Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols helped break ground on TV by showing a Black woman in a position of authority and who shared with co-star William Shatner one of the first ...

In the late 1950s, she moved to Los Angeles and entered a cultural milieu that included Pearl Bailey, Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Jr., with whom she had what she described as a “short, stormy, exciting” affair. In later decades, Ms. Nichols and Shatner touted the smooch as a landmark event that was highly controversial within the network. Ms. Nichols reprised Uhura, promoted from lieutenant to commander, in six feature films between 1979 and 1991 that helped make “Star Trek” a juggernaut. After studying classical ballet and Afro-Cuban dance, she made her professional debut at 14 at the College Inn, a high-society Chicago supper club. Actress Whoopi Goldberg often said that when she saw “Star Trek” as an adolescent, she screamed to her family, “Come quick, come quick. Years later, Ms. Nichols claimed in interviews that she had threatened to quit during the first season but reconsidered after meeting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. at an NAACP fundraiser. NASA historians said its recruiting drive — the first since 1969 — had many prongs, and Ms. Nichols’s specific impact as a roving ambassador was modest. She blamed Shatner, whom she called an “insensitive, hurtful egotist” who used his star billing to hog the spotlight. The show received middling reviews and ratings and was canceled after three seasons, but it became a TV mainstay in syndication. While other network programs of the era offered domestic witches and talking horses, “Star Trek” delivered allegorical tales about violence, prejudice and war — the roiling social issues of the era — in the guise of a 23rd-century intergalactic adventure. “Star Trek” was barrier-breaking in many ways. Uhura was presented matter-of-factly as fourth in command, exemplifying a hopeful future when Blacks would enjoy full equality.

Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, died at age 89. Nichols made history as the first Black woman to hold a leading role ...

The 2019 film, Woman in Motion, is dedicated to the impact of Nichols’ advocacy on NASA. Last December, Nichols announced her retirement from space advocacy after making a final appearance at the LA Comic Con. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.” Nichols’ legacy reaches far beyond Star Trek. She partnered with NASA to encourage the recruitment of astronauts from underrepresented backgrounds. Nichols stayed on Star Trek until the original series ended in 1969. Nichelle Nichols, who was best known for her groundbreaking role as Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series, died at age 89. Nichols joined the cast of Star Trek in 1966 as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, making history as the first Black woman to play a leading role on TV. She almost left Star Trek for a career in Broadway, but, ultimately, a meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay on the show.

Nichelle Nichols, who found fame as communications officer Lt Uhura in the original Star Trek television series, has died at the age of 89. Her son, Kyle Johnson, said she died on Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico. Johnson wrote on her official ...

“The characters themselves were not freaking out because a black woman was kissing a white man – in this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. That was a wonderful message to send.” Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at 14, moving on to New York nightclubs and working for a time with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands before moving to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959’s Porgy and Bess, the first of several small film and TV roles that led up to her Star Trek stardom. The original Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. “I think many people took it into their hearts – that what was being said on TV at that time was a reason to celebrate,” Nichols said in 1992 at a Star Trek exhibit . She often recalled how the Rev Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

She was among the first Black women to have a leading role in a TV series. She later worked with NASA to recruit minorities for the space program.

Dr. King told her that her role as a dignified, authoritative figure in a popular show was too important to the cause of civil rights for her to forgo. In an interview in 2010 for the Archive of American Television, she said that he had little to do with her casting in “Star Trek” but that he defended her when studio executives wanted to replace her. In her 1995 autobiography, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” she disclosed that she and Roddenberry, who died in 1991, had been romantically involved for a time. While attending Englewood High School, she landed her first professional gig in a revue at the College Inn, a well-known Chicago nightspot. At 13 or 14, tired of being called Gracie by her friends, she requested a different name from her mother, who liked Michelle but suggested Nichelle for the alliteration. Ms. Nichols appeared in several musical theater productions around the country during the 1950s. In subsequent years, Ms. Nichols made public appearances and recorded public service announcements on behalf of the agency. “He said, ‘You cannot. “Among them: Ronald McNair, Frederick Gregory, Judith Resnick, first American woman in space Sally Ride and current NASA administrator Charlie Bolden.” Uhura was an officer and a highly educated and well-trained technician who maintained a businesslike demeanor while performing her high-minded duties. She later worked with NASA to recruit minorities for the space program. Her role, however, was both substantial and historically significant.

Nichols broke ground and paved the way for Black actors in Hollywood as Uhura. Her castmate George Takei wrote, "We lived long and prospered together."

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Her role in the 1966-69 series earned Nichols a lifelong position of honour with the series' fans.

“The characters themselves were not freaking out because a black woman was kissing a white man – in this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. That was a wonderful message to send.” Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at 14, moving on to New York nightclubs and working for a time with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands before moving to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959’s Porgy and Bess, the first of several small film and TV roles that led up to her Star Trek stardom. The original Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. “I think many people took it into their hearts – that what was being said on TV at that time was a reason to celebrate,” Nichols said in 1992 at a Star Trek exhibit . She often recalled how the Rev Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

Nichelle Nichols, a groundbreaking black actress who played communications officer Nyota Uhura with cool authority on the popular 1960s series "Star Trek," ...

Her son, Kyle Johnson, announced the death on the official uhura.com website, saying, "Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. You don't have a black role. Ms Nichols, who had trained in ballet and musical theater, at one point told "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry that she wanted to quit the show to return to the theater.

The actress was best known for her role as communications officer Lt Uhura in the original Star Trek television series, which aired from 1966-69. Her son Kyle ...

Nichelle Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media. “She was a beacon of representation, who inspired people to reach for the stars. She embodied all that Star Trek stands for. While actress Jeri Ryan, who played Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, said: “RIP to a true legend. She will be deeply missed.” May she Rest In Peace.”

She became one of the first black American actresses to play a figure in authority on US television.

The importance of Nichelle's legacy cannot be over-emphasized. My favorite photo of Dad and Nichelle Nichols on set. For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 31, 2022 Thank you." Nichelle Nichols you gave so many of us hope. Despite her success, however, Ms Nicholls had initially considered leaving the show.

Actress and singer Nichelle Nichols, best known for her groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek: The Original Series," has died at age 89, ...

Nichelle Nichols broke racial stereotypes by sharing an interracial onscreen kiss with co-star William Shatner in the show - extremely rare in the 1960s.

She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role. "When I told him I was going to miss my co-stars, and I was leaving the show, he became very serious and said, 'You cannot do that,'" she told a newspaper in 2008. "I think many people took it into their hearts...

Nichols broke ground and paved the way for Black actors in Hollywood as Uhura. Her castmate George Takei wrote, "We lived long and prospered together."

"Nichelle Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media. George Takei, who costarred on Star Trek as helmsman Hikaru Sulu tweeted: "I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise," her wrote. "I decided I was going to leave, go to New York and make my way on the Broadway stage." He says, do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch.' I was speechless." "Many actors become stars, but few stars can move a nation," tweeted actress Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman on TV in the 1970s. "And he said, 'what are you talking about?' And I said, 'well, I told Gene just yesterday that I'm going to leave the show after the first year because I've been offered... She grew up singing and dancing, aspiring to star in musical theater. Nichols was born Grace Dell Nichols in a Chicago suburb where her father was the mayor. "He was very upset about it. You're an integral part and very important to it." "We're on a starship. Fourth in command on a starship.

Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lt. Uhura earned Nichols a lifelong position of honor with the series' rabid fans, known as Trekkers and Trekkies.

Her name was at times invoked at courthouse rallies that sought the freeing of Britney Spears from her own conservatorship. They later learned she had a strong supporter in the show’s creator. The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues were not such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, a television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. “The characters themselves were not freaking out because a Black woman was kissing a white man … In this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Capt. James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. television series. Hence, “Nichelle.” Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the far-off future — the 23rd century — human diversity would be fully accepted. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. She was the reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away.

In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women. A daughter of a.

And she continued this legacy by going on to work with NASA to empower generations of Americans from every background to reach for the stars and beyond. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she shattered stereotypes to become the first Black woman to act in a major role on a primetime television show with her groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek. With a defining dignity and authority, she helped tell a central story that reimagined scientific pursuits and discoveries. A daughter of a working-class family from Illinois, she first honed her craft as an actor and singer in Chicago before touring the country and the world performing with the likes of Duke Ellington and giving life to the words of James Baldwin.

Nichelle Nichols, who played communications officer Lt Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series and helped to create a new era for television in the ...

Her kindness and bravery lit the path for many,” she wrote. “May she forever dwell among the stars.” Nichols was born Grace Dell Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, on December 28th, 1932.

Ms Nichols whose fans included Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama, 'succumbed to natural causes and passed away' on Saturday, her son said.

“She was a beacon of representation, who inspired people to reach for the stars. While actress Jeri Ryan, who played Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, said: “RIP to a true legend. She embodied all that Star Trek stands for. She will be deeply missed.” May she Rest In Peace.” Excellence in representation matters even more.

Her son, Kyle Johnson, said she died of natural causes.

She was a beacon of representation, who inspired people to reach for the stars. “The characters themselves were not freaking out because a black woman was kissing a white man – in this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. That was a wonderful message to send.” The original Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. While actress Jeri Ryan, who played Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, said: “RIP to a true legend. She embodied all that Star Trek stands for. Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at 14, moving on to New York nightclubs and working for a time with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands before moving to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959’s Porgy and Bess, the first of several small film and TV roles that led up to her Star Trek stardom. Excellence in representation matters even more. May she Rest In Peace.” She will be deeply missed.” Sharing a photo of Nichols in her Lt Uhura role to Twitter, Mulgrew wrote: “Nichelle Nichols was The First. She often recalled how the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.