Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. By Kofi Outlaw - February 28, 2023 01:24 pm EST. By Stephen Iervolino via August 1, 2022, 8:57 AM 3:36 VIDEO: Groundbreaking 'Star Trek' actress Nichelle Nichols dies at Actress Nichelle Nichols, best known for playing chief communications officer Uhura in the original Star Trek series, has died. Nasa paid tribute to the iconic actress and said: We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. She died on November 13, 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Forget shaking the table, she built it! (6 January 1969 21 September 2019; age 50)Character(s): Nog, (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Colt opposite Hunter as Capt. and starred alongside Jeffrey Hunter in The Cage, the rejected first pilot made for Star Trek, has died. But in Nichols 1994 autobiography Beyond Uhura, the actress insisted that the kiss was in fact real. Ive often thought that was an interesting role for me to play. She had multiple Star Trek-related roles, though she is mostly remembered for her roles as Nurse Christine Chapel in "Star Trek: The Original Series" (1966-1969) and as 23 February 1932 - 18 December 2008 (age 76)Character(s): Number One (Pilot 1964/1986 T.O.S 2 episodes 1966), Christine Chapel (T.O.S 36 episodes 1966 - 1969), T.A.S 21 episodes 1973 -1974, Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986, Lwaxana Troi (T.N.G 6 episodes 1987 - 1993, D.S.9 3 episodes 1993 -1996) & Computer Voice (1966 - 2009). Groundbreaking 'Star Trek' actress, activist Nichelle Nichols dies at 89 Her family confirmed Nichols' death from natural causes. President Biden called Nichols a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women.. Later, she sang with his band. Jane was raised from the age of three months in New York City and attended the fashionable Chapin School and later 12 August 1910 20 October 2006 (age 96)Character(s): Amanda Grayson (T.O.S 1 episode 1967, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986 & Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989). Girls! The episode ended up resulting in the most fan mail that Paramount had ever gotten on Star Trek for one episode, she said in a 2010 interview. WebThis is a list of the dates of deaths of individuals who have worked on Star Trek. In a statement posted on Facebook, Mr Johnson wrote: "I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years. "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols died on Sunday, according to a post shared by her son Kyle on her official Facebook page. She wanted to leave because she had been offered a role in a show that was heading to Broadway,saying in an interview that her "life was theatre". 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The song is an appropriately for 1965 groovy and high-energy arrangement with lots of horns. His character was depicted as a son of the Starfleet 3 September 1959 17 March 1989 (age 29) Character(s): David Marcus (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 1984) & T'Jon (T.N.G 1 episode 1988). Girls! Her breakout role came in the 1966 pre-Civil War-era Western The Road West, in which she played Elizabeth Reynolds for all 29 episodes of the shows running. 'Star Trek' actress and trailblazing icon Nichelle Nichols dies at 89 Callie Ahlgrim Jul 31, 2022, 12:52 PM Nichelle Nichols attends the 2016 Heroes Of Hollywood Awards Luncheon. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Hays began her career with TV roles in the early 1960s. After working in the 1964 feature Westerns Stage to Thunder Rock and Law of the Lawless and The Glory Guys, Goodwin was cast as Yeoman J.M. Bibi Besch was born in Vienna, Austria, to race car driver Gotfrid Kchert and actress Gusti Huber. Girls! Jackson DeForest Kelley was born on January 20, 1920 in Toccoa, Georgia, to Clora (Casey) and Ernest David Kelley.He graduated from high school at age 16 and went on to sing at the Baptist church where his father was a minister. She even changed her mind about conventions, according to signing convention agent Scott Ray. 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She was an actress, known for Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), Playing by Heart (1998) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995). pic.twitter.com/1zlTd4F9BD, My love for the original Star Trek is profound. He is primarily known for playing Vulcan ambassador Sarek (Spock's father) in "Star Trek: The Original Series" and a number of its spin-offs.In 1924, Lenard was born under the name "Leonard Rosenson" in Chicago Illinois. There she established herself as one of the greatest theatrical actresses and was a major star on Broadway 10 February 1897 3 January 1992 (age 94)Character(s): T'Lar (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 1984), Actress | Nichelle Nichols told us that we belonged in outer space. xo pic.twitter.com/qhZ5tujAXs, Kim Cattrall (@KimCattrall) July 31, 2022, Thank you for giving so many of us a place in the universe. We were there from about 4 in the morning to about 9 or 10 at night. He signed off with the signature "Star Trek" send off, "Live Long and Prosper.". 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Horror legend dead at 93: Ricou Browning was Creature From the Black Lagoon, Vanessa Bryant awarded $29M in suit over Kobe helicopter crash photos, Sizemores family deciding end-of-life matters after brain aneurysm, Hayden Panettieres brothers cause of death revealed. Fox News' Larry Fink contributed to this report. Nichols mulled leaving Star Trek after the first season to pursue a career on Broadway, but the Rev. Girls! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. She waseventuallyplaced under a court conservatorship that her son controlled,with Johnson saying her mental decline made it impossible for her to take care of herself or make public appearances. She reportedly passed away due to natural causes. Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. Sending my love and condolences to her family.". Lum, and Meg Nichelle Nichols (left, as Uhura), Canadian actor William Shatner (as Captain James T. Kirk) holds a plate on the bridge of the USS Enterprise in a scene from 'The Man Trap,' the premiere episode of 'Star Trek,' which aired on Sept. 8, 1966. If you leave, that door can be closed because your role is not a black role and it's not a female role, he can fill it with anyone, including an alien! They didnt want to pay, said Thrett. Thank you, Nichelle. Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols dies aged 89 Comment Alicia Adejobi Sunday 31 Jul 2022 8:26 pm Nichelle Nichols died on Saturday (Picture: Getty Images) Rest well, ancestor.. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a fan of the series and understood the importance of her character in opening doors for other African Americans on television, personally persuaded her to stay on the show, she told astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in an interview for the Archive of American Television. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars. My heart is broken, Marina Sirtis (@Marina_Sirtis) July 31, 2022, Lynda Carter, who portrayed Wonder Woman in the 1970s DC Comics television series, shared that Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media., Many actors become stars, but few stars can move a nation. Grace Lee Whitney was a versatile actress and vocalist born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images Nichelle Nichols died July 30 at age 89, according to a Facebook post by her son, Kyle Johnson. Nichols died of heart failure Saturday night at a hospital in Silver City, N.M., a friend of the family handling media inquiries for Nichols son confirmed Sunday to the Los Angeles Times. Thanks for contacting us. #NichelleNichols pic.twitter.com/DONSz6IV2b, Kate Mulgrew (@TheKateMulgrew) July 31, 2022, J.J. Abrams, who helmed the 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 follow-up Star Trek Into Darkness, called Nichols a remarkable woman in a remarkable role., A remarkable woman in a remarkable role. In the meantime, I had turned down the two comedies, pulled my name out of consideration, she said. Star Trek is it. She was 89. Following the news of her death, Star Trek co-star George Takei wrote in a tweet: "My heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.". In her 1994 book Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories, Nichols wrote of the iconic moment: Finally, the guys in charge relented: To hell with it. The Uhura-Kirk kiss was likely the first televised white/African American lip-to-lip kiss. She is pictured on the right at the Los Angeles Comic Con event in December 2021. News Jul 31, 2022 12:08pm PT Nichelle Nichols, Uhura in Star Trek, Dies at 89 By Carmel Dagan Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed He was previously married to Suzanne Hunt and Susan Harney. All Rights Reserved. Actress and singer Nichelle Nichols, best known as Star Trek 's communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, died Saturday night in Silver City, New Mexico. Tracy Wright is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. She was 79. She also shared one of TV's first prime-time interracial kisses with her costar William Shatner, further cementing Nichols as a historic figure in Hollywood. He was wounded on D Day and became a flying observer for the rest of the war. Fox News Digital has contacted her representatives for comment and can confirm memorial flowers will be placed on her Hollywood Walk of Fame star on Monday, August 1, at 1 p.m., which was dedicated to Nichols on Jan. 9, 1992. Tell us what you think about this feature. I did a lot of press when Paramount signed me.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. She opted early on for a life in the entertainment industry, performing in community theatre and later as a dancer for some fourteen years with a troupe called the St. Louis Celtic Stepdancers. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit 26 March 1931 - 27 February 2015 (age 84)Character(s): Spock (Pilot 1964/1986, T.O.S 79 episodes 1966 - 1969), T.A.S 22 episodes 1973 - 1974, 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 1989, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 1991, T.N.G 2 episodes 1991, DS9: 1 episode archive footage 1996, Star Trek 2009, Star Trek Into Darkness 2013 & Star Trek Beyond Picture only 2016), Actress | Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, cited Star Trek as an influence in her decision to join the space agency. obtaining the rank of Captain. She began working as a model when she was 7, then attended Lowell High School and San Francisco State. American actress Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role in 1960s sci-fi TV series Star Trek, has died aged 89. Nichols was asked by Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry to think about her decision for a couple of days, which she agreed to do. As noted by the Post, she was considered a trailblazer for Black actors, particularly for portraying a Black woman in a position of authority. Years later I got a letter from Gene Roddenberry to forfeit my residuals and to donate them to his charity. Goodwin died Feb. 25 in Cathedral City, California, her sister, Maureen Scott, announced. She studied in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Thank you, #NichelleNichols. Some company contacted me to sell my autograph on these Star Trek cards. The actress wrote: Nichelle Nichols was The First. Peter Duryea was born on July 14, 1939 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was 89. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The two memorably share a dance in the clever The Wall Have Ears number. Mudds Women is one of the most memorable episodes of the 1960s Star Trek, in no small part because it featured three stunningly beautiful women (Thrett, Karen Steele and Susan Denberg) who seem to have strange powers over the male members of the Enterprise crew except Spock, of course. She was considered a trailblazer for Black actors and shared one of TV's first prime-time interracial kisses. She kept a lot of that to herself, only opening up about her own experiences when she was much older and finally able to enjoy some of the perks that came with being on Star Trek.. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987-1993), receiving an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991 for the role. American actress, casting director, teacher, and theatrical director. William Shatner came aboard as Capt. Video, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. 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