Leslie Uggams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslie Uggams
Uggams in 1997
Born	Leslie Marian Uggams (1943-05-25) May 25, 1943 (age 82) New York City, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1951–present
Known for	Kizzy Reynolds – Roots
Spouse(s)	Grahame Pratt ​ (m. 1965)​
Children	2

Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is a famous American actress and singer. She started her career as a child in the early 1950s. Leslie became well-known for her role in the Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby!. She won a Theatre World Award in 1967 and a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1968 for this role.

Many people recognized Uggams when she played Kizzy Reynolds in the TV show Roots (1977). She was nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for her amazing acting in Roots. More recently, Uggams has been seen as Blind Al in the superhero movies Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). She also played Leah Walker in the TV series Empire (2016–2020). Other important roles include Agnes Ellison in American Fiction (2023) and Betty Pearson in the TV series Fallout (2024).

About Leslie Uggams's Early Life

Leslie Uggams was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. Her mother, Juanita Ernestine Smith, was a dancer at the famous Cotton Club. Her father, Harold Coyden Uggams, was an elevator operator and a singer.

Leslie went to the Professional Children's School in New York. She also studied at Juilliard, a famous school for performing arts. Her aunt, Eloise C. Uggams, who was also a singer, helped her with her music training.

Leslie Uggams's Career Journey

Starting in Show Business

Leslie Uggams began her acting career as a child in 1951. She played the niece of Ethel Waters on the TV show Beulah. In the same year, she performed at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem with Ella Fitzgerald.

She made her first professional appearance at age six on Jack Barry's "Stars And Stardust" show. Later, she was on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts." Leslie got a big break on The Lawrence Welk Show and was a regular on Sing Along with Mitch. In 1954, when she was ten, she released a song with MGM Records. Her songs "One More Sunrise" and "House Built on Sand" even made it onto the Billboard music charts.

Television and Film Roles

Uggams in 1983

In 1965, Leslie Uggams sang The Beatles' "Yesterday" on The Ed Sullivan Show. She later had her own TV show, The Leslie Uggams Show, in 1969. This was a very important show because it was the first network variety show hosted by a black person since the 1950s.

She had a main role as Kizzy in the 1977 TV show Roots. This role earned her an Emmy nomination. In 1979, she starred as Lillian Rogers Parks in another Emmy-winning show, Backstairs at the White House. Leslie also appeared as a guest on many popular TV shows like I Spy, The Muppet Show, and The Love Boat. In 1983, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for hosting the game show Fantasy.

Leslie Uggams has also been in several movies. Her film roles include Skyjacked (1972) and Black Girl (1972). In 2016, she played Blind Al in the movie Deadpool, and she returned for Deadpool 2 in 2018 and Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024. She also played Leah Walker in the popular Fox series Empire. In 2023, she voiced a character in My Dad the Bounty Hunter and appeared in the movie American Fiction.

Stage Performances

Uggams performing in 1971

Leslie Uggams was chosen to star in the musical Hallelujah, Baby! on Broadway in 1967. Her performance made her a big star, and she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

She also performed in other Broadway shows like Blues in the Night (1982) and Jerry's Girls (1985). In 1989, she took over the role of Reno Sweeney in the musical Anything Goes. Later, she played Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2003–2004). In 2001, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the play King Hedley II. In 2009, Leslie played Lena Horne in the musical Stormy Weather. She continues to perform on stage, including in Jelly's Last Jam in 2024.

Leslie Uggams's Personal Life

Leslie Uggams married her manager, Grahame Pratt, in 1965. Their marriage was special because it was a high-profile interracial marriage at a time when this was not common. Leslie said it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.

They met when they were both students at the Professional Children's School of New York. They met again when Leslie was performing in Australia. After they got married, they decided to live in New York City because it was more accepting of interracial couples. They have two children: a daughter named Danielle, born in 1970, and a son named Justice, born in 1975.

Acting Credits

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Roles

Music Albums (Discography)

• The Eyes of God (Columbia CS8174, 1959)
• LESLIE UGGAMS ON TV with Mitch Miller's sing along chorus (Columbia CL1706, 1962)
• So in Love! (Columbia CS8871, 1963)
• A Time to Love (Atlantic 8128, 1966)
• What's an Uggams? (Atlantic SD8196, 1968)
• Just to Satisfy You (Atlantic SD8241, 1969)
• Leslie (Columbia CS9936, 1970)
• Try to See It My Way (Sonday SL8000, 1972)
• Leslie Uggams (Motown M6846S1, 1975)
• Leslie Uggams: On My Way to You: Songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (2003)

Awards and Nominations

• 1979: Supersisters trading card set (one of the cards featured Uggams's name and picture)

Honorary Degrees

• 2015: Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Connecticut
• 2019: Awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan

See also

In Spanish: Leslie Uggams para niños