Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022)
West-German postcard by Xtreme, Wuppertal, no. 32733. Nichelle Nichols with DeForest Kelley, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in the TV series Star Trek (1966-1969).
On 20 July, American actress Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) passed away in Silver City. We remember her as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the space adventure TV series Star Trek (1966-1969). The lieutenant on the bridge of Starship Enterprise was a groundbreaking example of representation for Black Americans in Hollywood. She also played Uhura in the first six Star Trek feature films, that continue the adventures of the cast of the original series.
Nichelle Nichols was born as Grace Dell Nichols in 1932 in Robbins, a small town near Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of, Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker who was elected both town mayor of Robbins in 1929 and its chief magistrate, and his wife, Lishia (Parks) Nichols, a homemaker. Disliking her name, Nichols asked her parents for a new one; they offered "Nichelle," which they said meant "victorious maiden". Nichols studied in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. In New York she performed as a singer for a while. She also travelled with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands through North America and Europe. Nichols' break came in an appearance in 'Kicks and Co.', Oscar Brown's highly touted but ill-fated 1961 musical. In a thinly veiled satire of Playboy magazine, she played Hazel Sharpe, a voluptuous campus queen who was being 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 for his Chicago Playboy Club. She also appeared in the role of 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, Nichols did occasional modeling work. After acting in various television and theatre plays, Nichols was asked for the role of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the television series Star Trek (1966-1969). Her role as the ship’s communications officer was significant for many reasons: It was one of the first major roles for a Black woman in a US television series, and it was among the first portrayals of a Black woman in a military-style command role in any format. In 1968, Nichols found herself in a minor media storm along with William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. During the episode Plato's Stepchildren, Uhura and Kirk kissed. A kiss between a white man and a black woman on American television was unprecedented and groundbreaking at the time. Through this role, Nichols became an icon and role model for young black women in the United States. She was even reportedly persuaded by legendary civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr to remain in the role during the series’ short-lived run. From 1977 until 2015, the US space agency NASA enlisted her to help get more women and people of colour to its astronaut and sciences programs. The effort led to the recruitment of Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut.
Nichelle Nichols' time in the Science Fiction series only lasted three seasons. The show was canceled in 1969, but its significance would last for decades. When the original television series was canceled, creator and producer gene Roddenberry lobbied Paramount Pictures to continue the franchise through a feature film. The success of the series in syndication convinced the studio to begin work on the film in 1975. Nichols reprised the role of Lt Uhura in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Robert Wise, 1979). the first installment in the Star Trek film series, which stars the cast of the original television series. Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews, many of which faulted it for a lack of action scenes and over-reliance on special effects. Its final production cost ballooned to approximately $44 million, and it earned $139 million worldwide, short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a less expensive sequel. Roddenberry was forced out of creative control for the sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982). It was a box office success, earning US$97 million worldwide and setting a world record for its first-day box office gross. Critical reaction to the film was positive; reviewers highlighted Khan's (Ricardo Montalban) character, Meyer's direction, improved performances, the film's pacing, and the character interactions as strong elements. Negative reactions focused on weak special effects and some of the acting. The Wrath of Khan is considered by many to be the best film in the Star Trek series, and is often credited with renewing substantial interest in the franchise. She appeared in four more sequels, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Leonard Nimoy, 1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Leonard Nimoy, 1984), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (William Shatnert, 1989), and the last being Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Nicholas Meyer, 1991). Nichols also appeared in other films. She briefly appeared as a secretary in the comedy Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (Peter Tewksbury. 1967) starring Sandra Dee and George Hamilton, and portrayed Dorienda, a foul-mouthed madam in Truck Turner (Jonathan Kaplan, 1974) opposite Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, her only appearance in a blaxploitation film. In the comedy Snow Dogs (Brian Levant, 2002), Nichols appeared as the mother of the male lead, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. In her later years, Nichelle Nichols would make a semi-retirement from appearances at fan conventions where she and other members of the original cast were treated like royalty. She made an appearance at the Los Angeles Comic Con as recently as 2021. Since 2012, her faithful manager had lived in her San Fernando Valley home after she was diagnosed with dementia. A stroke in 2015 left her dependent on care. Her family and her manager argued all the way to court over who was going to care for her. Nichelle Nichols died on 30 July 2022 in Silver City, New Mexico, at the age of 89. Her death was confirmed on Instagram on 31 July 2022, by the actor’s son Kyle Johnson.
Sources: The Independent, Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022)
West-German postcard by Xtreme, Wuppertal, no. 32733. Nichelle Nichols with DeForest Kelley, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in the TV series Star Trek (1966-1969).
On 20 July, American actress Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) passed away in Silver City. We remember her as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the space adventure TV series Star Trek (1966-1969). The lieutenant on the bridge of Starship Enterprise was a groundbreaking example of representation for Black Americans in Hollywood. She also played Uhura in the first six Star Trek feature films, that continue the adventures of the cast of the original series.
Nichelle Nichols was born as Grace Dell Nichols in 1932 in Robbins, a small town near Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of, Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker who was elected both town mayor of Robbins in 1929 and its chief magistrate, and his wife, Lishia (Parks) Nichols, a homemaker. Disliking her name, Nichols asked her parents for a new one; they offered "Nichelle," which they said meant "victorious maiden". Nichols studied in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. In New York she performed as a singer for a while. She also travelled with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands through North America and Europe. Nichols' break came in an appearance in 'Kicks and Co.', Oscar Brown's highly touted but ill-fated 1961 musical. In a thinly veiled satire of Playboy magazine, she played Hazel Sharpe, a voluptuous campus queen who was being 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 for his Chicago Playboy Club. She also appeared in the role of 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, Nichols did occasional modeling work. After acting in various television and theatre plays, Nichols was asked for the role of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the television series Star Trek (1966-1969). Her role as the ship’s communications officer was significant for many reasons: It was one of the first major roles for a Black woman in a US television series, and it was among the first portrayals of a Black woman in a military-style command role in any format. In 1968, Nichols found herself in a minor media storm along with William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. During the episode Plato's Stepchildren, Uhura and Kirk kissed. A kiss between a white man and a black woman on American television was unprecedented and groundbreaking at the time. Through this role, Nichols became an icon and role model for young black women in the United States. She was even reportedly persuaded by legendary civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr to remain in the role during the series’ short-lived run. From 1977 until 2015, the US space agency NASA enlisted her to help get more women and people of colour to its astronaut and sciences programs. The effort led to the recruitment of Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut.
Nichelle Nichols' time in the Science Fiction series only lasted three seasons. The show was canceled in 1969, but its significance would last for decades. When the original television series was canceled, creator and producer gene Roddenberry lobbied Paramount Pictures to continue the franchise through a feature film. The success of the series in syndication convinced the studio to begin work on the film in 1975. Nichols reprised the role of Lt Uhura in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Robert Wise, 1979). the first installment in the Star Trek film series, which stars the cast of the original television series. Star Trek: The Motion Picture received mixed reviews, many of which faulted it for a lack of action scenes and over-reliance on special effects. Its final production cost ballooned to approximately $44 million, and it earned $139 million worldwide, short of studio expectations but enough for Paramount to propose a less expensive sequel. Roddenberry was forced out of creative control for the sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982). It was a box office success, earning US$97 million worldwide and setting a world record for its first-day box office gross. Critical reaction to the film was positive; reviewers highlighted Khan's (Ricardo Montalban) character, Meyer's direction, improved performances, the film's pacing, and the character interactions as strong elements. Negative reactions focused on weak special effects and some of the acting. The Wrath of Khan is considered by many to be the best film in the Star Trek series, and is often credited with renewing substantial interest in the franchise. She appeared in four more sequels, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Leonard Nimoy, 1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Leonard Nimoy, 1984), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (William Shatnert, 1989), and the last being Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Nicholas Meyer, 1991). Nichols also appeared in other films. She briefly appeared as a secretary in the comedy Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (Peter Tewksbury. 1967) starring Sandra Dee and George Hamilton, and portrayed Dorienda, a foul-mouthed madam in Truck Turner (Jonathan Kaplan, 1974) opposite Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, her only appearance in a blaxploitation film. In the comedy Snow Dogs (Brian Levant, 2002), Nichols appeared as the mother of the male lead, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. In her later years, Nichelle Nichols would make a semi-retirement from appearances at fan conventions where she and other members of the original cast were treated like royalty. She made an appearance at the Los Angeles Comic Con as recently as 2021. Since 2012, her faithful manager had lived in her San Fernando Valley home after she was diagnosed with dementia. A stroke in 2015 left her dependent on care. Her family and her manager argued all the way to court over who was going to care for her. Nichelle Nichols died on 30 July 2022 in Silver City, New Mexico, at the age of 89. Her death was confirmed on Instagram on 31 July 2022, by the actor’s son Kyle Johnson.
Sources: The Independent, Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.