Nichelle Nichols

Background

Nichelle Nichols, also known as Grace Dell Nichols, was born in Robbins, Illinois, not far from Chicago, on December 28, 1932. Her father, Samuel Earl Nichols, worked in a factory and was also Robbins’ mayor and chief magistrate. Lishia Mae (Parks) Nichols, her mother, was a housewife. Nichols’ family relocated to Chicago when she was a child, where she attended the Chicago Ballet to study dancing.

She made her acting debut in the 1959 movie “Porgy and Bess,” and her first television appearance was in “The Lieutenant” (1964). Two albums, including “Down to Earth” (1968) and “Out of This World” (1991), were later produced by Nichols. One of the first times an African American actress was given a non-stereotypical role on television was when she was cast as Lieutenant Commander Uhura in “Star Trek” in 1966. In subsequent “Star Trek” films and television episodes, such as “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979), “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984), “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” “Paramount” (1989), and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991), Nichols played Uhura numerous times. In two Tarzan movies, “Tarzan’s Jungle Rebellion” (1967) and “Tarzan’s Deadly Silence” (1970), she was also cast as Ruana. She founded Women in Motion, Inc., in 1975, a business that created educational products that used music as a teaching tool. After Nichols was awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the company’s mission was broadened to include astronaut recruitment. As a result, thousands of women and people of color — including Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, and Ellison Onizuka — applied to join NASA’s space program. Nichols is co-author of “Saturn’s Child” (1995), the sequel to her autobiography “Star Trek and Other Memories,” and a contributor to works by the National Space Institute.

She received NASA’s Public Service Award in October 1984 for her numerous contributions to integrating the American space program. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992 and, together with the other Star Trek cast members, made history by being the first African American actress to leave her handprint in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. In addition to receiving an honorary doctorate from Los Angeles Mission College on June 8, 2010, Nichols was elected as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The first of her two husbands was dancer Foster Johnson. They got hitched in 1951 and got divorced the following year. Kyle Johnson, who was born on August 14, 1951, was the only child they had together. In 1968, she married Duke Mondy, and in 1972, they divorced.