Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries Roots (1977), earning Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance. She had earlier been highly acclaimed for the Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby!, winning a Theatre World Award in 1967 and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1968. Later in her career, Uggams received renewed notice with appearances alongside Ryan Reynolds as Blind Al in Deadpool (2016) & Deadpool 2 (2018) and in a recurring role on Empire.

Filmography

• 2024Deadpool & Wolverine — Blind Al
• Fallout — Betty Pearson
• 2023American Fiction — Agnes Ellison
• 2023Dotty and Soul — Dotty
• Extrapolations — Isabel Zucker
• My Dad the Bounty Hunter — Grandma (voice)
• 2022Nanny — Kathleen
• The Gilded Age — Ernestine Brown
• 2022The Ravine — Joanna
• 2021Show of Titles — "Hallelujah, Baby!" Performer
• The Bite — Dr. Hester Boutella
• 2020Blithe Spirit — Madame Arcati
• Stars in the House — Madame Arcati
• 2018Deadpool 2 — Blind Al
• New Amsterdam — Mamma Reynolds
• 2018Once Upon a Deadpool — Blind Al
• 2017The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Sadie
• 2016Deadpool — Blind Al
• Empire — Leah Walker
• 2014Just the Three of Us
• Nurse Jackie — Vivian
• The Good Wife — Suzanne Packer
• 2009Toe to Toe — Grandma
• Family Guy — Leslie Uggams (voice)
• 1995Live from Broadway: Hello, Dolly!
• 1994Sugar Hill — Doris Holly
• 1989The Ice Capades with Jason Bateman and Alyssa Milano
• A Different World — Dr. Eileen Redding
• The Cosby Show — Kris Temple
• Hotel
• 1981Sizzle — Vonda
• Magnum, P.I. — Alexis Carter
• Backstairs at the White House — Lillian Rogers Parks
• 1978Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring
• Roots — Kizzy Reynolds, Kizzy Reynolds Moore
• The Love Boat — Marion Blake, Callie Reason
• 1975Poor Pretty Eddie — Elizabeth 'Liz' Wetherly
• 1974Easter Is — (voice)
• The Bobby Darin Show
• 1972Black Girl — Netta
• 1972Skyjacked — Lovejoy Wells
• 1970Swing Out, Sweet Land — Saloon Singer
• The Leslie Uggams Show
• That's Life
• The Mod Squad
• The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. — Natasha Brimstone
• The Dean Martin Show
• 1962Two Weeks in Another Town — Chanteuse

Appearances as themselves (29)

• 2019The Apollo — Self
• 2007Words and Music by Jerry Herman — Self
• 2003Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There — Self
• 2002Remembering Roots — Self
• The Early Show — Self
• 1994Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl — Self
• 1988Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC — Self
• 1986Christmas at Radio City Music Hall — Self - Special Guest
• 1985Night of 100 Stars II — Self
• Reading Rainbow — Self - Narrator (voice)
• CBS News Sunday Morning — Self
• 1978A Special Sesame Street Christmas — Self
• The Muppet Show — Self - Special Guest Star
• The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
• 1972S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin — Self
• 1970King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis — Self (archive footage)
• The Flip Wilson Show — Self
• The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour — Self
• The Carol Burnett Show — Self
• Hullabaloo — Self, Self - Host
• The Hollywood Palace — Self - Singer
• The Danny Kaye Show — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self
• Startime — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• Tony Awards — Self - Host, Self - Presenter / Nominee / Performer, Self - Performer
• What's My Line? — Self - Mystery Guest
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self