Clarice Taylor Biography

Fast Facts

• Won an Obie Award for her portrayal of the vaudeville comedienne Moms Mabley in "Moms" in the mid-1980s
• During her teenage years, she would often skip school to go see Moms Mabley's performances at the Apollo Theater
• Made her screen acting debut in the film "Change of Mind" in 1969
• Began her acting career at Harlem's American Negro Theater
• Quote: "[I] know about the oppression and prejudices of being black and a woman and from the South․ I was told I would have to survive in an oppressed land․ My family thought it was insanity for me to go into the theater rather than to get an education․"
• Best known for her role as Anna Huxtable in "The Cosby Show" and as Harriet in "Sesame Street․"
• Was one of the founding members of the Negro Ensemble Company in 1967
• Got her role in "The Cosby Show" by showing up to her audition wearing "a gray wig, a bandanna over that, flat-heeled shoes and a long dress with no shape to it․"