(Washington) African-American actress Nichelle Nichols is best known for her role as the lead in the cult series. Star TrekHis family announced in a statement on Sunday that he died overnight from Saturday to Sunday at the age of 89.
Posted at 5:09 pm
“Last night my mother Nichelle Nichols passed away of natural causes,” her son Kyle told the actress’ official website uhura.com. “His life was well lived and a role model for us all.”
A family spokesperson said the actress died in Silver City, New Mexico, where she lived with her son.
Lt. Nyota Uhura, an officer of African descent and fluent in Swahili, quickly became a civil rights icon, a former dancer and singer who played in a 1960s science fiction series.
Her role as an upstanding black woman earned her the praise of Martin Luther King, who was assassinated in 1968, urging her not to leave. Star Trek She tells him that it’s the only series he’s allowed her kids to watch, she admits.
Photo courtesy of Paramount
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
In 1968, when William Shatner and Nicole Nichols, who played the iconic Captain Kirk, kissed, it was one of the first kisses between a white person and a person of another race on American television.
In the 1970s, Nichelle Nichols created a video to help NASA recruit astronauts, especially women and minorities.
“My heart is heavy,” tweeted another person in the series, George Takei. “My dear friend, my eyes shine like the stars where you now rest.”
Born December 28, 1932 in Chicago, Grace Dell Nichols began her career as a dancer and singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the age of 14.
Her role in the first series was well recognized Star TrekShe also danced with Sammy Davis Jr Porgy and BessActed in other television series and recorded two albums.
She also played the name Uhura, derived from the Swahili word for “freedom” in the first six films of the series. Star Trek.
