Leslie Uggams shared photo of Australian husband of 53 years who is the father of her 2 adult kids

Leslie Uggams is better known for portraying the role of Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries “Roots,” and these days, a younger audience might recognize her as roommate Blind Al in Marvel’s “Deadpool” movies. She has been married 53 years to an Australian white man, and they have a happy life together.

The 75-years-old actress had one of the first high-profile interracial marriages in the industry. She met her husband, Grahame Pratt, while she was touring in Australia back in the early ‘90s. Despite the pressure from her family and society, Leslie was used to date both black and white men, as she didn’t have any problems with race.

In an interview she did with Ebony back in the day, she remembered how her aunt once told her that she could date all the white boys she wanted as long as she was set on marrying a black man. “When you're thinking of settling down for keeps you'll make sure you marry a nice black fella, won't you?” said the woman to Leslie.

That didn’t stop her from falling in love with Pratt, and after dating for some years, they got engaged. Uggams decided that before taking the next step, Pratt needed to live what it was like to be part of an interracial relationship in America, so he flew over to the States to meet her family.

Speaking to People magazine, the actress revealed that the adaption process for Pratt was easier than she expected:

“It was not as hard as I expected it to be. I think the reason is that Grahame was not an American white man. But of course, we did get mail.”

Surprisingly, her family played a big role in the situation, as they accepted Pratt into the family quickly, assuring Leslie that they couldn’t think of a better man for her. They tied the knot officially in 1965 and had two kids: daughter Danielle, 48, and son Justice, 42.

They have one of the long-lasting marriages in Hollywood, and even though they’ve had their ups and down, they’re still happily together, as Leslie revealed:

“He’s smart and witty and fearless. We laugh all the time — but it ain’t always roses. We have fun together.”

We’re glad to know that Leslie and Grahame were able to overcome society’s standards about interracial relationships since they make a beautiful couple and seem to love each other deeply.