Nichelle Nichols, who broke a major race barrier as the star of the 1960s sci-fi seriesStar Trek, has died. She was 89.
A representative for Nichols did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Nichols enjoyed decades in the spotlight thanks to her screen work, her music career and her activism to help more women succeed in the field of astronomy.
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But Nichols' breakout role came when Roddenberry cast the actress as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the originalStar Trekseries. When the show first aired in 1966, Nichols was one of the first Black women to play a major role on primetime television.
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During her acting career, Nichols starred in sixStar Trekmovies from 1979–91. Some of her most recent work included the 2002 Disney pictureSnow Dogs, in which she playedCuba Gooding Jr.’s mother. In 2005, she acted alongsideIce Cubeas Miss Mable in the comedyAre We There Yet?,and in 2007, she had a reoccurring role on the NBC seriesHeroesas Nana Dawson. Nichols appeared in the long-running daytime soap operaThe Young and the Restlessas recently as 2016.
In 1992, Nichols was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And when the originalStar Trekcast was honored in front of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 1991, she became the first African-American to place her handprints and signature at the iconic spot.
In addition to acting, Nichols also recorded two albums,Down to EarthandOut of This World.
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“I knew [Nichols and her son] had a bad relationship,” she said. “I’ve never seen Nichelle scream like that. It’s like, what is going on behind closed doors every day?”
Nichols has one son from her first marriage to Foster Johnson. She later remarried songwriter Duke Mondy. The pair divorced in 1972.
Nicholas Rice
source: people.com
