, and director; her brother Hugh Allen, a real estate banker in Charlotte, North Carolina; and her brother Tex (Andrew Arthur Allen Jr.), a jazz musician. When Phylicia was six years old, their parents split up.
A few years later, her mother left the United States with the two girls to live in Mexico in order to avoid segregation.
Ayers-Allen continued her education at Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1970 with honors. She was initiated into the Alpha Chapter of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha while there.
Phylicia Rashad top movies
Ayers-Allen played Deena Jones in Dreamgirls and was Sheryl Lee Ralph’s understudy in The Wiz. Off-Broadway credits include August: Osage County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Gem of the Ocean, Raisin in the Sun, and Into the Woods. In 2007, Rashad made her directorial debut with the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean.
She has acted in the movies Creed (2015), Good Deeds (2012), For Colored Girls (2010), and Creed II (2018). She additionally provided Brenda Glover’s voice for the Nick Jr. animated children’s television program Little Bill (1999–2004).
She has directed revivals of three August Wilson plays in important theaters in Seattle, Princeton, New Jersey, and Los Angeles in the twenty-first century.
Phylicia Rashad TV shows, and awards
She was nominated for an Emmy in 1985 and 1986 for her performance as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992).
Rashad earned the 2004 Tony Award for Best Woman in a Play for her work in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun, making her the first black actress to do so.
As a result of her work in Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew, Rashad received her second Tony Award in 2022 for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Her past Broadway performances include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2004), Gem of the Ocean (2004), Jelly’s Last Jam (1993), and Into the Woods (1988). (2008). When Rashad returned to her A Raisin in the Sun role in the 2008 television adaption, she was honored with an NAACP Image Award.
