Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Nichols in 1932) is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Her most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series, as well as the succeeding motion pictures, where her character was eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of commander. In 2006, she added executive producer to her résumé. She also voiced her cartoon self in the episode "Anthology of Interest I" and "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" of the animated series Futurama.