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On The Young and the Restless, Valarie Pettiford’s Amy Lewis made her first appearance in Genoa City over 40 years ago (then played by Stephanie E. Williams). But just like her character, Pettiford is about to have a blast from the past.
The Young and the Restless’ Valarie Pettiford's
not-so-secret talents
When Valarie Pettiford (Amy Lewis) was just 14 years old, the talented teenager appeared in the 1978 film, The Wiz. A version of The Wizard of Oz, the role of Dorothy was played by Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, respectively. With Lena Horne as Glinda the Good and Richard Pryor as The Wiz, the blockbuster was a who’s who of Hollywood.
Fast forward a mere 47 years, and Pettiford happily took to her Instagram today. Donned in a shimmering gold dress, she recorded herself reciting the lyrics from “Emerald City” from The Wiz soundtrack: “You got to be seen gold, watch out for the new kind. You got to have old gold, like some from a gold mine.”
“Kids! It was asked and now it's complete! GOLD BABY!” Pettiford captioned the post. You'll be able to ease on down the road to see the re-release of The Wiz when it returns to theaters on May 18th.
Valarie Pettiford: A Triple Threat
Fans of The Young and the Restless may know Pettiford as the serious and ailing Amy Lewis, but that is hardly representative of the actress’ thriving career in theater, television, and films.
According to her IMDb biography, Pettiford performed “alongside Chita Rivera in the West End debut of Chicago, and subsequently performed "All That Jazz" as a tribute to Rivera at the Kennedy Center Honors.”
Pettiford recorded her first album, “Hear My Soul,” in 2003. Her one-woman shows sold out across the country; she also performed with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Jr in a musical tribute to their father, Desi Arnaz, Sr, called Babalu. Additionally, Pettiford guest solos with the Pasadena Symphony for their annual Pops program. You can see one of her many musical cabaret performances here:
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In the theatre, Pettiford won NAACP Theatre and Garland Awards for Best Actress in The Wild Party, and was honored with NAACP, Robby and Reader’s Choice Awards for her role in the musical Show Boat. Her work as an original cast member of Sophisticated Ladies and Fosse. She was nominated for Outer Critics Circle, Dora Mavor Moore, and Tony Awards for both.
Watch Valarie Pettiford as Amy Lewis on The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.
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