UGGAMS, Leslie 1943–

PERSONAL

Full name, Leslie Marian Uggams; born May 25, 1943, in New York, NY; daughter of Harold (an elevator operator and maintenance man) and Juanita (a former Cotton Club chorus girl; maiden name, Smith) Uggams; married Grahame Pratt (a theatrical manager and television script writer) October 16, 1965; children: two. Education: Attended the Professional Children's School, New York City, and the Juilliard School of Music; trained as an actress with Robert Lewis.

Addresses:

Agent—Cunningham/Escott/Dipene & Associates, 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 140, Los Angeles, CA 90025; The Gage Group, 14724 Ventura Blvd., Suite 505, Los Angeles, CA 91403.

Career:

Singer and actress. As a singer, has appeared in nightclubs and concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Australia. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, member of board; TADA (a children's musical theatre), member of board; BRAVO Chapter/City of Hope, founding member.

Member:

Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, American Guild of Musical Artists.

Awards, Honors:

Best Singer on TV Award, 1963; Theatre World Award and Variety New York Drama Critics Poll Award, most promising new Broadway actress, 1967, Outer Critics Circle Award, outstanding new personality, Drama Critics Award, Antoinette Perry Award, best actress in a musical, 1968, all for Hallelujah, Baby!; Critics Choice Award and Emmy Award nomination, best supporting actress, 1977, Golden Globe Award nomination, best TV actress—drama, 1978, all for Roots; Emmy Award, best hostess of a daytime variety series, 1983, for Fantasy; Image Award nomination, outstanding actress in a daytime drama series, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1997, for All My Children; Antoinette Perry Award, best lead actress in a play, Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, outstanding featured actress in a play, 2001, both for King Hedley II; AUDLECO Award, for Thunder Knocking on the Door; AUDLECO Award, for The Old Settler.

CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

(Stage debut) The Boy Friend, summer theatre production, Berkeley, CA, 1966.

(Broadway debut) Georgina, Hallelujah, Baby!, Martin Beck Theatre, 1967.

Cleopatra, Her First Roman, Lunt–Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1967.

Sally Bowles, Cabaret, Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, Long Island, NY, 1970.

Woman Number One, Blues in the Night, Rialto Theatre, New York City, 1982.

Jerry's Girls, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1985.

Reno Sweeney, Anything Goes, 1988–89.

Elizabeth Borny, The Old Settler, Geva Theatre, NY, then Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VA, 1998, later Primary Stages, New York City, 1998–99.

Play On!, Crossroads Theatre Company, New Brunswick, NJ, 2000.

Elizabeth Borny, The Old Settler, TheaterWorks, Hartford, CT, 2000.

Maria Callas, Master Class, TheatreFest, Memorial Auditorium, Upper Montclair, NJ, then Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami, FL, both 2000.

The witch, Into the Woods, Arena Theatre, TX, 2001.

Ruby, King Hedley II, Albert Iva Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 2000–2001, then Virginia Theatre, New York City, 2001.

Heaven Can Wait, Westport Country Playhouse, 2001.

Good Sister Dupree, Thunder Knocking on the Door, Minetta Lane Theater, New York City, 2002.

Mack & Mabel, Avery Fisher Concert Hall, New York City, 2003.

Blue, Paper Mill Playhouse, Milburn, NJ, 2003.

Muzzy Van Hossmere, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Marquis Theatre, New York City, 2003–2004.

Ethel Thayer, On Golden Pond, DuPont Theatre, Wilmington, DE, then Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, 2004, later Cort Theatre, New York City, 2005.

Also appeared in Play On!, Crossroads Theater.

Major Tours:

Jerry's Girls, U.S. cities, 1984.

The Great Gershwin Concert, 1987.

Anything Goes, U.S. cities, 1988.

Stringbean, U.S. cities, 1991.

Broadway on Ice, U.S. cities, 2004–2005.

Film Appearances:

Chanteuse, Two Weeks in Another Town, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1962.

Netta, Black Girl, Cinerama, 1972.

Lovejoy Wells, Skyjacked (also known as Sky Terror), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1972.

Liz Wetherly, Poor Pretty Eddie (also known as Black Vengeance, Heartbreak Motel, Redneck County, Poor Pretty Eddy, and Redneck County Rape), Group 1 International Distribution Organization, 1975.

Doris Holly, Sugar Hill (also known as Harlem), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1994.

Herself, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (also known as Broadway, Broadway: The Golden Age, and Broadway: The Movie), Dada films, 2003.

Television Appearances; Series:

Regular, Sing Along with Mitch, NBC, 1961–64.

Host, The Leslie Uggams Show, CBS, 1969.

Assistant, High Rollers (also known as The New High Rollers), 1974–80.

Host, Fantasy, syndicated, 1982–83.

Cohost, The Book of Lists, CBS, 1982.

Host, Rooms for Improvement, HGTV, 1994.

Rose Keefer, All My Children, ABC, 1996.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Kizzy, Roots, ABC, 1977.

Lillian Rogers Parks, Backstairs at the White House, NBC, 1979.

Also appeared as (scenes deleted) Barbara Jordan, Freedom to Speak.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Vonda, Sizzle, ABC, 1981.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Performer, The 22nd Annual Tony Awards, NBC, 1968.

Presenter, The 23rd Annual Tony Awards, NBC, 1969.

Saloon singer, Swing Out, Sweet Land, NBC, 1970.

Herself, Jack Lemmon in 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin (also known as 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin), NBC, 1971.

Super Comedy Bowl I, CBS, 1971.

The American Film Institute Salute to John Ford, 1973.

Perry Como's Spring in New Orleans (also known as Spring in New Orleans), NBC, 1976.

Herself, The 30th Annual Tony Awards, ABC, 1976.

Presenter, The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1977.

Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, CBS, 1977.

Sinatra and Friends, NBC, 1977.

General Electric's All–Star Anniversary, ABC, 1978.

Kraft's 75th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1978.

A Special Sesame Street Christmas, CBS, 1978.

The Bob Hope Special, NBC, 1979.

Placido Domingo … Steppin' Out with the Ladies, ABC, 1980.

The Book of Lists, 1982.

Herself, The 36th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1982.

Small World, NBC, 1982.

Christmas at Radio City Music Hall, HBO, 1983, 1986.

The 38th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1984.

The Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC, 1985.

The 39th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1986.

The 40th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1986.

The 54th Annual King Orange Jamboree Parade, 1987.

Happy Birthday Bob—50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC, NBC, 1988.

Herself, The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1988.

That's What Friends Are For: AIDS Concert for '88, Showtime, 1988.

The Ice Capades with Jason Bateman and Alyssa Milano, ABC, 1989.

The 43rd Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1989.

The National Memorial Day Concert 1992, PBS, 1992.

Herself, Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl (also known as Jerry Herman's "Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl"), PBS, 1994.

A Capitol Fourth, PBS, 1995.

The 50th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1996.

NYTV: By the People Who Made It (documentary), PBS, 1998.

National Memorial Day Concert, PBS, 1998.

The Ninth Annual Trumpet Awards, TBS, 2001.

Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over (documentary), Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

Roots—Celebrating 25 Years: The Saga of an American Classic (documentary), NBC, 2002.

Herself, Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (documentary), TV Land, 2002.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(Television debut) Beulah's niece, Beulah, ABC, 1950.

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, CBS, 1952.

American Bandstand, 1958, 1959, 1971, 1975.

Herself, "The Mitch Miller Variety Show," Startime, NBC, 1960.

The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964, 1965, 1966.

Herself, Hullabaloo!, 1965, 1966.

Herself, "A Musical Tour of Tin Pan Alley," The Bell Telephone Hour, NBC, 1965.

Herself, "The Music of Harold Arlen," The Bell Telephone Hour, NBC, 1965.

Herself, "Music That Mirrors the Times," The Bell Telephone Hour, NBC, 1966.

The Hollywood Palace, 1966.

Tonia, "Tonia," I Spy, NBC, 1967.

Herself, The Dean Martin Show, NBC, 1967, 1971, 1972.

Mystery guest, What's My Line?, CBS, 1967.

"Our First Christmas," That's Life, 1968, 1969.

Herself, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, 1969.

The Andy Williams Show, NBC, 1970.

Herself, The Flip Wilson Show, NBC, 1971.

The Carol Burnett Show, 1971.

Dina Lane, "Kill Gently, Sweet Justice," The Mod Squad, ABC, 1972.

Dina Lane, "Shockwave," The Mod Squad, ABC, 1972.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1973, 1975, 1982.

"Feedback," Marcus Welby, M.D., ABC, 1974.

Soul Train, 1975.

Herself, The Muppet Show, syndicated, 1978.

Callie Reason, "Lady from Sunshine Gardens/Eye of the Beholder/Bugged," The Love Boat, ABC, 1981.

Marion Blake, "Two Grapes on the Vine/Aunt Sylvia/Deductible Divorce," The Love Boat, ABC, 1981.

Alexis Carter, "Paradise Blues," Magnum P.I., CBS, 1984.

Amanda Price, "Discoveries," Hotel, ABC, 1987.

Voice of herself, "Jack, The Seal, and the Sea," Reading Rainbow, PBS, 1990.

Kris Temple, "Return of the Clairettes," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1991.

Dr. Eileen Redding, "College Kid," A Different World, NBC, 1993.

Voice, "Mind over Murder," Family Guy (animated), Fox, 1999.

Herself, "Been Vereen: The Hard Way," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2000.

Also appeared in The Milton Berle Show, NBC; Paul Whiteman's TV Teen Club, ABC; The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., NBC; Kids and Company; as panelist, Hollywood Squares; guest host, The Ice Palace, CBS.

Radio Appearances; Episodic:

Appeared in The Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy Show; The Milton Berle Show; The Arthur Godfrey Show; Star Time.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Hallelujah, Baby! (original cast recording), Columbia, 1968.

Also recorded 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin, Daybreak; More, BMI; Hallelujah Baby!; Just to Satisfy You; More Leslie Uggams on TV; What's an Uggams?; A Time to Love; On My Way to You; and numerous albums for Columbia, Atlantic, and Motown.

WRITINGS

Books:

(With Marie Fenton) The Leslie Uggams Beauty Book (nonfiction), 1966.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 23, Gale Group, 1999.

Notable Black American Women, Book 2, Gale Research, 1996.

Periodicals:

American Theatre, May, 2001, p. 8.

Ebony, March, 1989, p. 154.

Jet, January 16, 1995.

Electronic:

Leslie Uggams Official Site, http://www.leslieuggams.com/, December 8, 2004.