Biography
Nichelle Nichols, also credited as Grace Dell Nichols, was an American actress, singer and dancer. Born in Robbins, Illinois, she began her career as a performer, touring as a singer and dancer with the orchestras of Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before moving into acting.
She is best known for portraying Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, the communications officer on the USS Enterprise, in the television series Star Trek (1966–1969) and its six feature films from 1979 to 1991, in which the character was promoted to commander. Nichols appeared in other television roles including Nana Dawson in Heroes (2006–2007) and provided voice work for series such as The Simpsons and Futurama. She also worked as an executive producer on several later projects.
