Nichelle Nichols

Admiral Grace Jeminson is played by Nichelle Nichols, Actress and Producer  born on December 28, 1932 in Robbins, Illinois. She began her show business career at age 16 as a singer with Duke Ellington in a ballet she created for one of his compositions and later sang with his band. After switching to acting, she was twice nominated for the Sarah Siddons Award for best actress. On Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first black women featured in a major television series. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said to her that he was a big fan of Star Trek.