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Phylicia Rashad

Age: 61
Height: 5' 6"

Birth Place: Houston, Texas, USA
Born: Jun. 19th, 1948

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Phylicia Rashad's Main TV Roles

Show	Character(s)
The Cosby Show	Clair Hanks H&hellip
Cosby	Ruth Lucas
Little Bill	Brenda

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB

BIOGRAPHY:

Born to dentist, Andrew Arthur Allen, and poet, Vivian Ayers, in Harris County, TX. As a child, Phylicia, her older brother Andrew (called Tex) and younger sister, Debbie Allen, lived in Mexico to escape US racism. She also has another brother, Hugh Allen (a real estate banker in North Carolina).

Their mother, Vivian Ayers, decided to live there to give the Allen children a brief experience of not having to endure the chronic racism and segregation that was typical of Texas during the 1950s. From this, Phylicia and Debbie are fluent in Spanish.

Phylicia graduated from Howard University and later taught drama there.

With younger sister, Debbie Allen, she has production company "D.A.D." which stood for "Doctor Allen's Daughters". Her Pulitzer-nominated poet mother, Vivian, is the artistic and free spirit that has influenced and encouraged the remarkable creativity that so marks Allen as a performer.

TRIVIA:

She and her sister were partly raised in Mexico, which is why they both speak Spanish so fluently.
Children: Son Billy (born in 1973 - Father: William Lancelot Bowles Jr.), Daughter Condola Phylea (born December 11, 1986 - Father: 'Ahmad Rashad' (qv)), 3 stepchildren (Ahmad's children): daughter Keva (born in 1970), daughter Maiysha (born in 1974) and son Ahmad Jr. (born in 1978).
In 1972, her mom Vivian's work, "Workshops in Open Fields," was hailed and recommended to the nation as a "prototype of grass roots programming" by the director of NEA. Vivian established the Adept New American Museum--a museum for art and history of the American Southwest; which features "Juneteenth" Black Cowboys, American Indian Sand Painting, seminars on the Emancipation Proclamation and Mayan studies-- in Mt Vernon NY. She is known as a leader in the arts community in New York area.
'Ahmad Rashad' (qv) proposed to her on national TV during the halftime show of NBC's Thanksgiving Day broadcast of the game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets. Earlier in the day, she had worked NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day telecast. Within minutes of hearing Ahmad's request, she came on NBC's "NFL Live" halftime set and accepted his proposal live on TV. 'O.J. Simpson' (qv) was best-man at her 1985 wedding to 'Ahmad Rashad' (qv).
Aunt of 'Norman Nixon Jr.' (qv) and 'Vivian Nixon' (qv).
Is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Daughter of dentist Arthur Allen and Pulitzer-prize nominated Vivan Ayers ( artist, poet, playwright, and publisher). Older siblings are jazz musician brother Tex (Andrew Arthur Allen Jr, born 1945), younger sister 'Debbie Allen' (qv)(1950), and brother Hugh Allen (real estate banker in North Carolina).
Phylicia and Debbie both speak Spanish fluently from living in Mexico as children.