“A friend of the family thought I had talent, and she used to take me to these little auditions. There were a lot of children's shows when television was young. They had an audition for someone to play the niece to Ethel Waters on 'Beulah' and I got the part.”

American actress and singer

Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer whose career began in childhood in the early 1950s. She became widely known for her work on Broadway and on television, especially for her role in the musical Hallelujah, Baby! and for playing Kizzy Reynolds in Roots. Her performance in Hallelujah, Baby! brought her a Theatre World Award in 1967 and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1968. In Roots, the 1977 television miniseries, she drew further attention and received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations. She is known for stage and screen work that has often carried major public attention.