1971–1983: Early work and Broadway debut Ayers-Allen first became known for her roles on stage, making her
Broadway debut in the
Melvin Van Peebles musical ''
Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (1971). Throughout the decade she returned to Broadway in a string of productions playing Deena Jones in Dreamgirls'' (she also was
Sheryl Lee Ralph's understudy until leaving the show in 1982, after being passed over as Ralph's full-time replacement). She played a
Munchkin in
The Wiz for three and a half years. In 1978, she released the album
Josephine Superstar, a
disco concept album telling the life story of
Josephine Baker. The album was mainly written and produced by
Jacques Morali and
Victor Willis, Rashad's second husband and the original lead singer and lyricist of the
Village People. She met Willis while they were both cast in
The Wiz.
1982–2003: The Cosby Show and other roles Other Broadway credits include
August: Osage County,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
Gem of the Ocean,
Raisin in the Sun (2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play/Drama Desk Award),
Blue, ''
Jelly's Last Jam, Into the Woods, and Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death''.
Off-Broadway credits include Lincoln Center's productions of
Cymbeline and
Bernarda Alba;
Helen,
The Story and ''Everybody's Ruby
at the Public Theater; The Negro Ensemble Company productions of Puppet Play
, Zooman and the Sign
, Sons and Fathers of Sons
, In an Upstate Motel
, Weep Not For Me
, and The Great Mac Daddy''; Lincoln Center's production of Ed Bullins'
The Duplex; and
The Sirens at the
Manhattan Theatre Club. In regional theatre, she performed as
Euripides'
Medea and in
Blues for an Alabama Sky at the
Alliance Theatre in
Atlanta, Georgia. Other regional theatres at which she has performed are the
Arena Stage in
Washington, D.C., and the
Huntington Theatre in
Boston. Rashad joined the cast of the
ABC soap opera One Life to Live to play publicist
Courtney Wright in 1983. She is best known for the role of
attorney Clair Huxtable on the
NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. The show, which ran from 1984 to 1992, starred
Bill Cosby as
obstetrician Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, and focused on their life with their five children. For her role, she earned two
Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. In 1985, Rashad co-hosted the
NBC telecast of the ''
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade'' with
Pat Sajak and
Bert Convy. When Cosby returned to TV comedy in 1996 with CBS's
Cosby, he called Rashad to play Ruth Lucas, his character's wife. The
pilot episode had been shot with
Telma Hopkins, but Cosby fired the executive producer and replaced Hopkins with Rashad. The sitcom ran from 1996 to 2000. That year, Cosby also asked Rashad to work on his
animated television series Little Bill, in which the actress voiced Bill's mother, Brenda, until the show's end in 2004. In 1993, Rashad was the first narrator at
Disney's Candlelight Processional when the event was moved to
Epcot. Her narration of the nativity story was recorded and released by
Walt Disney Records. She also played a role in the pre-show of the
Dinosaur ride at
Walt Disney World's
Animal Kingdom theme park as Dr. Helen Marsh, the head of the Dino Institute.
2004–2018: Theatre roles and acclaim revival of
A Streetcar Named Desire in 2008 In the early 21st century, Rashad was the first black actress of any nationality to win the Best Actress (Play)
Tony Award, for her 2004 performance as Lena Younger in a revival of the play
A Raisin in the Sun by
Lorraine Hansberry. Rashad also won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play for
A Raisin in the Sun, tying (split award that year) with
Viola Davis for the play
Intimate Apparel. Rashad was nominated again for a Tony the following year, for her performance in
Gem of the Ocean. In 2007, Rashad made her directorial debut with the
Seattle Repertory Theatre's production of
August Wilson's
Gem of the Ocean. In 2008, Rashad starred on Broadway as Big Mama in an all African-American production of
Tennessee Williams's
Pulitzer Prize-winning drama
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by her sister
Debbie Allen. She appeared alongside stage veterans
James Earl Jones (Big Daddy) and
Anika Noni Rose (Maggie), as well as film actor
Terrence Howard, who made his Broadway debut as Brick. Foundation Rashad played "Kill Moves"' wealthy mother on the
Chris Rock created
sitcom Everybody Hates Chris on December 9, 2007. In 2007 she appeared as
Winnie Guster in the
Psych episode "Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy". She returned to the role in 2008, in the episode "Christmas Joy". In February 2008, Rashad portrayed Lena Younger in the television film adaptation of
A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Kenny Leon. It starred core members of the cast of the 2004 Broadway revival at the
Royale Theatre of Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play, including
Audra McDonald as Ruth Younger, and
Sean Combs as Walter Lee Younger. The television film adaption debuted at the 2008
Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast by ABC on February 25, 2008. According to Nielsen Media Research, the program was watched by 12.7 million viewers and ranked No. 9 in the ratings for the week ending March 2, 2008. In 2009, she appeared as Violet Weston, the drug-addicted matriarch of
Tracy Letts's award-winning play
August: Osage County, at the
Music Box Theatre. Rashad returned to directing August Wilson's work in early 2014, when she led a revival of Wilson's
Fences, at the
McCarter Theatre in
Princeton, New Jersey. It received generally positive reviews. She continued to focus on Wilson's work, including a well-received production of ''
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'', which she directed at the
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in late 2016. From March 17 to May 1, 2016, Rashad played the lead role of Shelah in
Tarell Alvin McCraney's play
Head of Passes at
The Public Theater. Her performance was positively reviewed. In November 2010, Rashad featured as Gilda in the ensemble cast in the
Tyler Perry film
For Colored Girls, based on the play
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by
Ntozake Shange. Rashad said about this work in an interview with
Vibe Movies & TV in 2010: "I saw the original Broadway play. I thought it was amazing how such a story that wasn't pretty was poetry. Usually poetry is about lofty things and this was the poetry of speech and the movement of everyday people. I found a little bit of it off-putting to tell you the truth, because it was so angry when I saw it. And I think
Tyler Perry has added an element here that wasn't in the original stage production, and that is the necessity for taking responsibility for one's own self otherwise you are just living to die. That is where he wrote the line [in the film], 'You gotta take some responsibility in this. Otherwise you are just living to die.'" In 2012, she starred in another
Tyler Perry film,
Good Deeds. Also in 2012, Rashad played Clairee Belcher in the
remake of
Steel Magnolias (the role originated by
Olympia Dukakis). This version has an all
African American A-list cast, including
Queen Latifah as M'Lynn,
Jill Scott as Truvy,
Condola Rashad as Shelby,
Adepero Oduye as Annelle, and
Alfre Woodard as Ouiser. In 2015, she played
Mary Anne Creed in the sports film
Creed (2015), and again in the sequels
Creed II (2018) and
Creed III (2023). In 2016, Rashad was cast as a recurring guest star in the role of Diana DuBois in the third season of the
Lee Daniels-produced
Empire television series on
Fox. In 2017, Rashad portrayed Bishop
Yvette A. Flunder, pastor of The City of Refuge Church in San Francisco, Calif., as part of the
Dustin Lance Black mini-series
When We Rise. Her appearance in the show highlighted the reputed compassion of the church, the commitment of its leadership, and the loving home the church provides to minister in the tough, primarily African-American community in San Francisco.
2019–present From 2019 to 2021 she portrayed Carol Clarke in the
NBC drama series
This is Us earning three
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series nominations. In 2020, Rashad provided the voice of Libba Gardner, Joe Gardner's mother, in the
Pixar animated film
Soul which earned the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. That same year she had a supporting role in the family Christmas film
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey starring
Forest Whitaker and
Keegan-Michael Key. The following year she had a cameo role in the
Lin-Manuel Miranda directed musical drama
Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021). She had recurring roles on the
Netflix drama series
13 Reasons Why (2020) and the
CBS /
Paramount+ legal series
The Good Fight (2022). She returned to Broadway in the
Dominique Morisseau play
Skeleton Crew (2022) for which she earned a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In 2024, she appeared in the action film
The Beekeeper. == Academia and legacy ==