Nichelle Nichols died at the age of 89. an actress who made history playing Lieutenant Uhura in “Star Trek” since 1966. As reported by his son via Facebook, Nichols died of natural causes on Saturday, July 30: “I’m sorry to inform you that a large star no longer shines in the firmament as it has for years”says the statement, “His light, however, like the ancient galaxies we now see for the first time, will remain for us and for future generations to enjoy, learn and inspire us. His has been a life well lived and a great role model for the whole world. “. As The Hollywood Reporter learned, the actress lived for years in Silver City, New Mexico, with her family.
Nichols was born in 1932 in Robbins, Illinois, and studied dance at the Chicago Ballet Academy. She began her artistic career as a dancer with Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington, a band she also sang for. She made her film debut as a dancer and in 1964 she had a small role in Gene Roddenberry’s series “The Lieutenant”, where she played the girlfriend of a black marine victim of the racism of the time. It was thanks to this appearance of her that Roddenberry would have chosen her for another ongoing project at NBC: “Star Trek: The Original Series”. In it Nichols entered into the skin of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, an authoritative character at a time when black actresses on television played only stereotypical servants. Uhura was from the United States of Africa of the future and was on the Enterprise for three seasons, until 1969. Subsequently, she voiced the character in the 1973 animated series, in several video games, in the “Futurama” series, in radio fiction and is back to put a face to ‘Star Trek: The Movie’, ‘Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan’, ‘Star Trek III: The Search for Spock’, ‘Mission: Save the Earth’, ‘Star Trek V : The Ultimate Frontier ‘,’ That Unknown Country ‘and’ Star Trek: First Frontier ‘last 2020. Zoe Saldaña took over in JJ Abrams’ films and Justin Lin and Celia Rose Gooding star in the new Paramount + series ‘Star Trek: Strange New Mondi’.
However, Nichols was not always happy with the character and according to the documentary “Trek Nation”, the actress informed Roddenberry that she wanted to leave the series midway through the first season because she believed her role was inconsistent. Luckily, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. during a fundraiser for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which convinced her to continue the series because he represented a vital role model for racialized boys, girls and youth across the country. country: “He told me Star Trek was one of the few shows where he and his wife Coretta would allow their kids to stay up and watch.”he said to himself, “I thanked him and told him I was leaving the show. The smile disappeared from his face and he said: “You can’t do that. Don’t you understand that, for the first time, we are seen as we should be seen? You don’t have a black sheet. You have an equal role””. Mae Jemison, a former NASA astronaut and the first black American woman to travel to space, cited Lieutenant Uhura’s role as her inspiration for becoming an astronaut.
As a curiosity, in 1968, in the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren”, Uhura and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) star in an interracial kiss, which was then very little seen in movies or on television. Obviously, according to the plot, the kiss happens because some aliens force them, but the NBC executives, worried about the repercussions it could bring, forced them to shoot a censored version of the scene that Nichols and Shatner deliberately failed every take until they gave in and decided to include the kiss. he recounted this anecdote in his memoir, titled “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories”.
Other jobs
Outside of the trekkie galaxy, Nichols was the grandmother of Dana Davis in “Heroes”, Lucinda Winters in “The Young and the Restless” and starred in the films “Surge of Dawn”, “Mr. Malevolent ‘,’ The White Orchid ‘,’ Sharknado 5: Global Fluttering ‘,’ This Bitter Earth ‘,’ The Torturer ‘,’ Tru Loved ‘,’ Alaska Adventures’, ‘The Supernaturals’ and’ Truck Turner ‘.
But Nichols wasn’t just an actress. After publicly berating NASA for not reaching women and minorities, the organization hired her as a recruiter at universities and even the North American Aerospace Defense Command, where they did not allow civilians to enter. Thanks to her, Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, entered the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Guion Bluford, the first African American astronaut, and doctors Judith Resnik and Dr. Ronald McNair. Nichols was invited to fly aboard the C-141 astronomical observatory, participated in the baptism of the first space shuttle, and from the 1980s served on the board of the National Space Society.
Source: E Cartelera
