Nichelle Nichols is best known for her portrayal of Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek, but her life and career is so much more than that. She has voiced major cartoons, appeared in TV shows like Heroes and received critical acclaim on Broadway. She is revered for breaking colour lines on TV in a racially intolerant era, was the first African American to have her handprint in front of Mann’s Chinese Theatre, toured with Duke Ellington and even worked for NASA, inspiring Dr. Mae C. Jemison to become the first African American female astronaut. Nichelle Nichols has a legacy that will be talked about for generations to come, and she will be at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo October 20th and 21st. Nichelle spoke with GayCalgary Magazine about meeting fans and her career.

GC: In the past few years the Calgary Expo has featured Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and a Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion, and all have received a rabid response. What are your thoughts on meeting your fans?

NN: It’s very gratifying that something you’ve done has had a positive effect on so many people for so long. My heart just pumps a little faster or calmer. I’ve become very used to it, but you’re never completely used to it. Each story is different, each person is new and all through the Star Trek fandom  it’s like meeting the same person over and over again, only in a different suit or different flesh - they’re just wonderful. It’s not like celebrity and crazy fans.  Nothing like that.  It’s like...it truly is something that we had the privilege of being in something that touched so many people’s lives in such a positive way that Gene Roddenberry gave to the world, because I’ll go to Europe and it’s the same thing. Wherever I go, it’s almost like meeting the same people over again from day one.  I think they’re some of the brightest people in the world because they’re not just fans, they really care about the deeper aspects of the show and and what Gene achieved in portraying, using us, because that’s what life is.

GC: It is interesting how the paths of people associated with Star Trek have crossed. You and Jonathan Frakes both voiced characters in Gargoyles, and George Takei and yourself were both on Heroes.

NN: I think that’s wonderful....[after Star Trek, if] they hadn’t done something, I would still be seeing them because they all had careers of their own you know as exciting and as well known as mine.  And so, when Jonathan came on board and did the next Star Trek edition that he did with new cast,when we meet at Star Trek conventions, we’re all family.

GC: You’ve voiced a lot of children’s shows like Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman, Gargoyles. Is that something that you specifically wanted to do?

NN: I did not, I did what everybody else had done. I’m an actor and when they called me to work and if the price was right and I had the time (laughs).  And it just happened, that it seems like that but I’ve done other work too and I’m in the process of co-producing and co-starring in a new movie that I’ve done and it’s just,part of it goes with the territory, it goes with the gig.  Sometimes it’s drama, sometimes it’s humour, sometimes it’s for kids, sometimes it’s for very adult minded people.

GC: It has been a challenge for many actors whether in Star Trek or another popular show to break away from that character and achieve other successes. You have had a long and varied career, what do you attribute that to?

NN: Well, I had a career before Star Trek but I didn’t become noted in films or TV until Star Trek, but I’m a singer, a dancer, an actor and I’ve done it all. Theatre was my big thing and when a television series came along, I happened to be in Los Angeles and my agent said "Why don’t you go out for this, I could put you up for it," and I said, "Oh I don’t do TV and movies." I was at that time in negotiations to do a Broadway show. He said, "go out for it anyway," and I said, "oh ok," and I got it. (laughs)  And things just keep happening, so I do theatre when I am available, and I do TV when I’m available, and I do movies when I’m available, and it’s all been very very rewarding career wise as a performer, but it’s been rewarding financially as well.

GC: You have broken a lot of barriers. You were the first African American actress to not play a "stereotyped" character. You changed a lot of perspective both in Hollywood and for those watching on TV, and things have progressed. Your thoughts on that?

NN: Yes, and I’m very proud of that and I’m very thankful. I’m thankful to Gene Roddenberry, first and foremost, because he gave me my first lead role 3 years before he did Star Trek.  And that gave me entry to other things and when he was doing Star Trek he called my agent and said, "Find her and get her back here, we’ve got a role for her." And when I came back, when I finally came back, he talked me into coming home, I didn’t know it was for Gene Roddenberry or I would have been on the next flight. But when I got here and went to the interview, I didn’t see Gene and he hadn’t told anybody that he had called me in.  So, I went in against 5 or 6 other girls, and there were 5 men who saw me and one was the director and the co-producer and lighting man and all of that. And Gene did that to me twice (laughs), if he really wants you he never tells you.  He has you go in and get it. It confirmed that he was right, instead of saying, "this is who I want,"  and so when you find that out as an actor you feel pretty darn good about it cause you know if you go in and get it, it’s not because you know somebody.  I said to him, "Well, what if I hadn’t gotten it?" He said, "I’d have been very disappointed in you."  I appreciated that because I came up in theatre; you go and get it on your own, you gotta go and perform, you know.  And in theatre, unless you’re married to the producer, you gotta go in there and get it on your own, you gotta perform.  And that makes me very proud in one way but very respectful of my chosen career.

GC: Dr. Martin Luther King was a big fan of yours. Tell me about meeting him.

NN: It changed my life.  I had made the decision I wasn’t going to do any more TV and I was talking to somebody for a starring role on a show that was going to Broadway.  I was at a social event in Beverly Hills, I think it was an NAACP function but I’m not sure.  They were just seating me at the lead table where they put all of the people [that are] going to be voting on something or making decisions, you know their celebrities.  And, I was just sitting down when the producers came over and said, "Oh pardon me Miss Nichols, there’s someone who would like to meet you, and he said he’s your greatest fan."  And so I thought, "Ok, you know, I’ve had some greatest fans..."  I turned up and I looked across the room and walking towards me with this big smile on his face was Dr. Martin Luther King and I remember thinking to myself, "Well, whoever that fan is, he’s going to have to wait, because I can’t miss this opportunity, I’m going to go meet Dr Martin Luther King."  And then he started laughing and he came over to me and he said "Yes Ms Nichols, I am your greatest fan," (laughs) and I said that was just so great. And he said that Star Trek was their favourite show on television, his little kids and his wife too. And he said he came in one night, from being gone for several days, you know, and just his wife and little kids were on the floor watching TV, and he said "Hi darlings" and they turned themselves to him and said "Shush, Uhura’s on!" (Laughs)  And he felt that that was just one of the first things he wanted to tell me, that’s why he wanted to meet me, to tell me that story.  And I just cherish that story.

GC: It is an amazing story thank you for sharing it. It was because of him that you stayed on Star Trek, correct?

NN: I think it was made in heaven because when I met Dr King, I said to him "I’m going to miss my co-stars," and the smile went off his face and he said, "What do you mean?" And I said, "Well, I’ve been offered a role on Broadway and I’m going to go..." and he said, "You cannot," and he was so serious.  And I’m looking at him like, what are you talking about Dr Martin Luther King?  I just was stunned and I looked at him and he said, "Don’t you know what Gene Roddenberry has done?  This is the first non-stereotypical role on television and especially for women.  You represent too much and this is going to take you farther than you think."  And I thought, this man is interfering in my career choice (laughs).  But he said it with such conviction that all my doubts about whether he was right or wrong, he said that I couldn’t leave and I didn’t leave and he was right.  I have never looked back and never regretted it."

GC: We saw a different side of both you and George Takei at the William Shatner Roast...

NN: I don’t want to talk about that. (laughs)

GC: It was so much fun though.

NN: I thought so too.  I don’t think Bill thought it, I don’t think Bill understood what a roast is. (laughs)  He couldn’t imagine all those people standing up and talking about him like a dog.  And it occurred to me that I think, "My god I wouldn’t have done that if I’d known he didn’t know."  He thought we were going to stand up and say all kinds of wonderful things about him.  That’s what he told somebody.  He said, I didn’t know...why were they doing that.  He said "they were roasting you," and he didn’t know.  He’s from Canada. (laughs)  So anyway, forgive me for laughing so hard, every time I think of it, it’s hysterically funny.

GC: You continue to do appearances and you mentioned you are working on another movie. Are you just going to keep doing this? You love it so much you are not going to stop?

NN: Does a doctor stop being a doctor?

GC: Eventually they retire, yes.

NN: (laughs)  Retiring is one thing, but doing something other than my career that I trained for in many aspects, as a singer, as a dancer, as an actor, as a writer, it’s what I’ll be doing, I’m never going to have enough time.  I’ve already sent a message to St Peter: I don’t have time, don’t be visiting me.  I still have too much to do.

Related Articles

Contributor Jason Clevett |

Locale Edmonton |

Person Nichelle Nichols |

Topic Celebrity Interview | Comic Expo | Edmonton Expo | Star Trek |