- William Lancelot Bowles Jr. rose to fame following his marriage to the popular American actress and singer, Phylicia Rashad
- Their marriage which produced a son in 1973 ended in divorce in 1975 after only 3 years
- His ex-wife moved on to marry two more times
William Lancelot Bowles Jr. is an American dentist and the ex-husband of American actress, singer, and stage director Phylicia Rashad. Bowles’ fame and popularity came from his marriage to the celebrated actress.
His successful ex-wife’s many movie roles like Clair in The Cosby Show and productions in a career spanning decades have made her a household name in Hollywoo.
While William’s marriage to Phylicia did not last long, their names are always mentioned together. Moreso, his career was outside the media, yet, he equally has an interesting life that is worth knowing. What are the interesting details about his life and marriage to the ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ performer?
Who Is William Lancelot Bowles Jr.?
William Lancelot is a dentist whose fame and popularity come from a former marriage to one of America’s veteran actresses and singers. Apart from becoming famous by marriage, Bowles son, William Lancelot Bowles III whom he shares the same name with is said to also be an actor also. It is likely that the same name was shared by Bowles father too.
Other details about Bowles are not well known since he lives privately and away from media attention.
Other Fascinating Facts About Phylicia Rashad’s Ex-Husband
1. William Lancelot Bowles Jr. Marriage To Phylicia Rashad Did not last Long
His marriage to Phylicia is one of the notable events in the dentist’s life. Though their marriage was a celebrity marriage, they kept their affairs private.
It is not sure how Bowles and Phylicia met, yet, they tied the nuptial knot on May 13th, 1972. Within the period that they were married, Phylicia was also rising to the top of her career as an actress.
Their marriage however did not stand the test of time as they divorced in 1975. Bowles Jr and his ex-wife have never really explained the real reason why their marriage ended.
2. His Son is a Product of his Marriage with Phylicia
The short-lived marriage of Bowles Jr and the American actress, Phylicia did not last long, yet their union produced a child. Their son, William Lancelot Bowles III who is also known as Billy Bowles was born in 1973, two years before their marriage crumbled.
Bowles III is also said to be an actor, yet, he also lives a quiet life like his father.
3. William Lancelot Bowles Jr. Ex-wife is a Successful Actress
Unlike Bowles’s ill-fated marriage to Phylicia, she went on to achieve a successful career as an actress, singer, and stage director. During the period that they were married in the 70s, Phylicia had just launched her career. Yet it was in the years after their divorce that she achieved career success.
Her role as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls and Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show are some of her notable roles. However, she has done many works in the theatre and movies such as;
- Creed III(2022)
- Grey’s Anatomy(2021)
- Black Box(2020)
- Thirteen Reasons Why(2020)
- A Fall From Grace(2020)
- Empire
- Sofia the First(2014)
- Good Deeds(2012)
- For Colored Girls(2010)
- Rwanda Rising(2007)
- Touched by an Angel
- Cosby
- A Raisin in the Sun
- The Cosby Show
4. William Lancelot Bowles Ex-wife Married two other Men After their Divorce
Phylicia, Bowles ex-wife sure knows how to find happiness. The [agedob=”19480619″] years old actress has married two different men after her marriage to Williams Lancelot Bowles ended.
- Victor Willis(1978-1982): she married the lead singer for the disco group Village People in 1978. The two first met at a Broadway production of The Wiz that they both participated in the same year that they married. However, that marriage also did not last long after their relationship soured. They divorced in 1982 after many years of marriage.
- Ahmad Rashad(1985-2001): Bowles ex-wife gave love another chance by marrying former NFL wide receiver for teams like the Minnesota Vikings and sportscaster, Ahmad Rashad. This time around, she also took his name and they were together the longest. They welcomed their daughter Candola Phylea Rashad on December 11, 1986, yet, they divorced almost two decades later.
5. The Dentist Ex-wife is the First African American Actress To win A Tony Award
Her work for over many decades have garnered her many awards and recognitions. Phylicia was the first actress of color to win the Tony Award in the Best Actress category in 2004. She set the trend for other African American women.
The A Raisin for the Sun performer also won awards in other categories too. She is a ‘Mother of the Black Community’ for her arts in the New York area.
See Also:Linsey Davis- 10 Unknown Facts About The Emmy Award-Winning Journalist
6. How Much is William Lancelot Bowles Jr. Net worth?
William Lancelot Bowles has not revealed his net worth, yet, it is likely he is not doing badly considering the success of other members of his family.
His ex-wife, Phylicia Rashad has a net worth of $25 million that she made from her career as an actress and singer.
7. Where is William Lancelot Bowles Jr. Now?
Bowles is alive since no news of his death is known. The dentist has always lived away from media except when he is mentioned as the ex-husband of the American actress, Phylicia.
His whereabouts is not known as of this writing, yet, his ex-wife is known to be pursuing her career. She became the dean of the Howard University of Fine Arts on May 12, 2021.
Not long after, she came under fire for a controversial tweet she made regarding the release of Bill Cosby from prison. Phylicia deleted the tweet and apologized for her insensitive posts.
