Al Hanks (father) Carrie Hanks (mother) Sarah Hanks (sister) Pamela Tucker (cousin) Ellis Wilson (great-uncle) Nelson Tibideaux (grandson) Winnie Tibideaux (granddaughter)
Nationality
American
Clair Huxtable is a fictional character who appears on the American sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). Portrayed by actress Phylicia Rashad, Clair, the wife of Cliff Huxtable and mother of their five children, is the matriarch of the show's central Huxtable family. Working as a lawyer, Clair values the importance of maintaining a successful career and strong household simultaneously. The character debuted alongside most of her family in the pilot episode, "Theo's Economic Lesson", which premiered on September 20, 1984.
Created by comedian Bill Cosby, Clair is based on Cosby's own wife, Camille. Cosby intended for the character to be a plumber, but the producers and Camille ultimately convinced him to rewrite her into a lawyer to reflect a family that closer resembled their own. At one point, Clair had also been envisioned as a Dominican housewife who speaks Spanish when frustrated, inspired by Ricky Ricardo from the sitcom I Love Lucy, but this idea was also abandoned. Rashad, credited as Phylicia Ayers-Allen, won the role by exhibiting a subtlety in her audition that other candidates lacked. After marrying husband Ahmad Rashad and adopting his surname, Rashad became pregnant with their child during the show's third season, thus requiring her to conceal her pregnancy during episode tapings.
Typically playing straight woman to Cosby's humorous Cliff, Rashad's character began to adopt more comedic material during the show's second season, although she maintains her disciplinarian status within her own household. Since The Cosby Show's inception, Cosby had always intended for Clair to reflect the ways in which women's roles have evolved in both the home and workplace. Clair is depicted as a hardworking career woman with strong feminist principles, most evident in the character's early confrontations with chauvinistic son-in-law Elvin. One particularly memorable interaction, dubbed Clair's "feminist rant" by the media, has become so popular that the scene continues to be heavily circulated on the Internet and social media, 30 years after its initial appearance.
Both Clair's role and Rashad's performance have garnered significant acclaim; Clair was the series' only main character who avoided criticisms that regularly plagued other aspects of The Cosby Show. Rashad was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Despite the actress' continued success, Clair remains the role for which Rashad is best known, credited with establishing her as a television icon. Clair is revered as one of television's most beloved mothers; as one of television's first working mothers, the character's profound influence on African-American women and female lawyers in television has been dubbed the "Clair Huxtable effect".
^Brooks, Marla (2005-03-30). The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 Shows, 1948-2004 - Marla Brooks. McFarland. ISBN 9780786420742. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
^"Clair Olivia Hanks Huxtable -- The Cosby Show". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
^Haggins, Bambi (2007). Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post-soul America. United States: Rutgers University Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780813539850 – via Google Books.
^""Bill Cosby Show" – What became of the stars?". Bunte (in German). July 12, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
^"The Cosby Show". NBCNews.com. November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
ClairHuxtable is a fictional character who appears on the American sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992). Portrayed by actress Phylicia Rashad, Clair, the...
refer to him as "Dr. Huxtable", and he is well-respected in the community. Cliff is married to ClairHuxtable. Both Cliff and Clair attended the fictional...
refer to him as "Dr. Huxtable", and he is well-respected in the community. Cliff is married to ClairHuxtable. Both Cliff and Clair attended the fictional...
Cliff and ClairHuxtable, Denise is known for her eccentric clothing and free-spirited, rebellious nature, earning her a reputation as the Huxtable family's...
episode "Theo's Gift". Theo Huxtable was the middle child. Theo is the only son of Cliff and ClairHuxtable Theo Huxtable has had a mostly positive reception...
actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, Rudy is the youngest child of Cliff and ClairHuxtable. First appearing alongside her family in the pilot episode "Theo's Economic...
episodes) Phylicia Rashad as ClairHuxtable (4 episodes) Jonell Green as Dashawn Curtis (4 episodes) Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable (3 episodes) Keshia Knight...
Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux is a fictional character from the 1980s television series, The Cosby Show. Sondra Huxtable did not appear in the pilot episode...
College of Fine Arts at Howard University and best known for her role as ClairHuxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) which earned her two Primetime...
is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable, the fourth child of Cliff and ClairHuxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–92). In December...
"Louis York Sing the Praises of 'ClairHuxtable'," BET.com, February 24, 2015. Misha Sesar, "Celebrate ClairHuxtable In Debut Video," The Fader, April...
philanthropist, and the wife of comedian Bill Cosby. The character of ClairHuxtable from The Cosby Show was based on her. Cosby has avoided public life...
Huxtable is the daughter of Hillman alumni Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable and Clair Hanks Huxtable, Esq. She enrolled in Hillman and was roommates with Maggie...
fictional character in the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes ClairHuxtable, a fictional character in the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, portrayed by...
concerned that Jill would be yet another "perfect" TV sitcom mother such as ClairHuxtable of The Cosby Show. She was reassured after seeing some scripts and talking...
Huxtable Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable Kendall Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable Phylicia Rashad as ClairHuxtable Raven-Symoné...
Cosby gained a reputation as "America's Dad" for his portrayal of Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984–1992). He has received numerous awards and honorary...
Rashad), whom he met during the run of The Wiz, and who later played ClairHuxtable on The Cosby Show. He also wrote the lyrics for her album, Josephine...
years younger than Phylicia Rashad, the actress who played her mother, ClairHuxtable. Pop singer Whitney Houston also auditioned for the same part, but refused...
The Cosby Show set at Hillman College, the alma mater of Clair and Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. It ran for six seasons on NBC, airing a total of 141 episodes...
actress, Phylicia Rashad, had previously played ClairHuxtable (wife to Cosby's character, Cliff Huxtable) on The Cosby Show. April Glover (voiced by Monique...
Allie — CBS Shelley Long Diane Chambers Cheers — NBC Phylicia Rashad ClairHuxtable The Cosby Show — Susan Saint James Kate McArdle Kate & Allie — CBS Isabel...
Black (1986). Stevie Wonder: used a Synclavier to sample the voices of ClairHuxtable and children in an episode of The Cosby Show. Neil Young, who used an...
Masterpiece Theater – Act I, was released in 2015. The first single, "ClairHuxtable", is an ode to Phylicia Rashad's character on The Cosby Show. The EP...
special were produced, spanning eight seasons. The opening credits show the Huxtable family arriving at Central Park and playing various sports there, in a...
sitcom The Cosby Show, in Season 2, "The Auction". In this episode, ClairHuxtable, played by Phylicia Rashad, bids on the painting by her great-uncle...
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