Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 - July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Her most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series, as well as the succeeding motion pictures. Her Star Trek character was groundbreaking in the racist society at the time. Uhura was the first black woman as a main character on US TV who was not a servant.

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

Family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichelle_Nichols

Nichols was born in Robbins, Illinois, outside of Chicago, to Lishia Nichols (née Parks) and Samuel Nichols, a factory worker who was both the town mayor of Robbins and its chief magistrate. The family later moved to Chicago.

Nichols married twice, first to dancer Foster Johnson (1917–1981). They were married in 1951 and divorced that same year. Johnson and Nichols had one child together, Kyle Johnson, who was born August 14, 1951. She married for the second time, to Duke Mondy, in 1968. They were divorced in 1972.

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 purposely coincided with the passing of Comet Hale–Bopp. A member for 20 years, he frequently identified himself as Nichelle's brother in promotional materials released by the cult.

Recognition

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

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).

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. The award was presented as part of the 42nd Saturn Awards ceremony. Nichols was awarded the Inkpot Award in 2018.

Nichols was an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

References

• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629667/
• ”Nichelle Nichols Helped Show America a Different Future.” As Lieutenant Uhura in “Star Trek” and an advocate for inclusiveness in the U.S. space program, Nichols made an indelible impact on our collective imagination. < link >
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242189313/nichelle-nichols