In the past seven decades, veteran actress Leslie Uggams has had an illustrious acting career in movies and TV shows. Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer known for playing supporting roles in television and film. The octogenarian actress first appeared on television at age 6 as Ethel Waters’ niece on Beulah (1950).
Born in New York City on May 25, 1943, Leslie Uggams developed a love for performing. She’s a Juilliard School and Stella Adler Studio of Acting alumni. On the Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout series, Leslie Uggams plays Betty Pearson, a Vault 33 governing council member. Betty later replaced Hank MacLean as overseer after he was kidnapped. If Betty looked familiar, here are Leslie Uggams’ movies and TV shows where you probably recognize her.
The Leslie Uggams Show
Television audiences from the late 1960s who watched Prime Video’s Fallout will immediately recognize the older Leslie Uggams from The Leslie Uggams Show. The show was created as part of the CBS 1969 fall television show lineup. The Leslie Uggams Show was another milestone for African Americans as it became the second variety show to have an African American host since the mid-50s’ NBC The Nat King Cole Show.
Also, besides being the first female host for a variety series, The Leslie Uggams Show was the first to have all-black performers as regulars on the show. Apart from comedian Dennis Allen, The Leslie Uggams Show had an all-black cast. The show aired on CBS from September 28 to December 14, 1969.
Roots
While the 2016 Roots miniseries is more widely popular among today’s television audiences, it was a remake of the original 1977 TV miniseries, which starred Leslie Uggams. The 1977 Roots was the first screen adaptation of Alex Haley‘s 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The miniseries had eight episodes, with its finale, which aired on January 30, 1977, considered the third-most-watched telecast of all time by the Nielsen Corporation. Leslie Uggams was cast as Kizzy Reynolds, the only daughter of Kunta Kinte and Belle Reynolds.
Backstairs at the White House
Leslie Uggams’ next television project was another miniseries, Backstairs at the White House. The 1979 NBC miniseries was based on Lillian Rogers Parks’ (with Frances Spatz Leighton) 1961 autobiographical book My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House. Like the book, the miniseries detailed the life of Lillian Rogers Parks as a housemaid and seamstress in the White House. The talented Leslie Uggams was cast to portray Lillian Rogers Parks in the four-part miniseries.
Deadpool Movies
For today’s generation of film and television audiences, Leslie Uggams is famous for portraying the Marvel Comics character Blind Al. Uggams joined the X-Men film series spin-off movie Deadpool in its first installment in 2016. In the movie Blind, Al is an elderly blind woman whom Deadpool/Wade Wilson moves in with, and they become housemates. Uggams reprised the role in the 2018 sequel and is set to play the character again in the 2024 sequel, Deadpool & Wolverine.
Empire
Another recent performance audiences will recognize Leslie Uggams was from the Fox musical drama series Empire. Leslie Uggams joined the show’s cast in season 2, playing the older Leah Mary Walker, Lucious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) presumed-dead mother. It was the same character Kelly Rowland portrayed in flashbacks. Growing up, Lucious remembers his mother as suffering from bipolar disorder. As a successful music mogul, he believed she was long dead. It was later revealed she was alive and living in a nursing facility.
Nanny
Leslie Uggams was cast in a supporting role in Nikyatu Jusu’s feature directorial debut, Nanny. In the psychological horror movie, Uggams played Kathleen, Malik’s (Sinqua Walls) grandmother. Nanny premiered to make a record at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022. It became the first horror film to win the Grand Jury Prize. Nanny received generally positive reviews and holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dotty & Soul
Leslie Uggams played the title character in Adam Saunders’ 2022 comedy Dotty & Soul. Although her first lead role, Uggams showed why she’s one of her generation’s finest actresses. A 79-year-old Uggams played the 71-year-old Dotty, a snack card vendor hired as the company’s new CEO. Besides flawlessly standing out, Uggams received special praise for her performance. Dotty & Soul received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences.
American Fiction
Leslie Uggams’ most recent appearance on the big screen is the Academy Award-nominated black comedy-drama American Fiction. In the Cord Jefferson directorial debut, Uggams is cast in a supporting role as Agnes Ellison. Her character, Agnes, has Alzheimer’s disease and is the mother of Dr. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), Dr. Lisa Ellison (Tracee Ellis Ross), and Dr. Clifford “Cliff” Ellison (Sterling K. Brown). If you remember Leslie Uggams from any of these movies and TV shows, read about where you know Fallout’s Maximus actor, Aaron Moten.
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