Biography for
Nichelle Nichols More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

28 December 1932, Robbins, Illinois, USA

Birth Name

Grace Nichols

Height

5' 5" (1.65 m)

Spouse

Duke Mondy	(1967 - 1972) (divorced)
Foster Johnson	(1951 - ?) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek" (1966) and several of the Star Trek films

Trivia

Her younger brother Thomas commited suicide with the cult members in Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego. [March 1997]

Her role as Uhura on "Star Trek" (1966) was one of the first times that an African-American actress was portrayed in a non-stereotypical role. Previously, African-American actresses were depicted as maids or housekeepers, and Nichols' role broke the stereotype barrier among African-American actresses. Like Sidney Poitier, whose characters were three-dimensional (e.g., Detective Virgil Tibbs), Nichols portrayed a character that was non-stereotypical.

Although ignored in the "famous actors/actresses" in African-American cinema, including "famous celebrities" during Black History Month, Nichols was one of the first black actresses to portray a character on a television series and science-fiction series who was treated the same as characters of other races, and to all of "Star Trek" (1966) fans, the television series and films that followed set the standard for multiculturalism (where people of different races, ethnicities and genders are integrated and a sense of equality coexists).

With "Star Trek" (1966) co-star William Shatner, she shared the first on-screen kiss between a black female and white male on American television. This resulted in a deluge of mail - 99% of which was positive.

Became the first African-American to place her handprints in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theatre, along with the rest of the "Star Trek" (1966) cast. In 1992, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6633 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

In early 1951, at age 18, she married a dancer who was 15 years her senior. Within four months they split, and in August 1951, she bore his son. She remarried in 1968, this time to a songwriter, but that marriage also ended in divorce a few years later.

Made both her first (Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 10: entitled "The Corbomite Manoeuvre") and last (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)) "Star Trek" appearances with DeForest Kelley.

Mother of Kyle Johnson.

Her great-grandfather, James Gillespie, was Welsh.

Has appeared in episodes of three different series with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and George Takei: "Star Trek" (1966), "Star Trek" (1973) and "Futurama" (1999).

Confessed in her autobiography she once had a close, personal relationship with "Star Trek" (1966) creator Gene Roddenberry.

Discovered by Duke Ellington in her mid-teens, she toured with both Ellington and Lionel Hampton as a lead singer and dancer. Decades later, in 1992, she went back to her singing "roots", starring in a dramatic one-woman musical show called "Reflections", in which she became 12 separate song legends. She was also able to use her singing skills a few times in the original "Star Trek" (1966) series.

From the late 1970s until 1987, Nichelle Nichols was employed by NASA and was in charge of astronaut recruits and hopefuls. Most of the recruits that she launched were minority candidates of different races and/or ethnicities, as well as gender, like Guion Bluford (the first African-American male astronaut), Sally Ride (the first American female astronaut), Judith A. Resnik (one of the original female astronauts recruited by NASA, who perished during the launch of the Challenger on January 28, 1986), and Ron McNair (another victim of the Challenger disaster). She lived in Houston, Texas during her years as a Johnson Space Center employee.

Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison was inspired by Nichelle Nichols when she decided to become the first African-American female astronaut. Jemison was a fan of the original "Star Trek" (1966) series.

Fed up with the racist harassment, culminating with her learning that the studio was withholding her fan mail, she submitted her resignation from "Star Trek" (1966) after consulting with Gene Roddenberry. Nichols stated in several interviews that the racist harassment made her go back to work in theater until attending an NAACP fundraiser. The fundraiser was where a Star Trek fan was about to meet her for the first time and to her astonishment, was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King stated that his wife and children have viewed Star Trek on TV and it was the only television show that he has approved of where he stated to her that her role as the fourth in command of the USS Enterprise became a positive role model for African-Americans. She withdrew it when Martin Luther King personally convinced her that her role was too important as a breakthrough to leave.

Ranked #17 on Wizard magazine's Sexiest Women of TV for her role on "Star Trek" (1966) (March 2008).

Parents are Samuel Earl and Lishia Nichols.

Personal Quotes

I'm a fan of the fans. I love them. They're fabulous. I love being around them. I love their madness and their caring. I love watching them take off for a weekend, don the costumes, and become characters from the 23rd century and beyond. I thank the fans for giving us -- me -- so much support and love. I want them to know I love them. They'll always be my friends. I'll see the fans, always. They can rest assured of that. (on fans of "Star Trek")

Where Are They Now

(1994) Release of her autobiography, "Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories".

(1995) Release of her book, "Saturn's Child" by Nichelle with Mary Wander Bonanno.

(May 2009) Attended FedCon 18 in Bonn, Germany on May 1-3.