Nichelle Nichols Net Worth: The American actress, singer, producer, and author Nichelle Nichols has a $500k net worth. The part of Lieutenant Uhura that Nichols originated on the original season of “Star Trek” (1966–1969) has been resurrected in six “Star Trek” movies. Nichelle became quite well-liked at conventions later in her career. Depending on the size and her commitment, she can be paid between $10,000 and $50,000 to appear at conferences. Nichols was making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from these gatherings before her health forced her to retire. Nichelle has more than 60 acting credits to her name, including roles in the TV series “The Young and the Restless,” the movies “Snow Dogs” and “Are We There Yet?” (2016).
The movies “Lady Magdalene’s” (2008) and “Unbelievable!!!!!” (2020), as well as the documentary “Woman in Motion” about her time spent working for NASA, were all produced by Nichols. Numerous animated works, including “Gargoyles” (1994), “Batman: The Animated Series” (1994), “Futurama” (2000; 2002), and “The Simpsons,” have included her voice (2004). Nichelle is a talented author who has written the biography Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories in 1994 as well as the science fiction books Saturn’s Child and Saturna’s Quest in 1995. (2002). Additionally, she has two albums under her belt: “Down to Earth” (1967) and “Out of This World” (1991).
Nichelle Nichols Net Worth
Net Worth: | $500k |
Date of Birth: | Dec 28, 1932 (89 years old) |
Gender: | Female |
Height: | 5 ft 4 in (1.65 m) |
Profession: | Actor, Singer, Voice Actor, Film Producer |
Nationality: | United States of America |
Nichelle Nichols Early Life
Grace Dell Nichols was born on December 28, 1932, in Robbins, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Mother Salish, father Samuel, and younger brother Thomas were her childhood companions. Her father was the mayor and chief magistrate of Robbins, as well as a factory worker. Sadly, Nichelle lost her brother, a member of the Heaven’s Gate cult, when the group’s members all killed themselves in March 1997. Nichols started her career in show business at the age of 16, when she joined Duke Ellington’s band as a dancer. Ellington requested that she perform for him, and after hearing her, he decided she should lead the band.
Nichelle Nichols Career
Hugh Hefner, owner of “Playboy,” engaged Nichols to perform in the Chicago Playboy Club after seeing her in the Oscar Brown musical “Kicks and Co.” in 1961. She also appeared in a New York production of “Porgy and Bess” and played the main role in a Chicago production of “Carmen Jones.” She made her debut in a 1959 rendition of “Porgy and Bess” starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in an uncredited dance role.
Then, Nichelle starred in the movies “Tarzan’s Deadly Silence” (1966), “Made in Paris” (1966), “Mister Buddwing” (1966), and “Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding!” (1967). In January 1967, she was featured on the cover of “Ebony” magazine. Two years after appearing as a guest performer on Gene Roddenberry’s “The Lieutenant” in 1964, Nichols was given the part that would forever alter her life: Lieutenant Uhura on the science fiction programme “Star Trek.”
On September 8, 1966, NBC broadcast the show’s debut episode. It ran for 79 episodes before being cancelled in 1969. During the first season, Nichelle thought about leaving the show to pursue a career on Broadway, but Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. persuaded her to stay by saying, “You must continue in this position; it is crucial. We are marching because of this. We never expected to see this on television.”
Nichols and co-star William Shatner made history in the 1968 “Star Trek” episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” when they shared the first interracial kiss ever depicted on a U.S. TV series. The television programme “Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973), the video games “Star Trek: 25th Anniversary” (1992) and “Star Trek: Judgment Rites,” as well as the films “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979), “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984), “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” (1989), (1994). Nichols acted in the movies “Truck Turner” (1974), “The Supernaturals” (1986), “The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space” (1995), and the TV movie “Antony and Cleopatra” after “Star Trek” was cancelled (1984).
Nichelle starred in the box office smash “Snow Dogs,” which made $115 million in 2002, and the 2005 hit “Are We There Yet?” ($97.9 million). She played Nana Dawson in a recurring role on NBC’s “Heroes” from 2007 to 2008. After that, she made appearances in the movies “Tru Loved,” “The Torturer,” “This Bitter Earth,” “Renegades,” “American Nightmares,” and “Surge of Dawn” (2019). In addition, Nichols had a recurring role on “The Young and the Restless” as Lucinda Winters in 2016.
The following year, she made appearances in the TV movies “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming,” “Renegades,” “Downward Dog,” and “Star Trek: Renegades” as a guest star (but not as Uhura). She declared in May 2019 that she was quitting convention appearances and will go on a “farewell tour” throughout the following year. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of her last scheduled presentation, which was scheduled for May 2020 at the Nichelle Nichols Farewell Convention in Burbank, California.
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Nichelle Nichols Personal Life
Nichelle dated “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s, and she has said that their relationship ended before the start of the show. At Roddenberry’s burial in 1991, Nichols performed “Gene,” a song she co-wrote with her. Foster Johnson, a dancer, and Nichelle Johnson wed in 1951; they eventually divorced. Kyle was born to the couple on August 14, 1951. The couple separated in 1972 after Nichols subsequently married Duke Mondy in 1968.
She went to the White House in 2012 to meet with President Obama, and she tweeted about the encounter “Years ago, President Obama was cited as claiming that he had a crush on me. He enthusiastically affirmed it when I questioned him about it. Additionally, President Obama acknowledged to me that he was unquestionably a Trekker! What a beautiful thing!” Nichelle was identified as having dementia in 2018, and in June 2015 it was disclosed that she had been admitted to the hospital following a small stroke.
Gilbert Bell, Nichols’ manager and carer, was sued in August 2020 by Nichols’ son, who claimed that Gilbert had engaged in “financial elder abuse.” Bell “actively misappropriated monies received by Ms. Nichols, by syphoning cash from Ms. Nichols’ appearances at conventions, improperly dispersing the money Ms. Nichols earned, and misappropriating funds from Ms. Nichols’ financial accounts,” according to the lawsuit. In November 2020, Kyle relocated Nichelle to New Mexico, where he now acts as her main caregiver.
Nichols started working with NASA to find candidates for astronaut positions when “Star Trek” was no longer on the air. Dr. Sally Ride, Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, Dr. Judith Resnik, and Dr. Ronald McNair were a few of the candidates she recruited. Nichelle joined the National Space Society’s board of governors in the middle of the 1980s. She participated in an eight-hour NASA mission in 2015 to study the atmospheres of Saturn and Mars while flying on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy Boeing 747SP.
Nichols and other “Star Trek” cast members were present at the dedication of the first space shuttle Enterprise in Palmdale, California, in September 1976. In 2001, NASA named Asteroid 68410 “Nichols” in honour of Nichelle’s work as “a global ambassador for NASA, a recruiter of astronauts, and an inspiration to millions as an author of science fiction” in addition to her role on “Star Trek.” In 2010, Nichelle paid a visit to the Johnson Space Center to see Mission Control and the space shuttle simulator.
Nichelle Nichols Awards and Honors
We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars. pic.twitter.com/pmQaKDb5zw
— NASA (@NASA) July 31, 2022
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films gave Nichols a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016; in 1980, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” saw her nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award. She was honoured with a Millennium Award for “Star Trek” by Germany’s Golden Camera awards in 1999, and she was entered into the Online Film & Television Association Hall of Fame in 2015. Nichelle was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2017 for “The Young and the Restless'” Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series, and in 1987, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’s” Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
Two TV Land Award nominations were shared by Nichols and her “Star Trek” co-star William Shatner: Most Memorable Kiss in 2006 and TV Moment That Became Headline News in 2007. Nichelle got an honorary degree from Los Angeles Mission College in 2010 and the Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International in 2018. Nichelle was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.
Real Estate
Nichelle spent $110,000 on a house in Woodland Hills, California, in 1983. Nichelle’s son sold the house to Baron Construction & Remodeling Co. in August 2021 for just under $2.2 million