Answer
Ruth Lucas, played by Phylicia Rashad, serves as the connecting character between Rashad's roles in "The Cosby Show" and "Cosby." In "The Cosby Show," which aired from 1984 to 1992, Rashad portrayed Clair Huxtable, the wife of Cliff Huxtable and the mother of their five children. In "Cosby," which aired from 1996 to 2000, Rashad played Ruth Lucas, a single mother raising her son, Theo.