trapped in the closet full episode youtube

In 1977, NASA hired Nichols to help recruit astronauts for its space shuttle program. In 1970, Nichols attended her first “Star Trek” convention, and at a 1975 event, NASA representative Jesco von Puttkamer sparked her relationship with the space agency. Although the original “Star Trek” series was short-lived, running three years until 1969, Nichols became an icon, appearing in the many manifestations of the “Star Trek” franchise, including the animated show and a string of feature films. He told her she was a trailblazer - a Black woman on TV in a nonstereotypical role. A chance encounter with Martin Luther King Jr., a Trekker, changed her mind.

Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek.”įrustrated with the lack of depth in her role, Nichols considered leaving “Star Trek” during the first season.

Nichols met “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry in 1963 after being cast in an episode of his TV series “The Lieutenant,” and in 1966 she made her debut as communications officer Lt.

In 1959, Nichols had a small role in the Samuel Goldwyn production of “Porgy and Bess,” which brought her together with some of the most successful Black stars of the day, including Sammy Davis Jr. She sang and danced through the Chicago club circuit in the 1940s and 1950s, and after her brief marriage to fellow dancer Foster Johnson and the birth of son Kyle, she moved to L.A. Their fear: Nichols is being denied a chance to live out her remaining years as she wants.īorn in Robbins, Ill., Grace Nichols was renamed Nichelle as a teenager moving into the world of professional entertainment. Against the backdrop of the #FreeBritney movement around Britney Spears raising public consciousness about conservatorships, Nichols’ former agent and friend have launched court battles to intervene, they said in interviews.

Trapped in the closet full episode youtube