Nichelle Nichols, Best Known As Lt. Uhura On 'Star Trek' Has Passed Away At Age 89
Nichelle Nichols passed away today at the age of 89.
Nichelle Nichols was born on December 28, 1932. The actress was discovered by jazz legend Duke Ellington in her mid-teens and toured with both Ellington and Lionel Hampton as a lead singer and dancer. Her first acting role was in the film adaptation of Porgy and Bess in 1959 alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Louie Jean Norman, and Brock Peters. She made her television debut in the Gene Rodenberry-produced The Lieutenant in 1964. Nichols’ role as Uhura on the original Star Trek series was praised as one of the first times an African-American actress portrayed a non-stereotypical role (such as a maid or a housekeeper) on television.
Whoopi Goldberg, who later played Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation, told the actress that she excitedly watched her as a child, telling her mother, “Come quick! Come quick! There’s a black lady on TV, and she ain’t no maid!” Nichols also participated in the first interracial kiss on television between fictional characters when she kissed William Shatner in the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.”
Nichelle Nichols was employed by NASA in 1978 in an effort to encourage both women and African-Americans to become astronauts. She also voiced several characters in several series, including Gargoyles, Spider-Man, and Futurama, in which she voiced herself. The actress is survived by her son, Kyle Johnson.
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