Leslie Uggams won't get left behind

Leslie Uggams performs in a scene from The Encores! revival of “Jelly's Last Jam” at New York City Center in Manhattan, Feb. 20, 2024. (Sara Krulwich/The New York Times) by Leigh-Ann Jackson

NEW YORK, NY.— Veteran singer and actress Leslie Uggams likes to be busy.

“Even when I’m home and I get to relax,” she said in a phone interview from her home in New York, “I have to be doing something — cooking, doing a puzzle — something.”

The 81-year-old has kept busy since she made her debut at age 6 as Ethel Waters’ niece in the 1950s sitcom “Beulah.” The career that followed included an adolescence spent singing and dancing at the Apollo Theater; hosting her own televised variety show in 1969 (Sammy Davis Jr. and Dick Van Dyke were among her guests); winning a lead actress Tony in 1968 for the musical “Hallelujah, Baby!”; and earning an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for portraying Kizzy in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.”

Keeping ever current, Uggams appeared in the 2023 film “American Fiction,” performed in “Jelly’s Last Jam” at New York City Center last winter, then did a cabaret run at 54 Below.

”After seven decades, I am still going strong,” she said.

Uggams’ latest role, as Vault official Betty Pearson on the TV series “Fallout,” has attracted a new wave of sci-fi devotees. (“I’m getting a lot of fan mail about Betty.”) And she has returned as the feisty, foul-mouthed Blind Al in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

“I am still riding the wave,” Uggams said while reminiscing about her family, the author of “Roots” and the way the Apollo toughened her up as a performer. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1. Alex Haley, ‘Roots’ Author

He changed my life, not just because of being cast in “Roots.” He gave me and the world an understanding of ancestry and the importance of knowing our true history, not just what’s taught (or not taught) in schools.

2. The Apollo

It gave me a chance to work with legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Dinah Washington. It was the best show business education I ever got. I learned stamina and a standard of excellence that had to be met or you’d get booed off the stage.

3. My Family

They love me for all of who I am. I can express all of myself as a person, wife and mother. They keep me grounded. I am fortunate that they all are in New York, so we get to spend a lot of time together.

4. Old and New Music

Music’s in my blood and bones. My mother had a fabulous record player. Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine — I got to hear incredible music because she had all the records. Now I’m into streaming. I’m always looking for new material. I’m in love with Billie Eilish; her lyrics are amazing.

5. Kitchen Therapy

I love to cook, especially the old family recipes from the South. It’s about the food but also the culture and family traditions. When I was around 8, I visited my grandmother in Florida, and it seemed like she could make cornbread out of thin air. The first thing I learned to cook, oddly enough, was Italian food. My first dish was spaghetti and meatballs, and my dad was like, “This is good.” That encouraged me to start cooking all kinds of things.

6. Needlework

I’ve never been one for idle hands. Totie Fields introduced me to needlepoint when we worked together in Vegas. My first pillow was a field of flowers. I keep it with other pillows I’ve done. But then I got obsessive about it. It got to the point where my husband said, “I think we have enough pillows, honey.” So I’ve moved on to knitting, then crocheting.

7. Word Games

I like to keep my mind sharp, so I do crossword puzzles and games on my iPad. My latest kick is Wordle.

8. Learning

I’ve loved reading since I was a kid. Sometimes I have two or three books going at the same time. I just finished reading “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” and Viola Davis’ autobiography. I also like to keep up with technology (my daughter helps me). If you don’t keep moving forward, you get left behind. During the COVID shutdown, we set up a video and audio recording studio in my office so I could do livestreaming events and voice-over work.

9. My Aunt Eloise

Eloise Uggams was the star of the family. She had a beautiful singing voice. She went all over the world with the USO; she did “Porgy and Bess” on Broadway. She would teach me songs as a kid. She was able to see possibility in me; she felt I had talent. My parents just thought, “Oh, she can sing. That’s so cute!” But they never thought about it as a career.

10. Voting

Since I turned 18, I have never missed a vote for president. If you don’t vote, you don’t get the right to complain. As President Obama says, “Don’t boo. Vote.” If you don’t know the facts, research them. That should apply in politics and life. Don’t ignore the local and state elections. As we’ve seen in recent years, school boards and libraries really matter.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.