Leslie Uggams, a native of Harlem, has built a captivating career as an actress on both stage and screen. With a career that spans an impressive seven decades, Uggams has achieved considerable success, perhaps most notably for her performance in the Deadpool franchise. Her work has solidified her status as a respected singer and actress in the entertainment industry.
Although Leslie Uggams is recognized for her success on stage and screen, her personal life is equally noteworthy, and could very well be the inspiration for a Hollywood movie. In 1965, Leslie married Grahame Pratt, a white Australian man, despite the social barriers that existed around interracial relationships.
However, her career in music was just the beginning. By 1969, Leslie had her own television variety show, “The Leslie Uggams Show,” becoming the first black person to host a network variety show since “The Nat King Cole Show.” While her professional life was flourishing, her personal life was also taking a significant turn. Leslie had fallen in love with actor Grahame Pratt, whom she had first met at the Professional Children’s School of New York, where they were both students. Their paths crossed again while Leslie was performing in Sydney during one of her celebrity tours in Australia.
Despite societal prejudices against interracial relationships, Leslie and Grahame tied the knot in 1965, and their love has remained strong throughout the ages.
Leslie Uggams demonstrated her exceptional singing talent at a young age, having recorded a record for MGM in 1953 when she was just 10 years old. Her aunt, Eloise Uggams, a talented singer herself, encouraged Leslie to attend the Professional Children’s School of New York and the prestigious Juilliard School of Music.
Leslie’s musical career was just the beginning of her remarkable journey. In 1969, she made history by becoming the first black person to host a network variety show since “The Nat King Cole Show,” with her own TV variety show, “The Leslie Uggams Show.”
While her professional life was flourishing, Leslie’s personal life took a significant turn as she fell in love with actor Grahame Pratt. Leslie and Grahame first met at the Professional Children’s School of New York, where they were both students. Their paths crossed again when Leslie was performing in Sydney during one of her celebrity tours in Australia, and they fell in love behind the scenes.
Leslie was aware of the potential consequences of dating a white man, having had a previous relationship with one during her teenage years. Her aunt had cautioned her against considering a future with a white man.
“I remember the shock I got once when I was dating a white boy,” Leslie said in a 1967 interview with Ebony.
“He sent me a color picture of himself. I showed it to my aunt. He was a good looking boy with beautiful hair. I thought he was gorgeous. But my aunt took one look and started in to lecture me. ‘Well he’s alright, I suppose,’ she told me, ‘but only for dates, huh, honey? When you’re thinking of settling down for keeps you’ll make sure you marry a nice [Black] fella, won’t you?’”
Following their fortuitous meeting, Leslie recounted that she kept running into Grahame.
“I found myself really falling for him, which was quite a thing for me to realize as I was only 21.”
At the “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing: How The Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment” reception held at the Museum of the City of New York on February 7, 2011, Leslie Uggams and her husband Grahame Pratt were captured in a photograph by Shahar Azran/WireImage.
After departing from Australia, it took Leslie a year to reunite with her beloved Grahame. Despite her concerns about her family’s reaction and the potential implications for their future, Leslie and Grahame had fallen in love. Grahame had to relocate to the United States to support Leslie’s career, and the couple got engaged for five months before he visited her in New York.
Leslie shared, “Given my family’s opinions on mixed marriages, I was curious whether they would genuinely embrace Grahame or simply tolerate him.”
Leslie Uggums had no reason to worry because Grahame’s Australian background had its perks, as evidenced in a photo captured on February 1, 1975, featuring Leslie, Grahame, and their four-year-old daughter Danielle, by Antony Matheus Linsen/Fairfax Media via Getty Images.
“Grahame did not possess the self-consciousness that a white American often exhibits in such situations. He effortlessly blended in with my friends because he genuinely liked them, and they reciprocated those feelings,” Leslie shared. They tied the knot in 1965 and, although they didn’t encounter the same racial tensions that the rest of America was experiencing while residing in New York, Leslie still received hateful correspondence about their union.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Leslie said, “It was not as challenging as I had anticipated because Grahame was not an American white man. However, we did receive mail. Sometimes, when I’m on tour in the States, I receive anonymous letters about being married to a white man. I recall receiving one in Detroit of all places. It was delivered to the club addressed to ‘The Little Negro Entertainer.’ They’re always addressed in that manner, and they’re never pleasant to read.”
Grahame went on to manage Leslie’s career, and the couple welcomed two children: Danielle in 1970 and Justice in 1976.
In 1977, Leslie’s career skyrocketed as she landed the leading role of Kizzy in the miniseries “Roots,” earning her an Emmy nomination. Two years later, she played Lillian Rogers Parks in the miniseries “Backstairs at the White House,” which earned her another Emmy nomination for Best Actress. Leslie continued to make her mark in the entertainment industry by playing Rose Keefer on “All My Children” in 1996 and by hosting the NBC game show “Fantasy,” which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award in 1983. Throughout her career, Leslie also made appearances on various television shows such as “Family Guy” (as herself), “I Spy,” “Hollywood Squares,” “The Muppet Show,” “The Love Boat,” and “Magnum, P.I.”
Leslie and Grahame have been happily married for over 55 years and are still going strong. In addition to their two children, they have a granddaughter named Cassidy. Leslie attributes the longevity of their relationship to their shared sense of humor. “We laugh all the time — but it ain’t always roses. We have fun together,” she said.
Their enduring love has defied all odds and stood the test of time. They have been a pillar of support for each other throughout the years and continue to inspire others with their devotion.
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