Revealed: Nichelle Nichols's Total Wealth ( Updated) Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Nichelle Nichols has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What was Nichelle Nichols' net worth?

Nichelle Nichols was born Grace Dell Nichols on December 28, 1932, in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, Illinois. She grew up with mother Salish, father Samuel, and younger brother Thomas. Her father worked in a factory and served as mayor and chief magistrate of Robbins. Sadly, Nichelle lost her brother, a member of the Heaven's Gate cult, in March 1997 when the members committed mass suicide. Nichols began her show business career as a teenager, working with Duke Ellington's band as a dancer at age 16. Ellington asked her to sing for him and was so impressed that he decided she should front the band.

In the 1968 "Star Trek" episode "Plato's Stepchildren," Nichols and co-starWilliam Shatnermade history when they shared the first interracial kiss shown on a scripted U.S. TV series. Nichelle reprised the role of Uhura in 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), and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), the television show "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (1973), and the video games "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary" (1992) and "Star Trek: Judgment Rites" (1994). After the cancellation of "Star Trek," Nichols appeared in the films "Truck Turner" (1974), "The Supernaturals" (1986), and "The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space" (1995) and the TV movie "Antony and Cleopatra" (1984).

Nichelle appeared in the 2002 hit "Snow Dogs," which grossed $115 million at the box office, followed by another hit, "Are We There Yet?" ($97.9 million), in 2005. She had a recurring role as Nana Dawson on NBC's "Heroes" in 2007, then she appeared in the films "Tru Loved" (2008), "The Torturer" (2008), "This Bitter Earth" (2012), "Renegades" (2016), "American Nightmares" (2018), and "Surge of Dawn" (2019). Nichols also had a recurring role as Lucinda Winters on "The Young and the Restless" in 2016, and the following year, she guest-starred on "Renegades," "Downward Dog," and "Star Trek: Renegades" (not as Uhura) and appeared in the TV movie "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming." In May 2019, she announced that she was retiring from convention appearances and would be embarking on a "farewell tour" over the next year. Her final appearance was set for May 2020 at the Nichelle Nichols Farewell Convention in Burbank, California, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nichelle Nichols was best known for playing Lieutenant Uhura on the original iteration of "Star Trek" television series which ran from 1966 to 1969. She reprised her role in six "Star Trek" films. Later in her career, Nichelle was very popular at conventions. She could earn $10,000 – $50,000 to appear at conventions, depending on the size and her commitment. Before she was forced to retire due to health issues, Nichols was earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per year thanks to these conventions. Nichelle has more than 60 acting credits to her name, including the films "Snow Dogs" (2002) and "Are We There Yet?" (2005) and the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" (2016).

Nichelle Nichols was an American actress, singer, producer, and author who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death in July 2022. Nichelle Nichols died on July 30, 2022 at the age of 89.

Nichols produced the films "Lady Magdalene's" (2008) and "Unbelievable!!!!!" (2020) and the documentary "Woman in Motion," which is about her work with NASA. She has lent her voice to numerous animated projects, such as "Gargoyles" (1994), "Batman: The Animated Series" (1994), "Futurama" (2000; 2002), and "The Simpsons" (2004). Nichelle is also an accomplished author, publishing the memoir "Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories" (1994) and the science-fiction novels "Saturn's Child" (1995) and "Saturna's Quest" (2002). She has released two albums, "Down to Earth" (1967) and "Out of This World" (1991), as well.

In 1961, Nichols starred in the Oscar Brown musical "Kicks and Co." and caught the attention of "Playboy" publisherHugh Hefner, who hired her to appear at the Chicago Playboy Club. She also played the title role in a Chicago production of "Carmen Jones" and appeared in a production of "Porgy and Bess" in New York. Her first film appearance was an uncredited role as a dancer in the 1959 film adaptation of "Porgy and Bess," which starredSidney PoitierandDorothy Dandridge. Nichelle then appeared in the films "Tarzan's Deadly Silence" (1966), "Made in Paris" (1966), "Mister Buddwing" (1966), and "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" (1967), and she graced the cover of "Ebony" magazine in January 1967. In 1964, she guest-starred on the Gene Roddenberry series "The Lieutenant," and two years later, he cast Nichols in the role that would change her life: Lieutenant Uhura on the science-fiction series "Star Trek." The show premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, and aired 79 episodes before it was canceled in 1969. Nichelle considered leaving the series during the first season in pursuit of a career on Broadway, but Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.convinced her to stay, telling her, "You simply cannot abdicate, this is an important role. This is why we are marching. We never thought we'd see this on TV."

Ultimately, Nichelle Nichols's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.