African-American actress Nichelle Nichols, known for her high-profile groundbreaking role on the cult series Star Trek, died late Saturday-Sunday at the age of 89, her family announced in a statement on Sunday.
“Last night my mother Nichelle Nichols passed away of natural causes,” her son Kyle shared on the actress’s official website, uhura.com. “Her life of hers was well lived and she was a role model for all of us.”
A family spokesman said the actress died in Silver City, New Mexico, where she lived with her son.
The former dancer and singer who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, a fluent Swahili-speaking officer of African descent, had quickly become a civil rights icon in the 1960s sci-fi series.
Her role as a high-ranking black woman had earned her the admiration of Martin Luther King, assassinated in 1968, who had asked her not to leave “Star Trek” as she had planned, telling her that it was the only series that would allow her. her children to watch, she said.
first interracial kiss
In 1968, when William Shatner, who famously played Captain Kirk, and Nichelle Nichols kissed, it was the first kiss between a white person and a person of color on American television.
In the 1970s, Nichelle Nichols made a video to help NASA recruit astronauts, especially women and minorities.
“My heart is heavy,” tweeted another figure in the series, George Takei. “My eyes shine like the stars where you now rest, my dear friend.”
Born on December 28, 1932, in Chicago, Grace Dell Nichols began her career at age 14 as a dancer and singer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Best known for her role on the first Star Trek series, she also danced with Sammy Davis Jr. on “Porgy and Bess,” appeared on other television series, and recorded two albums.
She also played Uhura, a name derived from the Swahili word for “Freedom,” in the first six Star Trek films.
Source: BFM TV
