Nichelle Nichols Net Worth

Nichelle Nichols's Quotes

• [on the Star Trek (1966) fans] I'm a fan of the fans. I love them. They're fabulous. I love being around them. I love their madness and their caring. I love watching them take off for a weekend, don the costumes, and become characters from the 23rd century and beyond. I thank the fans for giving us--me--so much support and love. I want them to know I love them. They will always be my friends. I'll see the fans, always. They can rest assured of that.
• Star Trek (1966) represented, and still does represent, the future we can have, a future that is beyond the petty squabbles we are dealing with here on Earth, now as much as ever, and we are able to devote ourselves to the betterment of all human kind by doing what we do so well: explore. This kind of a future isn't impossible - and we need to all rethink our priorities to really bring that vision to life.
• Gene's whole vision was that minorities weren't on set because we were minorities, we were on set because in the future, our diverse world would all be working together as equals. I understand that everyone needs to see role models that can inspire them and talk to them and represent them, but I believe that we need to move to a future that transcends race, gender, or anything else. We're all people.
• All the people in Star Trek (1966) will always be known as those characters. And what characters to have attached to your name in life! The show is such a phenomenon all over the world. I think anybody with any intelligence sits down and sees Star Trek not as a children's show.
• I was very blessed in always knowing what I wanted to do, and by the grace of God, I've been able to succeed in my chosen career. It's just coincidental that the acting took off first over everything else.

Interesting Facts about Nichelle Nichols

1. On March 26, 1997, her younger brother Thomas Alva Nichols committed suicide with the other members of the notorious Heaven's Gate cult in Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego, California.
2. Her role as Uhura on Star Trek (1966) was one of the first times that an African-American actress was portrayed in a non-stereotypical role. Previously, African-American actresses were depicted as maids or housekeepers, and Nichols' role broke the stereotype barrier among African-American actresses. Like Sidney Poitier, whose characters were three-dimensional (e.g., Detective Virgil Tibbs), Nichols portrayed a character that was non-stereotypical.
3. Although ignored in the famous actors/actresses in African-American cinema, including famous celebrities during Black History Month, Nichols was one of the first black actresses to portray a character on a television series and science-fiction series who was treated the same as characters of other races, and to all Star Trek (1966) fans, the television series and films that followed set the standard for multiculturalism (where people of different races, ethnicities and genders are integrated and a sense of equality coexists).
4. With Star Trek (1966) co-star William Shatner, she shared the first on-screen kiss between a black female and white male on American television. This resulted in a deluge of mail - 99% of which was positive.
5. Became the first African-American to place her handprints in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theatre, along with the rest of the Star Trek (1966) cast.
6. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6633 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 9, 1992.
7. Made both her first (episode Star Trek: The Corbomite Maneuver (1966)) and last (Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (1991)) "Star Trek" appearances with DeForest Kelley.
8. In early 1951, at age 18, she married a dancer who was 15 years her senior. Within four months they separated, and in August 1951, she bore his son. In 1968, she remarried this time to a songwriter, but that marriage also ended in divorce four years later.
9. Mother of Kyle Johnson.
10. Has appeared in episodes of three different series with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and George Takei: Star Trek (1966), Star Trek (1973) and Futurama (1999).
11. In her autobiography "Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories", she confessed that she once had a close, personal relationship with Star Trek (1966) creator Gene Roddenberry.
12. Discovered by Duke Ellington in her mid-teens, she toured with both Ellington and Lionel Hampton as a lead singer and dancer. Decades later, in 1992, she went back to her singing roots, starring in a dramatic one-woman musical show called "Reflections", in which she became 12 separate song legends. She was also able to use her singing skills several times on Star Trek (1966).
13. From the late 1970s until 1987, she was employed by NASA and in charge of astronaut recruits and hopefuls. Most of the recruits she launched were minority candidates of different races and/or ethnicities, as well as gender, like Guion Bluford (the first African-American male astronaut), Sally Ride (the first American female astronaut), Judith A. Resnik (one of the original female astronauts recruited by NASA, who perished during the launch of the Challenger on January 28, 1986), and Ron McNair (another victim of the Challenger disaster). She resided in Houston, Texas during her years as a Johnson Space Center employee.
14. Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison was inspired by Nichelle when she decided to become the first African-American female astronaut. Jemison was a huge fan of Star Trek (1966).
15. Frustrated with the racist harassment, culminating with her learning that the studio was withholding her fan mail, she submitted her resignation from Star Trek (1966) after consulting with series creator Gene Roddenberry. She stated in several interviews that the harassment made her go back to work in theater until attending an NAACP fundraiser. The fundraiser was where a Star Trek fan was about to meet her for the first time and, to her astonishment, the fan turned out to be Dr. Martin Luther King. King stated that his wife and children had seen Star Trek on TV and it was the only television series that he had approved of. He said that her role as the fourth in command of the USS Enterprise became a positive role model for African-Americans. She withdrew her resignation from the series when King personally convinced her that her role was too important as a breakthrough to leave.
16. She was awarded the Lifetime Career Award at the 2016 Saturn Awards for science fiction entertainment, the musical arts, and her tireless support of NASA and space exploration.
17. Best known by the public (and by many sci-fi fans) for her role as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek (1966).
18. Ranked #17 on Wizard magazine's Sexiest Women of Television for her role as Uhura on Star Trek (1966). [March 2008]
19. Is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
20. Attended FedCon 18 in Bonn, Germany on May 1-3, 2009.