The cast of 'Sister Act' perform during the American Theatre Wing's 65th annual Tony Awards ceremony in New York, June 12, 2011. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn

Disney bosses have been hit with a lawsuit from a New York nun, who alleges her autobiography was the inspiration for the Sister Act movie and musical.

Delois Blakely claims she was a "young, black, singing nun serving the street people and youths of Harlem" when she wrote her 1987 book The Harlem Street Nun, which she is convinced was the basis for the 1992 comedy.

Blakely alleges she penned a three-page synopsis of a film based on her autobiography and claims in the lawsuit that a movie executive expressed an interest in the rights.

She has filed legal papers against chiefs at Walt Disney Co. and Sony Pictures, suing for breach of contract, misappropriation of likeness and unjust enrichment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg, went on to gross more than $230 million at the box office and is currently a big hit on the Broadway stage.