Phylicia Rashad appointed as first Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre

Phylicia Rashad  | Flicker Photo

Phylicia Rashad, a Tony Award-winning actress, has been chosen as the first Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre of Fordham University. Rashad will be the first one to hold the rotating position, which Fordham hopes will attract other well-known individuals in the entertainment industry to fill the position each fall.

Together with the Denzel Washington Endowed Scholarship, a scholarship program for undergraduate theater students, the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre was created after celebrated actor Denzel Washington made a $2.25 million donation to benefit his alma mater's theater arts department.

“I wanted to create the Denzel Washington Endowed Scholarship and Chair in Theatre at Fordham in order to offer the next generation of students positive influences. Phylicia Rashad, as the inaugural holder of the chair, will provide the care, compassion and that extra push to help take students where they’re meant to go,” Washington said in a statement.

Phylicia Rashad is best known to TV audiences for her role as Clair Huxtable on the classic sitcom "The Cosby Show." In 2004, she received a Tony Award for "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play," for her role in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" - the first African-American actress to receive the prestigious award in history.