In Memoriam : Clarice Taylor, Cosby Show Star, dies at 93

Clarice Taylor, an actress known for playing Dr. Cliff Huxatable’s mother, passed away Monday at the age of 93.

The actress succumbed to heart failure and was surrounded by family when she passed, CBS News reports.

Clarice Taylor, acclaimed actress

Taylor earned an Emmy Award for her role as Anna Huxtable in 1986.

A performer on stage, radio, TV and film for over five decades, the actress was a member of the New York stage group, the Negro Ensemble Company, and helped to pave the way for African American actors in the early 1960s.

Her own big break came that decade when she landed the role of Harriet, David’s grandmother, on the children’s tv show Sesame Street.

She also starred alongside Liza Minelli in 1970′s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon and played Grady’s Cousin Emma on Sanford and Son.

Survived By

Clarice Taylor is survived by her two sons, William and James, and her five grandchildren.