Many people do not know that Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen are sisters. They were born in Houston, Texas, (Phylicia Ayers-Allen, June 19, 1948) (Deborrah Kaye Allen, January 16,1950) to Vivian Ayers who was a Pulitzer-prize nominated artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, and Andrew Arthur Allen who was an orthodontist and dentist. At one point during their childhood their family moved to Mexico; and as a result, both women speak spanish fluently. Growing up with a mother who was heavily into theatre, there is no surprise that both daughters have graced the stages of Broadway at some time in their careers.
