Leslie Uggams has had an enthralling career as a theatre and movie actor.
The Harlem-born singer and actress are best recognized for her role in the Deadpool series, but she has had a brilliant career spanning seven decades.
But, behind the scenes, her life might be the subject of a film after she married White Australian man Grahame Pratt in 1965 since their love affair has beaten all the odds of interracial loveโฆ
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Leslie was a great singer who cut a song for MGM at the age of 10 in 1953. Her aunt, singer Eloise Uggams, encouraged her to attend the Professional Childrenโs School of New York and the famed Julliard School of Music in New York.
But her musical success was just the beginning of her adventure; by 1969, she had her TV variety show, โThe Leslie Uggams Show,โ the first network variety show hosted by a black person since โThe Nat King Cole Show.โ
Behind the scenes, though, she met and fell in love with actor Grahame Pratt. After meeting at Professional Childrenโs School in New York, where they were both pupils, the couple ran into one other again in Sydney during one of Leslieโs celebrity tours in Australia.
Leslie knew the consequences of dating a white man because she had done it in her adolescence, and her aunt had advised her not to consider a future with him.
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โI remember the shock I felt once when I was dating a white boy,โ Leslie told Ebony in 1967.
โHe emailed me a color photograph of himself. It was shown to my aunt. He was a handsome young man with lovely hair. I thought he was stunning. But my aunt took one glance at me and began lecturing me. โWell, I suppose heโs okay,โ she said, โbut only for dates, eh, honey? Youโll marry a fine [Black] fella when youโre ready to settle down for good, wonโt you?โโ
Leslie stated that she continued to visit Grahame after their fortuitous meeting.
โI found myself falling for him, which was quite surprising given that I was only 21.โ
She wouldnโt see him again for 12 months after she left Australia.
The two had fallen in love despite Leslieโs misgivings about her familyโs reaction and what it would mean for them if Grahame had to relocate to the United States for Leslieโs work. Grahame visited her in New York after they had been engaged for five months.
โKnowing my familyโs views on mixed marriages, I wanted to know if they would truly accept Grahame and not just tolerate him,โ she explained.
Leslie, on the other hand, had nothing to worry about because Grahame was an Australian.
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โHe lacked the self-consciousness about his situation that many white Americans do.โ He readily blended in with my friendsโฆbecause he liked them. And they both liked him, the men and the females.โ
Although they didnโt face many racial challenges that the rest of the country encountered while living in New York, Leslie said she still received hate mail because of their marriage.
โIt wasnโt as difficult as I anticipated,โ Leslie remarked of her marriage in an interview with PEOPLE. โI believe the reason is that Grahame was not a white American man.โ But, of course, we received mail.
โWhen I go on tour in the United States, I sometimes get anonymous letters about being married to a white man,โ Leslie stated. โI recall getting one in Detroit, of all places.โ It was addressed to โThe Little Negro Entertainerโ and arrived at the club. Theyโre constantly discussed in that manner and are not pleasant to read.โ
Grahame took over as Leslieโs manager, and the couple had two daughters, Danielle in 1970 and Justice in 1976.
By 1977, one year after the birth of their second child, Leslie had secured the lead role in the miniseries โRoots,โ for which she received an Emmy nomination for her performance as Kizzy.
Two years later, she played Lillian Rogers Parks in โBackstairs at the White House,โ a miniseries for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Actress.
She portrayed Rose Keefer on โAll My Childrenโ in 1996 and got a Daytime Emmy Award in 1983 as the host of the NBC game show โFantasy.โ
She has appeared as herself on television shows such as โFamily Guy,โ โI Spy,โ โHollywood Squares,โ โThe Muppet Show,โ โThe Love Boat,โ and โMagnum P.I.โ
Leslie and Grahame are still married and in love after 55 years, and they have two children and a granddaughter named Cassidy.
โWe laugh all the time โ but it ainโt always roses,โ Leslie said of their happy marriage. We enjoy a good time together.โ
The love between these two has defied all odds and has stood the test of time. They are devoted to each other and have always supported each other; they inspire.
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