Jump to content

Nichelle Nichols

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nichelle Nichols
A grinning afro-haired Nichelle Nichols
Nichols in 1979
Born
Grace Dell Nichols

(1932-12-28)December 28, 1932
Robbins, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 30, 2022(2022-07-30) (aged 89)
Silver City, New Mexico, U.S.
EducationEnglewood High School
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1959–2019
Notable creditNyota Uhura in Star Trek
Spouses
  • Foster Johnson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1951; div. 1951)​
  • Duke Mondy
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1968; div. 1972)​
ChildrenKyle Johnson

Nichelle Nichols (/nɪˈʃɛl/ nish-EL; born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022)[1] was an American actress, singer and dancer whose portrayal of Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels was groundbreaking for African American actresses on American television.[2] From 1977 to 2015, she volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.[3][4]

Born in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, she trained in dance, and began her career as a dancer, singer and model in Chicago. As an actor, she appeared on stage, in television and in film.

Early life

[edit]

Grace Dell Nichols was born the third of six children on December 28, 1932,[5][6][7] in Robbins, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, to Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker who was elected both town mayor of Robbins in 1929[8] and its chief magistrate, and his wife, Lishia (Parks) Nichols, a homemaker.[9] Disliking her name, Nichols asked her parents for a new one; they suggested Nichelle, which they said meant "victorious maiden" (from Nike and the suffix -elle).[10] The family later moved into an apartment in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, where Nichols attended Englewood High School, graduating in 1951.[11][12] From age 12, she studied dance at the Chicago Ballet Academy.[13]

Career

[edit]

Nichols began her professional career as a singer and dancer in Chicago. She then toured the United States and Canada with the bands of Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. In 1959, she appeared as the principal dancer in the film version of Porgy and Bess.[13] Her acting break was an appearance in Kicks and Co., Oscar Brown's highly touted but ill-fated 1961 musical.[14] In the thinly veiled satire of Playboy magazine, she played Hazel Sharpe, a voluptuous campus queen who was tempted by the devil and Orgy Magazine to become "Orgy Maiden of the Month". Although the play closed after a short run in Chicago, Nichols attracted the attention of Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy, who booked her as a singer for his Chicago Playboy Club.[15][16] She also appeared as Carmen for a Chicago stock company production of Carmen Jones and performed in a New York production of Porgy and Bess. Between acting and singing engagements, she did occasional modeling.[17]

In January 1967, Nichols was also featured on the cover of Ebony magazine, and had two feature articles in it in five years.[18] She continued touring the US, Canada, and Europe as a singer with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.[19] On the West Coast, she appeared in The Roar of the Greasepaint and For My People, and garnered high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin play Blues for Mister Charlie. Prior to being cast as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek, Nichols was a guest actress on television producer Gene Roddenberry's first series The Lieutenant (1964) in the episode "To Set It Right", which dealt with racial prejudice.[20]

Star Trek

[edit]
Main article: Nyota Uhura
Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, 1967

On Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first Black women featured in a major television series. Her prominent supporting role as a bridge officer was unprecedented.[2] She was once tempted to leave the series; however, a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr. changed her mind.

Towards the end of the first season, Nichols was offered a role on Broadway. Preferring the stage to the television studio, she decided to take the role. Nichols went to Roddenberry's office, told him that she planned to leave, and handed him her resignation letter. Unable to convince her to stay, Roddenberry told her to take the weekend off, and if she still felt she should leave, he would give her his blessing. That weekend, Nichols attended a banquet organized by the NAACP, where she was informed that a fan wanted to meet her.[21]

I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure.' I looked across the room and whoever the fan was had to wait because there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She told King about her plans to leave the series because she wanted to take a role that was tied to Broadway.] I never got to tell him why, because he said, 'You cannot, you cannot... For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day—as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing, dance, and go to space… who are professors, lawyers… If you leave, that door can be closed, because your role is not a black role, and is not a female role; he can fill it with anybody, even an alien."

Calling Nichols a "vital role model", King compared her work on the series to the marches of the ongoing civil rights movement.[2][22][23][24] The next day, she returned to Roddenberry's office to tell him she would stay. When she told Roddenberry what King had said, tears came to his eyes.[25]

Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison cited Nichols' role of Lieutenant Uhura as her inspiration for becoming an astronaut. Whoopi Goldberg has also spoken of Nichols' influence,[26] saying she asked for a role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and her character Guinan was specially created, while Jemison appeared on an episode of the series.[27]

In her role as Lieutenant Uhura, Nichols kissed white actor William Shatner (as Captain James T. Kirk) in the November 22, 1968 Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren". It has been cited as the first example of an interracial kiss on U.S. television, although several earlier instances have been identified.[28] The Shatner/Nichols kiss was considered groundbreaking, even though it was portrayed as having been forced by alien telekinesis. There was some praise and almost no dissent. In her autobiography Beyond Uhura, Star Trek and Other Memories, Nichols cited a letter from a white Southerner who wrote, "I am totally opposed to the mixing of the races. However, any time a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets a beautiful dame in his arms that looks like Uhura, he ain't gonna fight it." During the Comedy Central Roast of Shatner on August 20, 2006, Nichols jokingly referred to the kiss and said, "What do you say, let's make a little more TV history ... and kiss my black ass! "[29]

Despite the series' cancellation in 1969, Star Trek continued to play a part in Nichols' life. She provided the voice of Uhura in Star Trek: The Animated Series; in one episode, "The Lorelei Signal", Uhura assumes command of the Enterprise.[30] Nichols noted in her autobiography her frustration that this never happened on the original series. She co-starred in six Star Trek films, culminating in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Nichols in 2012

In 1994, Nichols published her autobiography, Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories. In it, she claimed that the role of Peggy Fair in the television series Mannix was offered to her during the final season of Star Trek, but producer Gene Roddenberry refused to release her from her contract. Between the end of the original series and the Star Trek animated series and feature films, Nichols appeared in small television and film roles. She briefly appeared as a secretary in Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967),[31][17] and portrayed Dorienda, a foul-mouthed madam in Truck Turner (1974) opposite Isaac Hayes, her only appearance in a blaxploitation film.[32]

Nichols appeared in animated form as one of Al Gore's Vice Presidential Action Rangers in the "Anthology of Interest I" episode of Futurama,[33] and she provided the voice of her own head in a glass jar in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".[34] She voiced the recurring role of Elisa Maza's mother Diane Maza in the animated series Gargoyles,[35] and played Thoth-Kopeira in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series.[36] In 2004, she provided the voice for herself in The Simpsons episode "Simple Simpson".[37] In the comedy film Snow Dogs (2002), she appeared as the mother of the male lead, played by Cuba Gooding Jr.[38][17] In 2006, she played the title character in the film Lady Magdalene's, the madam of a legal Nevada brothel in tax default.[39] She also served as executive producer and choreographer, and sang three songs in the film, two of which she composed. She was twice nominated for the Chicago theatrical Sarah Siddons Award for Best Actress, first for her portrayal of Hazel Sharpe in Kicks and Co., and again for her performance in The Blacks.[40][17]

Nichols had a recurring role on the second season of the NBC drama Heroes, first in the episode "Kindred", which aired October 8, 2007. She portrayed Nana Dawson, the matriarch of a New Orleans family financially and personally devastated by Hurricane Katrina, who cares for her orphaned grandchildren and her great-nephew, series regular Micah Sanders.[17] In 2008, Nichols starred in the film The Torturer, playing the role of a psychiatrist. In 2009, she joined the cast of The Cabonauts, a sci-fi musical comedy that debuted on DailyMotion. Playing CJ, the CEO of the Cabonauts Inc, she was also featured singing and dancing.[41] On August 30, 2016, she was introduced as the aging mother of Neil Winters on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. She received her first Daytime Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series" for the role on March 22, 2017.[42]

Music

[edit]

Nichols released two music albums: Down to Earth, a collection of standards released in 1967, during the original run of Star Trek;[43] and Out of This World, released in 1991, a more rock-oriented album themed around Star Trek and space exploration.[44][45]

As Uhura, Nichols sang on the Star Trek episodes "Charlie X" and "The Conscience of the King".[46]

Work with NASA

[edit]
Nichols (fourth from the left) with most of the cast of Star Trek visiting the Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Rockwell International plant at Palmdale, California, U.S., 1976

After the cancellation of Star Trek, Nichols volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency.[3] She began this work by making an affiliation between NASA and a company which she helped to run, Women in Motion.[47][48][49][50][51][52][53]

The program was a success. Among those recruited were Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and United States Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut, as well as Dr. Judith Resnik and Dr. Ronald McNair, who both flew successful missions during the Space Shuttle program before their deaths in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Recruits also included Charles Bolden, the former NASA administrator and veteran of four shuttle missions, Frederick D. Gregory, former deputy administrator and a veteran of three shuttle missions and Lori Garver, former deputy administrator. An enthusiastic advocate of space exploration, Nichols served from the mid-1980s on the board of governors of the National Space Institute (today's National Space Society), a nonprofit, educational space advocacy organization.[50]

In late 2015, Nichols flew aboard NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Boeing 747SP, which analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Saturn on an eight-hour, high-altitude mission. She was also a special guest at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on July 17, 1976, to view the Viking 1 soft landing on Mars. Along with the other cast members from the original Star Trek series, she attended the christening of the first space shuttle, Enterprise, at the North American Rockwell assembly facility in Palmdale, California. On July 14, 2010, she toured the space shuttle simulator and Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center.[54]

Nichols' work with NASA is given significant focus in the documentary Woman in Motion about her life.[55]

Personal life

[edit]
Nichols in 2019

In her autobiography, Nichols wrote that she was romantically involved with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for a few years in the 1960s. She said the affair ended well before Star Trek began, when she realized Roddenberry was also involved with her acquaintance Majel Hudec (known as Majel Barrett). Hudec went on to marry Gene Roddenberry and have a regular supporting role as nurse Christine Chapel on Star Trek.[56]

When Roddenberry's health was fading, Nichols co-wrote a song for him, "Gene", which she sang at his memorial service.[17]

She also wrote that she had "a short, stormy, exciting relationship" with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1959.[56][57]

Nichols married twice—first to dancer Foster Johnson (1917–1981), whom she married in 1951 and divorced the same year. They had one child together, Kyle Johnson, who was born August 14, 1951. She married Duke Mondy, in 1968; they divorced in 1972.[58]

Nichols' younger brother, Thomas, was a member of the Heaven's Gate cult. He died on March 26, 1997, in the cult's mass suicide that purposefully coincided with the passing of Comet Hale–Bopp.[59] A member for 20 years, he frequently identified himself as Nichelle's brother in promotional materials released by the cult.[60][61]

On February 29, 2012, Nichols met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. She later tweeted, "…[President] Obama was quoted as saying that he'd had a crush on me when he was younger… I asked about that, and he proudly confirmed it! President Obama also confirmed for me that he was definitely a Trekker! How wonderful is that?!"[62]

Nichols was a lifelong Democrat and a practicing Presbyterian.[63]

Health and death

[edit]

In June 2015, Nichols suffered a mild stroke at her Los Angeles home and was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital.[64][65] A magnetic resonance imaging scan confirmed a small stroke had occurred, and she began inpatient therapy. In early 2018, she was diagnosed with dementia,[66] and subsequently announced her retirement from convention appearances.[67]

Following a legal dispute over the actions of her manager-turned-caretaker Gilbert Bell, her son Kyle Johnson filed for conservatorship in 2018. Before a court granted his petition in January 2019, Nichols' friend Angelique Fawcette, who had already expressed concern in 2017 over Bell's control of access to her, pressed for visitation rights, including by opposing Johnson's petition. That dispute, and a 2019 court case by Bell over being evicted from the guesthouse on Nichols' property, were both ongoing as of August 2021.[68]

Nichols died of heart failure in Silver City, New Mexico, on July 30, 2022, at the age of 89.[69]

Her ashes were sent into deep space alongside Majel Barrett's and Douglas Trumbull's.[70]

Recognition

[edit]

In 1982, Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his novel Friday to her.[71] Asteroid 68410 Nichols is named in her honor.[72]

In 1992, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for her contribution to television. In 1999, Nichols was awarded a Goldene Kamera for Kultstar des Jahrhunderts (Cult Star of the Century).[73][74] 2010, Nichols received an honorary degree from Los Angeles Mission College. Nichols received The Life Career Award, from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, in 2016, the first woman to receive it.[74] The award was presented as part of the 42nd Saturn Awards ceremony. Nichols was awarded the Inkpot Award in 2018.[75]

Nichols was an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[76]

Udea nicholsae, a species of snout moths, was named in her honour.[77]

The second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds began with a pre-credits dedication, referencing one of her recurring lines from the original series: "For Nichelle who was first through the door and showed us the stars. Hailing frequencies forever open..."

Filmography

[edit]

Films

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1959 Porgy and Bess Dancer[78] Uncredited
1966 Tarzan's Deadly Silence Ruana[79]
Made in Paris[17] Salon customer Uncredited extra
Mister Buddwing Dice Player[79]
1967 Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! Jenny Ribbock[80]
1974 Truck Turner Dorinda[81]
1979 Star Trek: The Motion Picture Nyota Uhura[78]
1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1984 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
1986 The Supernaturals Sgt. Leona Hawkins[82]
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Nyota Uhura[78]
1989 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1995 The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space Sagan[79]
2002 Snow Dogs Amelia Brooks[79]
2004 Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes Omen[83]
2005 Are We There Yet? Miss Mable[84]
2008 Lady Magdalene's Lady Magdalene / Maggie[39]
Tru Loved Grandmother[85][86]
The Torturer Doc[87]
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men Nyota Uhura
2012 This Bitter Earth Clara Watkins[78]
2018 The White Orchid Teresa[88]
American Nightmares Mystic Woman[89]
2020 Unbelievable!!!!! Sensei / Aunt Petunia[90]
Star Trek: First Frontier Nyota Uhura Fan film

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1964 The Lieutenant[78] Norma Bartlett Episode: "To Set It Right"
1966 Peyton Place Nurse 2 episodes
Tarzan Ruana[91] 2 episodes
1966–1969 Star Trek Nyota Uhura[92] Main role
1970 Insight[93] Ellie Episode: "Old King Cole"
1973–1974 Star Trek: The Animated Series Nyota Uhura / Additional voices[94] Main role
1984 Antony and Cleopatra Charmian[79] TV film
1988 Head of the Class Nichelle Nichols Episode: "For Better, for Worse"
1993 ABC Weekend Special SS Stella Episode: "Commander Toad in Space"
1994 Batman: The Animated Series Thoth Khepera (voice) Episode: "Avatar"
1994–1996 Gargoyles Diane Maza (voice)[92] 4 episodes
1996 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nyota Uhura Episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations"; archive footage[95]
1997 Spider-Man Miriam (voice) 2 episodes
2000–2002 Futurama Herself (voice)[92] 2 episodes ("Anthology of Interest I" and "Where No Fan Has Gone Before")
2000 G vs E Henry's Mother Episode: "Henry's Mother"
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Chief (voice) Episode: "The Yukari Imprint"
2004 The Simpsons Herself (voice) Episode: "Simple Simpson"
2007 Heroes Nana Dawson[78] Recurring role
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men Nyota Uhura[96] Fan production
2009 The Cabonauts CJ[97] Episode: "Pilot"
2010 Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster Senator[98] TV film
2016 The Young and the Restless Lucinda Winters[99] 4 episodes
2017 Star Trek: Renegades Admiral Grace Jemison Episode: "The Requiem"; fan production
Downward Dog Deejay DeVine[100] Episode: "Old"
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming Sec. General Starr[96] TV film
2020 Space Command Octavia Butler Episode: "Ripple Effect"
2021 12 to Midnight Devorah Episode: "What Is and What Never Should Be"
2021 Renegades: Ominara Ominara (elder)[101] 42-minute proof-of-concept pilot film for TV[102]
2022 Star Trek: Prodigy Nyota Uhura (voice)[103] Episode: "Kobayashi"; archive audio

Video games and theme park attractions

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Nyota Uhura (voice)[104] Video games (CD-ROM versions)
1995 Star Trek: Judgment Rites
1996–1998 Star Trek Adventure Nyota Uhura Amusement park feature; appeared in several revisions

Books

[edit]
Title Publisher Date ISBN Notes
Beyond Uhura[105] G. P. Putnam's Sons October 19, 1994 0-399-13993-1
Saturn's Child[106] Penguin October 17, 1995 0-399-14113-8 with Margaret Wander Bonanno
Saturna's Quest Planet X Books 2002 978-0971915404 with Jim Meechan

Discography

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sottile, Zoe. "Nichelle Nichols, trailblazing 'Star Trek' actress, dies at 89". CNN. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Nishi, Dennis (January 17, 2011). "SpeakEasy: 'Star Trek's' Nichelle Nichols on How Martin Luther King Jr. Changed Her Life". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Hahn, Michael (August 20, 2009). "GPN-2004-00017 – Nichelle Nichols, NASA Recruiter". NASA. Archived from the original on December 22, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Currie, Netisha (March 1, 2016). "To Boldly Go Where No (Wo)Man Has Gone Before…". Rediscovering Black History, National Archives. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2020. Many astronauts have credited Nichols and the character of Lt. Uhura as an inspiration to them for seeking out opportunities with NASA, including: Ronald McNair, Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, current NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and the first African American woman in space – Mae Jemison.
  5. ^ McCann, Bob (December 21, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-7864-5804-2.
  6. ^ Adell, Sandra (1996). African American Culture. Gale. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8103-8485-9.
  7. ^ David, Shayler; Moule, Ian A. (August 29, 2006). Women in Space - Following Valentina. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-84628-078-8.
  8. ^ "Robbins History". Robbins History Museum. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022. Actress Nichelle Nichols' grandfather, Samuel G. Nichols (a white man), was one of the village's original settlers who was married a black woman. Nichelle Nichols who portrayed Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek television series also was hired by NASA to begin finding and recruiting qualified blacks for todays NASA Space program. Nichelle was born in a two-story frame house built by her grandparents in Robbins. Her father, Samuel E. Nichols, became the mayor of Robbins, IL in 1929.
  9. ^ "Nichelle Nichols's Biography". Thehistorymakers.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  10. ^ "Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols: 'Martin Luther King was a Trekker'". the Guardian. October 18, 2016.
  11. ^ "'1950 Englewood High School (Chicago, Illinois) Yearbook".
  12. ^ "Beyond Uhura Star Trek and Other Memories, By Nichelle Nichols · 1994".
  13. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (August 1, 2022). "Nichelle Nichols obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Kicks and Co. Original Broadway Cast – 1961 Broadway". www.broadwayworld.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  15. ^ Johnson, John H., ed. (January 1962). "Satirical flop brings star success". Ebony. Vol. 17, no. 3. pp. 41–47.
  16. ^ Still, Larry (October 12, 1961). Johnson, John H. (ed.). "Oscar Brown musical gets warm reception in windy city". Jet. Vol. 20, no. 25. pp. 58–61.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Dagan, Carmel (July 31, 2022). "Nichelle Nichols, Uhura in 'Star Trek,' Dies at 89". Variety. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Johnson, John H., ed. (January 1967). "A new star in the TV heavens". Ebony. Vol. 22, no. 3. pp. 70–76.
  19. ^ "Nichelle Nichols". PBS. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  20. ^ "LIEUTENANT, THE: TO SET IT RIGHT {UNAIRED EPISODE} (TV)". Paley Center for Media. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  21. ^ "Nichelle Nichols on how Dr. MLK, Jr. dissuaded her from quitting Star Trek - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG". Archived from the original on November 10, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  22. ^ Huff, Richard (January 17, 2011). "'Star Trek' actress Nichelle Nichols: Martin Luther King Jr. impacted decision to stay on Enterprise". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  23. ^ Neil deGrasse Tyson (July 11, 2011). "A Conversation with Nichelle Nichols". StarTalk (Podcast). Event occurs at 11:12. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  24. ^ Nichols, Nichelle (October 19, 1994). Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 164–65. ISBN 978-0-399-13993-2.
  25. ^ Strachan, Alex (August 5, 2010). "Nichelle Nichols on playing Star Trek's Lt. Uhura and meeting Dr. King". Canada.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020. Now, Gene Roddenberry was a 6-foot-3 guy with muscles. ... And he sat there with tears in his eyes. He said, 'Thank God that someone knows what I'm trying to do. Thank God for Dr. Martin Luther King.'
  26. ^ "Whoopi Goldberg". A Woman's CyberSpace. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  27. ^ Nichols, Nichelle (April 7, 2002). "Nichelle Nichols – Communications expert Uhura from Star Trek's Original series". BBC. Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
  28. ^ "Nichols Talks First Inter-Racial Kiss". TrekToday. September 5, 2001. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  29. ^ "William Shatner". Comedy Central Roast. August 20, 2006. Comedy Central.
  30. ^ Mangels, Andy (Summer 2018). "Star Trek: The Animated Series". RetroFan. No. 1. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 25–37.
  31. ^ "The Tampa Tribune". Newspapers.com. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  32. ^ Shields, Meg (June 15, 2020). "On Blaxploitation and Breaking Barriers: The Radical Impact of Nichelle Nichols". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  33. ^ 3/12/15 11:00AM (March 12, 2015). "Futurama: "Anthology Of Interest I"/ "War Is The H Word"". Avclub.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ 7/23/15 11:00AM (July 23, 2015). "Futurama: "Where No Fan Has Gone Before"/"The Sting"". Avclub.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ "22 Jun 1997, Page 212 – The Orlando Sentinel at". Newspapers.com. June 22, 1997. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  36. ^ Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door: Television's Iconic Women from the ... – Herbie J. Pilato – Google Books. Rowman & Littlefield. September 9, 2014. ISBN 9781589799707.
  37. ^ "2 May 2004, 40 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "25 Jan 2002, 20 – Sioux City Journal at". Newspapers.com. January 25, 2002. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  39. ^ a b "31 Aug 2007, H2 – The Atlanta Constitution at". Newspapers.com. August 31, 2007. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  40. ^ "22 May 1995, 6 – The Tribune at". Newspapers.com. May 22, 1995. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  41. ^ Pascale, Anthony (July 7, 2009). "Nichelle Nichols Joins Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series 'The Cabonauts'". TrekMovie.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  42. ^ "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Nominations For The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  43. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Down to Earth". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  44. ^ "29 Mar 1992, 34 – The Courier at". Newspapers.com. March 29, 1992. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  45. ^ "Nichelle Nichols – Out of This World". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  46. ^ "Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's Uhura, Passed Away at Age 89". Gizmodo.com. December 28, 1932. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  47. ^ Prafder, Erika (February 2, 2011). "To boldly go: Groundbreaking actress Nichelle Nichols continues to expand her horizons". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  48. ^ "Where No Woman Has Gone Before: An Actress Spotlight on Nichelle Nichols". Bitch. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  49. ^ Levi, Linda (February 21, 2011). "Black History Month Profile: Nichelle Nichols". New York Women In Communications. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  50. ^ a b "Nichelle Nichols, National Space Society Board of Governors". National Space Society. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  51. ^ "Nichelle Nichols". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  52. ^ "Nichelle Nichols, NASA Recruiter". NASA. Archived from the original on December 22, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  53. ^ Arcynta Ali Childs (June 11, 2011). "Q & A: Nichelle Nichols, AKA Lt. Uhura, and NASA". Smithsonian.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2019. Ten years after "Star Trek" was cancelled, almost to the day, I was invited to join the board of directors of the newly formed National Space Society. They flew me to Washington and I gave a speech called "New Opportunities for the Humanization of Space" or "Space, What's in it for me?" In [the speech], I'm going where no man or woman dares go. I took NASA on for not including women and I gave some history of the powerful women who had applied and, after five times applying, felt disenfranchised and backed off. [At that time] NASA was having their fifth or sixth recruitment and women and ethnic people [were] staying away in droves. I was asked to come to headquarters the next day and they wanted me to assist them in persuading women and people of ethnic backgrounds that NASA was serious [about recruiting them]. And I said you've got to be joking; I didn't take them seriously. . . . John Yardley, who I knew from working on a previous project, was in the room and said 'Nichelle, we are serious.' I said OK. I will do this and I will bring you the most qualified people on the planet, as qualified as anyone you've ever had and I will bring them in droves. And if you do not pick a person of color, if you do not pick a woman, if it's the same old, same old, all-white male astronaut corps, that you've done for the last five years, and I'm just another dupe, I will be your worst nightmare.
  54. ^ "Nichelle Nicholls, Star Trek's Uhura, in the Shuttle Simulator at NASA at Houston". TwitPic. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  55. ^ "Woman in Motion Honors Nichelle Nichols' Contributions to Space Exploration". StarTrek.com. April 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  56. ^ a b Nichols, Nichelle (October 1994). Beyond Uhura. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 9780399139932.
  57. ^ Fishgall, Gary (September 30, 2003). Gonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-7432-2741-4. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  58. ^ Bedard, Mike (July 31, 2022). "The Devastating Death Of Nichelle Nichols". Looper.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  59. ^ "Nichelle Nichols' Connection to the Heaven's Gate Cult Tragedy". Reocities. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  60. ^ Bearman, Joshuah (March 21, 2007). "Heaven's Gate: The Sequel". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  61. ^ "Some members of suicide cult castrated". CNN. March 28, 1997. Archived from the original on February 22, 1999. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  62. ^ Jackson, David (April 5, 2012). "Obama gives Vulcan salute with Lt. Uhura". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  63. ^ "Skip E. Lowe Looks At Hollywood with Guest: Nichelle Nichols". June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022 – via www.youtube.com.
  64. ^ "Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's Lt Uhura, suffers stroke". BBC News. June 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  65. ^ Whitney, Erin (June 5, 2015). "'Star Trek' Star Nichelle Nichols Hospitalized". MSN.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  66. ^ Cohen, Jess (April 10, 2018). "Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols Diagnosed With Dementia". E! Online. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  67. ^ Pascale, Anthony (May 19, 2018). "Nichelle Nichols Announces Farewell Tour, Convention And Documentary". TrekMovie.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  68. ^ Easter, Makeda (August 15, 2021). "Inside the heartbreaking conservatorship battle of a 'Star Trek' legend". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  69. ^ Weber, Bruce (July 31, 2022). "Nichelle Nichols, Early 'Trek' Star Who Boldly Blazed Path, Dies at 89". The New York Times. p. D8. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  70. ^ "Nichelle Nichols to become latest Star Trek star to have ashes sent into space". TheGuardian.com. August 26, 2022.
  71. ^ Heinlein, Robert A. (June 1983). Friday. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780030615160.
  72. ^ Chamberlin, Alan (September 26, 2005). "68410 Nichols (2001 QB154)". JPL Small-Body Database Browser. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  73. ^ "Goldene Kamera 1999 – 34. Verleihung". Goldene Kamera 1999. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  74. ^ a b Whitmore, Greg (July 31, 2022). "Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols: a life in pictures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  75. ^ "Inkpot Award". Comic-Con International: San Diego. December 6, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  76. ^ "Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. | Membership". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  77. ^ Mally, Richard; Aarvik, Leif; Karisch, Timm; Lees, David C.; Malm, Tobias (2022). "Revision of Afrotropical Udea Guenée in Duponchel, 1845, with description of five new species of the U. ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796) group (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Spilomelinae)". Nota Lepidopterologica. 45: 315–353. doi:10.3897/nl.45.94938. hdl:10852/101320.
  78. ^ a b c d e f Barnes, Mike (July 31, 2022). "Nichelle Nichols, Lieutenant Uhura on 'Star Trek,' Dies at 89". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  79. ^ a b c d e "Nichelle Nichols". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  80. ^ Willis, John, ed. (1968). Screen World 1968. Vol. 19 (reprint ed.). Cheshire, Connecticut: Biblo & Tannen (published 1983). p. 26. ISBN 9780819603098.
  81. ^ Ottoson, Robert (1984). American International Pictures: A Filmography. Reference Library of the Humanities. Vol. 492. New York: Garland. p. 265. ISBN 9780824089764.
  82. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (March 27, 2007). Horror Films of the 1980s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 542. ISBN 9780786428212.
  83. ^ Scheck, Frank (January 4, 2018). "'Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel' Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  84. ^ "Ice Cube and Nia Long Star in Romantic Comedy Movie 'Are We There Yet?'". Jet. Vol. 107, no. 4. Johnson Publishing Company. January 24, 2005. p. 59.
  85. ^ "17 Oct 2008, Page 3-5 – Chicago Tribune at". Newspapers.com. October 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  86. ^ Farber, Stephen (October 15, 2008). "Tru Loved". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  87. ^ "The Torturer – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  88. ^ "28 Oct 2018, C9 – Democrat and Chronicle at". Newspapers.com. October 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  89. ^ "American Nightmares (2018)". Culture Crypt. October 26, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  90. ^ Phillips, Jevon (December 28, 2017). "Nichelle Nichols, turning 85 today and still busy acting, talks about life after 'Star Trek'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  91. ^ Marcus, Laurence. "Tarzan". Television Heaven. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  92. ^ a b c Nemetz, Dave (July 31, 2022). "Nichelle Nichols, Who Played Uhura on Star Trek, Dead at 89". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  93. ^ Villano, Mark (July 20, 2022). Insight, the Series – A Hollywood Priest's Groundbreaking Contribution to Television History.
  94. ^ Whitmore, Greg (July 31, 2022). "Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols: a life in pictures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  95. ^ Mohan, Monita (July 31, 2022). ""Trials and Tribble-ations" Remains a Star Trek Crossover Dream-Come-True". Collider. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  96. ^ a b Scanlan, Dan (June 30, 2018). "'Trek' actress living long and prospering". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  97. ^ "The Cabonauts videos". Dailymotion. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  98. ^ "Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  99. ^ Swift, Andy (July 26, 2016). "Nichelle Nichols On 'The Young And The Restless' — 11,000th Episode". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  100. ^ "Nichols to Guest Star on Downward Dog". Star Trek. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  101. ^ "Renegades: Ominara (Original title: Star Trek Renegades OMINARA)". IMDb. Retrieved December 26, 2024. Top cast ... Nichelle Nichols: Ominara ... Release date December 4, 2021.
  102. ^ "Renegades Ominara Proof of Concept TV Pilot". YouTube. Frank Zanca (DestinyHorizons). January 23, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  103. ^ Burt, Kayti (January 6, 2022). "Star Trek: Prodigy Just Went All In On Franchise Easter Eggs". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  104. ^ "Lt. Uhura – Star Trek: 25th Anniversary". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  105. ^ "Beyond Uhura". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  106. ^ "Saturn's Child". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nichelle Nichols.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Nichelle Nichols.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nichelle_Nichols&oldid=1265376676"