Image Credit: AP Images
Clarice Taylor, who had a pivotal recurring role on The Cosby Show, died on Monday, according to People. The actress, who was 93, succumbed to heart failure. One of the founding members of the Negro Ensemble Company, Taylor had a career that spanned the stage, the big and small screen, and radio. She was in the original Broadway cast of The Wiz (as the Good Witch), and had a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me. On The Cosby Show, she played Anna Huxtable, mother of Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable, a role which garnered her an Emmy nomination in 1986. She is survived by two sons and five grandchildren.
She seemed like a lovely lady. RIP….
And another one bites the dust! Bad-da-Bump-bump-Bump!
Yes but how does this correllate with the new Harry Potter and Twilight films, plus what does Lady Gaga think?
Don’t forget the Hunger Games.
How could you forget GLEEw.com? Insensitive!
Or how it plays into the many LOST theories.
I always remember getting excited when Cliff’s parents guest starred on The Cosby Show. She’ll always be remembered by me for bringing me laughs with every appearance.
Really? I always dreaded the episodes where the parents visited. I always thought their appearance guaranteed a history lesson of some sort — and therefore a laugh-free episode.
Agreed, I never watched those episode
As a kid, I didn’t care for the history lessons. But as an adult I can now appreciate them. That show is classic in so many ways. RIP Granma Huxtable!
I remember those episodes quite differently. They were so cool and, in some ways, reassuring, to me as a young girl. But they were incredibly entertaining as well. One of my best memories of “The Cosby Show” is of the episode where the family perform “Night and Day” by Ray Charles in celebration of the Cliff’s parents anniversary. It was funny, surprising and seemed like something quite genuine. Yes, Mr. Cosby often put “history lessons” [as you called them] in his show. Perhaps they were downers or boring to you, but they were incredibly important for, and to, a lot of people watching that show (including me). I appreciated them then, and I have enduring memories of those “lessons” today.
growing up, i loved hearing the stories of the past. so sad to hear her passing.
The Ray Charles song is called “Nighttime is the Right Time”. I found the elder Huxtables to be somewhat tedious too but it had more to do with how they were written. I liked the actors playing them (unlike the grandmother on Family Matters, who drove me crazy). I’m sad to hear of her passing but it sounds like she lived a good long life.
I loved her too.
“Adda” lol
R.I.P. She was a class act. I’m glad EW is honoring her memory.
Me too! She was a very engaging performer. Her warmth radiated and transcended the screen. It was as though in a way all of us at home were her family too whenever she talked to her TV clan and relatives.
Aw, such a huge part of my childhood. This woman had such a peaceful and loving voice.
She seemed like such a classy lady. Loved her on The Cosby Show.
it wasn’t so classy what she did in her diaper @ 93!
I loved their anniversary episodes. She use to seem like she really enjoyed herself. I really remember the episode where Rudy spent a night over her grandparents house and she kept finding ways to leave but they were able to entertain her and get her to stay. I loved that.
That was a fun episode.
What a lovely lady- I’m sorry to hear of her passing. The Cosby show always(!) had such classy wonderful people in character roles. It’s a shame that we don’t have a current TV show with such values!
I agree. That show always had positive African American female characters. Now all we have are the real ho wives of ATL and many other degrading shows. I thought the representation of African Americans was going to get better after the Cosby show, but it got so much worse.
You are so right. In the 80′s before things became “PC”, we actually had Black female characters with class. Now sadly all we have is loud, ghetto, trashy Black women in primetime tv. Like Sheryl Lee Ralph said(who had a show in the 80′s) for some reason now Black people want to live up to the stereotypes of them instead of showing progressive, classy Black people. So sad. This is one reason I wish more young people would watch Cosby Show and Different World. They stressed education.
I agree Denise and Sina. I am a black woman who wants education,love, marriage and the nuclear family. This show showed that was okay and it is something to aspire to. I know it was fictional but the family and show were great.
So sad. She was a beautiful, talented woman and I will keep her family and friends in my thoughts.
Oh yeah I liked her on the show. She was also was in Clint Eastwood`s film `Play Misty for Me`, she got cut up by his crazy girlfriend.
Seriously, I love how because she played Bill Cosby’s mom, all of a sudden she’s being called the most lovely lady in all the land by people who didn’t even know her. Sure, its a sad passing because we all grew up knowing her tv character, but I have no idea what she was like in real life.
And we have a winner for the worst comment!
Bill Cosby is a horrible horrible man and by all accounts should be a registered sex offender. The worse of hypocrits. Telling others how to live while drugging and assaulting woman. I can never watch that show with the same innocence again.
R.I.P. Ms. Taylor
Please stop with the “RIP” screeching. It’s so double-wide.
And thanks for having a picture!!!
Bill Cobsy looks like he could actually be related to her in real life. I love the Cosby Show.
As someone who met and interacted with Ms. Taylor, I can let you all know that she was a wonderful human being, with a wild sense of humor and a love for family and friends. She was a gem and I will treasure those moments I had to sit, eat, drink and talk with her about life, the world, the stage – she was simply marvelous.