caption years_active birth_place name birth_date image article_title birth_name occupation
at truth foundation the 2007 red dress collection for the heart 1972 & ndash ; present houston , texas , united states phylicia rashad 19 june 1948 phylicia rashad , red dress collection 2007.jpg phylicia rashad
 phylicia ayers-allen actress , singer
phylicia rashad

phylicia rashad -lrb- born phylicia ayers-allen ; june 19 , 1948 -rrb- is an american actress , singer and stage director , best known for her role as clair huxtable on the long-running nbc sitcom `` the cosby show '' .
she was nominated for an emmy award for this part in 1985 and 1986 .
in 2004 , rashad became the first african-american actress to win the tony award for best performance by a leading actress in a play , which she won for her role in the revival of `` a raisin in the sun '' .
she resumed the role in the 2008 television adaptation 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 .
rashad was dubbed `` the mother '' of the african-american community at the 42nd naacp image awards .
