Nichelle Nichols
Biography
Nichelle Nichols was an American actress, singer and dancer known for her portrayal of Uhura on Star Trek, a role that broke ground for African American women on American television. Born in Robbins, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, she trained in dance and began performing in Chicago as a dancer, singer and model. She toured with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, and in 1959 she was the principal dancer in the film Porgy and Bess. Her acting break came in the 1961 musical Kicks and Co. She went on to appear in six Star Trek films, including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), as well as Truck Turner (1974) and Snow Dogs (2002). From 1977 to 2015 she volunteered with NASA to recruit female and minority astronauts. She received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1992 and a Daytime Emmy nomination for The Young and the Restless.
89years old at death
- Born Robbins
- Died Silver City
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Grace Dell Nichols (birth name)Also credited as Grace Nichols
Movie Career
- Films
- 19
- Career span
- 60 years1959 to 2019
Genres
- Adventure47%, 9 films
- Sci-Fi42%, 8 films
- Action32%, 6 films
- Comedy32%, 6 films
- Documentary21%, 4 films
First and latest
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A first
Nichols played a bridge officer on Star Trek, a prominent supporting part that had no precedent. She was among the first Black women to appear in a major television series.
A role that slipped away
Nichols was urged not to leave her role because for the first time on television Black people would be seen as intelligent, quality people who can sing, dance, go to space, and be professors and lawyers.
A first
Nichols played Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. In the episode "Plato's Stepchildren", shown on November 22, 1968, she kissed William Shatner, who was Captain James T. Kirk. This has been cited as U.S. television's first interracial kiss.
A change of course
After Star Trek was canceled, Nichols gave her time to a special NASA project that recruited female and minority personnel for the space agency. She started by linking NASA with Women in Motion, a company she helped run.
A role that slipped away
Nichols claimed that during Star Trek's final season she was offered the part of Peggy Fair on Mannix, but producer Gene Roddenberry would not release her from her contract.
Behind the award
In 2016, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films gave Nichols its Life Career Award. She was the first woman to be given it.
Nichelle Nichols movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Nicholas Meyer directed two of these films, Leonard Nimoy two and Brian Levant two. Two actors appear in eleven of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
George Takei's page
Walter Koenig's page
William Shatner's page
Leonard Nimoy's page
DeForest Kelley's page
James Doohan's page
All films by Nicholas Meyer
Brian LevantDirector, 2 films, 2002 to 2010
All films by Brian Levant
Box office
What Nichelle Nichols's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$700 million
8 of the 19 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 19 films: 8 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 5 figure not found.
- 8Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
- 5Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$139M19.9% of the total
- 2$133M19.0% of the total
- 3$97M13.8% of the total
- 4$97M13.8% of the total
- 5$87M12.4% of the total
- 6$81M11.6% of the total
- 7$63M9.0% of the total
- 8$3.5M0.5% of the total
Awards
Three awards and honors from 2015 to 2018.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2018 | Inkpot Award | Won | |
| 2015 | Women in Technology Hall of Fame | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.