Why did Nichelle Nichols change her name?
Nichelle Nichols (born December 28, 1932) is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series and its film sequels. The portrayal of Uhura by Nichols was groundbreaking for African American female characters on American television. Nichols volunteered her time from 1977 to 2015 to…
Nichelle Nichols (born December 28, 1932) is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series and its film sequels.
The portrayal of Uhura by Nichols was groundbreaking for African American female characters on American television.
Nichols volunteered her time from 1977 to 2015 to promote NASA’s programs and to recruit diverse astronauts, including women and ethnic minorities.
Nichelle Nichols Career
Her big break came when she appeared in Oscar Brown’s ill-fated 1961 musical Kicks and Co. She played Hazel Sharpe, a voluptuous campus queen who was tempted by the devil and Orgy Magazine to become “Orgy Maiden of the Month” in a thinly veiled satire of Playboy magazine.
Why did Nichelle Nichols change her name?
Nichols was born Grace Dell Nichols, but she disliked her given name. “I wasn’t satisfied with it, so I told my mother and father, and they changed it.” They gave her the name Nichelle (meaning Victorious Maiden), which she accepted.
Nichols’ memory isn’t what it used to be. Neither is her hearing.
