Biography of Nichelle Nichols

The Loss of Star Trek's Trailblazer Nichelle Nichols, the actress adored by "Star Trek" fans for her portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise, died on Saturday in Silver City, N.M. She was 89.

She died of natural causes on Saturday night, her son Kyle Johnson said.

Ms. Nichols had a lengthy career as an artist, starting as a young supper-club singer and dancer in Chicago, her birthplace, and later...
More Description

The Loss of Star Trek's Trailblazer

Nichelle Nichols, the actress adored by "Star Trek" fans for her portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise, died on Saturday in Silver City, N.M. She was 89.

She died of natural causes on Saturday night, her son Kyle Johnson said.

Ms. Nichols had a lengthy career as an artist, starting as a young supper-club singer and dancer in Chicago, her birthplace, and later performing on television.

But she will forever be best remembered for her work on "Star Trek," the cult-inspiring space adventure series that aired from 1966 to 1969 and starred William Shatner as Captain Kirk, the heroic leader of the starship crew; Leonard Nimoy as his science officer, and adviser, Mr. Spock, an ultra logical humanoid from the planet Vulcan; and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy, a.k.a. Bones, the ship's physician.

• Her love life
• her family history
• Her childhood
• Her career
• Her net worth
• Her death
• Her role as a NASA recruiter
• Her role in activism.
• Her conservatorship.
• Her best moments on screen
• Facts you didn't know about Nichelle Nichols