Actor Leslie Uggams has had an exciting career in both theater and film.
Even with a remarkable career spanning seven decades, the singer and actress from Harlem is best known for her role in the *Deadpool* series.
However, her marriage to White Australian Grahame Pratt in 1965 challenged expectations for interracial relationships, making her life story worthy of a movie.
In 1953, Leslie, a talented singer, recorded a song for MGM when she was just 10 years old. Her aunt, soprano Eloise Uggams, recommended that she attend the famous Julliard School of Music in New York and the Professional Children’s School of New York.
But her career didn’t stop after her musical success; in 1969, she hosted *The Leslie Uggams Show,* the first network variety show hosted by a Black person since *The Nat King Cole Show.*
However, Leslie got to know and fell in love with actor Grahame Pratt behind the scenes. During one of her famous tours in Australia, the pair reconnected in Sydney after first meeting as students at the Professional Children’s School in New York.
Leslie was aware of the challenges of dating a white man because she had dated one in her youth and her aunt had discouraged her from thinking about a future with him. Leslie shared with Ebony in 1967, “I remember the shock I felt once when I was dating a white boy.”
He sent me a color photo of himself. I showed it to my aunt. He was a young, attractive man with nice hair. I thought he was very good-looking. But my aunt lectured me after she saw the picture. “Well, I guess he’s alright,” she said, “but only on dates, huh, honey? When you’re ready to settle down, you’ll marry a nice [Black] fella, won’t you?”
Leslie said that after their lucky meeting, she kept visiting Grahame.
“At just 21 years old, it was surprising that I started to fall in love with him.”
It would be a full year before she saw him again after she left Australia.
Leslie was worried about how her family would react and what would happen if Grahame moved to the U.S. for her job, but despite her worries, they had fallen in love. When they had been engaged for five months, Grahame visited her in New York.
“I wanted to know if my family would truly accept Grahame and not just tolerate him, knowing their views on mixed marriages,” she said.
Leslie didn’t have to worry because Grahame was Australian.
“Many white Americans feel awkward about their situation, but he didn’t.” He got along well with my friends, so he easily fit in with them. And both the men and women liked him.
While living in New York, Leslie said she received hate mail because of their marriage, even though they didn’t face the same racial issues as many others in the country.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Leslie said about her marriage, “It wasn’t as difficult as I expected. I think it’s because Grahame wasn’t a white man in America.” Naturally, they did receive some negative mail.
Leslie shared, “I sometimes get anonymous letters about being married to a white man when I go on tour in the United States. I remember getting one, of all places, in Detroit.” It was addressed to “The Little Negro Entertainer.” Those letters were painful to read and often used that term.
Grahame took on the role of Leslie’s manager, and the couple had two daughters, Danielle in 1970 and Justice in 1976.
Leslie got the lead role in the miniseries Roots in 1977, a year after their second child was born. For that role, she was nominated for an Emmy for her character Kizzy.
Two years later, she played Lillian Rogers Parks in the miniseries Backstairs at the White House, earning another Emmy nomination for Best Actress.
In 1983, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for hosting the NBC game show Fantasy, and in 1996 she played Rose Keefer on All My Children.
Leslie has also made appearances on shows like Family Guy, I Spy, Hollywood Squares, The Muppet Show, The Love Boat, and Magnum P.I.
After fifty-five years of marriage and a granddaughter named Cassidy, Leslie and Grahame are still happily together.
“We have a lot of fun together, but it’s not always sunshine and roses,” Leslie said about their happy marriage. “We enjoy being together.”
Their love has stood the test of time and defied expectations. They support each other because they are loyal to one another and have always helped each other.
Wife shares heartbreaking message after husband
Wednesday, March 27, saw the start of recovery operations in Maryland as searchers continued to look for the six people who were thought to have died following the terrible fall of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
A 985-foot-long tanker collided with the bridge early on Tuesday, sending parts of it tumbling into the Patapsco River. Six construction workers from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador were listed as missing, according to CNN.
The US Coast Guard, however, has now said that it will halt its extensive search and rescue operation after coming to the conclusion that the men have passed away.
Miguel Luna, 49, a husband and father of three who was born in El Salvador and has lived in Maryland for almost 20 years, was one of the people identified. When the bridge collapsed, Luna was among the workers assigned to fix its potholes, as the BBC reported.
While ongoing recovery attempts continued, Miguel Luna’s wife, María del Carmen Castellón, voiced her sadness and the family eagerly awaited news.
They merely advise us to wait and that they are unable to provide us any information at this time. We are inconsolable because we don’t know if they have already saved them and our hearts are torn. In an interview with Telemundo 44, Maria bemoaned, “We’re just waiting to hear any news.”
Among the workers who went missing was Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, who was also identified as a victim. Maynor, a married father of an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter, was originally from Honduras. His brother Martin Suazo stated that he had lived in the United States for almost eighteen years.
The fall occurred early on Tuesday morning while the six workers—including Maynor—were working on fixing potholes on the bridge. They worked for a nearby firm called Brawner Builders, which maintains bridges in Maryland.
Senior executive Jeffrey Pritzker of Brawner Builders emphasized the company’s dedication to safety while expressing deep dismay at the incident’s unexpected nature.
Jeffrey said, “This was so completely unforeseen.” “We’re at a loss for words. We have cones, signs, lighting, barriers, and flaggers because we take such great interest in maintaining safety. However, we never anticipated that the bridge would fall.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who are missing and thought to be deceased.
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