Actors of African descent that was on the original series of Star Trek (1966-69)

Nichelle Nichols was one of 10 children born to parents Lishia and Samuel Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. She was a singer and dancer before turning to acting and finding fame in her groundbreaking role of Lt. Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek (1966) series.

As long as she could remember, she wanted to do nothing but sing, dance, act and write despite no one else in her family following any of those tracks; although her father could tap dance. He not only became mayor of their town, Robbins, IL, but also a magistrate. On stage, Nichelle was twice nominated for the Sarah Siddons Award as Best Actress of the Year; while on film she danced with Sammy Davis, Jr. in Porgy and Bess, and opposite James Garner in Mister Budwing (1965). In a complete changearound soon after the Star Trek television series came to an end, she played a blousey madam, then co-starred with Lynn Redgrave n Antony and Cleopatra. She was been married twice and had a son, Kyle Johnson, from her first marriage to a tap dancer.

A symbol of intelligence, leadership and moral strength in his various 1960s and 1970s roles, African-Canadian actor Percy Rodrigues rose in Hollywood stature during the late 1960s following a couple of earlier Broadway appearances. The serenely handsome, distinguished-looking actor also became notable for helping to break racial barriers on television and went on to become a voice of great distinction behind the camera.

Born to a Montreal couple on June 13, 1918 (some references list 1924 as his birth year), Percy was the oldest of four children and was of African and Portuguese descent. His father abandoned the family while he was a youth and Percy started working as a teenager to help provide for his family. By his late teens, he had become a professional boxer and started scouting out acting jobs at the same time. He joined Montreal's Negro Theater Guild and although winning a Canadian Drama Festival acting award in 1939, found job offers scarce, prompting him to work as a machinist and toolmaker for the next decade or so in order to supplement his income.

His distinctive, booming voice commanded early attention and he narrated several Canadian documentary shorts and appeared on television. He finally made his Broadway debut in middle age with Lillian Hellman's drama "Toys in the Attic" starring Jason Robards, Maureen Stapleton and Anne Revere. He followed that with a stronger role in "Blues for Mister Charlie" (1964) in which he shared the stage with African-American actors Al Freeman Jr., Lincoln Kilpatrick, Rosetta LeNoire, Otis Young and Tony nominee Diana Sands.

This attention eventually led to film and television offers and he settled permanently in Los Angeles. From the beginning, he sought out dignified roles following Sidney Poitier's emboldening Hollywood ascension and became one of just a small vanguard of 1960s black actors who was able to circumnavigate around such restrictive and negative stereotypes throughout most of his career. With just a brush of grey at his temples, he applied and projected quiet authority and inner calm to his many roles. He broke into American television with episodes of The Nurses (1965), Naked City (1958), The Wild Wild West (1965), Route 66 (1960) and (especially) Star Trek (1966) (as Commodore Stone) before making big news in 1968 for his casting as a neurosurgeon during the final season of the popular nighttime soap opera Peyton Place (1964). Co-starring with Ruby Dee as his wife, it was a breakthrough white-collar role for a black actor in a series. In the same year, Percy had an excellent supporting role in the critically-heralded film adaptation of Carson McCullers tender drama The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), in which he carried his own story line as an embittered physician at odds with daughter Cicely Tyson.

Other imposing roles came his way in the form of detectives, mayors, commissioners, lawyers, politicians, scientists, captains, ambassadors, lieutenants and doctors, which seemed to be a growing specialty. More interesting roles came with the mini-movies The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970), Ring of Passion (1978), Angel Dusted (1981) and Roots: The Next Generations (1979). He also had recurring roles on Sanford (1980), the one-season extended series of "Sanford and Son" (minus the son) that again starred Redd Foxx, and in Benson (1979), in which he played a judge.

He continued to remain visible in the 1980s with episodes of The Fall Guy (1981), T.J. Hooker (1982) and Dynasty (1981), but after playing a doctor in the mini-movie whodunit Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987), Percy refrained from on-camera work and focused instead on his image as "The King of Voiceovers". Among his more notable vocal projects were his eerie voicings for the ads and trailers of the film Jaws (1975) and his narration of Michael Jackson's sci-fi musical Captain EO (1986) for Disney.

Percy's marriage to his first wife Alameda produced daughter Hollis and son Gerald. Following her death, he married Karen Cook in 2003. He died of kidney problems at age 89 at his home in Indio, California on September 6, 2007.

Don Marshall's heyday was on the small screen in the 60's and 70's. The athletic and clean cut actor is best remembered as first officer and co-pilot Dan Erickson in Irwin Allen's ground-breaking science-fiction series Land of the Giants (1968). Having excelled at football, pole vaulting and other sports at college, he happily undertook most of his own stunt work. Along with Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek (1966)) and Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible (1966)), Don was one of the precious few African-American actors of that period to be regularly featured as a prime time lead on screen. 'Land of the Giants' ran for a mere two seasons (51 episodes in all) and went off the air simply because the props became too expensive to produce. Over the years it acquired a steady cult following among science-fiction aficionados.

Don had started out as an engineering student in the mid-50's and took up acting on the advice of a friend. He studied drama at the workshop of Hollywood acting coach Robert Gist and pursued theatre arts at Los Angeles City College. Following brief stage experience, he then segued into television. His acting career still nascent, he landed a small role (as a marine engaged to Nichelle Nichols) in an episode of The Lieutenant (1963), a short-lived venture produced by Gene Roddenberry. A few years later, he was again recruited by Roddenberry to play the part of astrophysicist Boma for the Star Trek episode "The Galileo Seven" (reuniting him with Bob Gist who served as director). Don was given the chance to show his acting credentials in several powerful scenes interacting with Leonard Nimoy.

In subsequent years, he busied himself with roles on many diverse kinds of TV shows ranging from Daktari (1966) and Ironside (1967) to Julia (1968). On the big screen, he acted in the violent 'blaxploitation' prison drama Terminal Island (1973) and was one of the leads in the schlock sci-fi outing The Thing with Two Heads (1972). By the mid-70's, plum roles became relatively scarce and Don focused on running his own production company (DJM Productions) which specialized in turning out commercials and documentary subjects. Latterly, Don became a regular attendee of sci-fi conventions who always spoke appreciatively of the genre and of Roddenberry in particular. He died on October 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, Calif. aged, 80.

Lloyd Haynes was born on 19 October 1934 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Room 222 (1969), Star Trek (1966) and Good Guys Wear Black (1978). He was married to Carolyn Yvonne Giorella, Saundra Lee Madariaga and Alice Elizabeth Ellis. He died on 31 December 1986 in Coronado, California, USA.

Phillip Morris is an African-American actor from Ohio who is known for playing Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld. He is also known for playing Dr. Joshua Sweet from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Merc from Ratchet: Deadlocked, Martian Manhunter from Smallville, Silas Stone from Doom Patrol, Vandal Savage from Justice League Doom and Doc Saturday from The Secret Saturdays. He is married to Carla Gittelson and has two children.

Dynamic African American leading man and characters actor William Marshall trained in Grand Opera, Broadway and Shakespeare. In films from the 50s and 60s including: Lydia Bailey (1952), Something of Value (1957), To Trap a Spy (1964) and finally known for being in The Boston Strangler (1968) with Tony Curtis. Marshall really didn't hit it big until the "blaxplotation" era of the 70s. He starred in the contemporary vampire melodrama, Blacula (1972), and its sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973), and the Exorcist-type film, Abby (1974). From the 80s, Marshall was seen as the "King of Cartoons" on the Saturday morning TV kiddie show, Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986), a job that he accepted on behalf of his grandchildren. Marshall has also appeared in Maverick (1994) and Dinosaur Valley Girls (1996). Marshall retired from acting afterwards and died of Alzheimer's disease in June, 2003.

Carl Byrd was born on 10 August 1935 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek (1966), Mission: Impossible (1966) and Telefon (1977). He died on 7 February 2001 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Vince Howard is probably best-known for his role as Pete Butler on the television series Mr. Novak (1963), with fellow "Man Trap" guest star Jeanne Bal and Bill Zuckert, and as Officer Vince Howard on Emergency! (1972), with Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth. He was also a regular on Barnaby Jones (1973) during the show's first season (1973), playing Lieutenant Joe Taylor. He has also made guest appearances in a number of other television shows, including Get Smart (1965), The Time Tunnel (1966), I Dream of Jeannie (1965), Bewitched (1964), Mission: Impossible (1966), The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969), Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974), The Rockford Files (1974), McCloud (1970), Fantasy Island (1977), Quincy, M.E. (1976), and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He made his film debut in the comedy The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), in which he had an uncredited role. He followed this with an appearance in I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968), in which he played a patrolman. Howard's film credits since then have included The Barefoot Executive (1971), The Man (1972), Trouble Man (1972), Moving Violations (1985), and Lethal Weapon 3 (1992). He has also appeared in several made-for-TV movies, including Company of Killers (1970), Quarantined (1970), The Hunted Lady (1977), Love Is Not Enough (1978), Better Late Than Never (1979), Welcome Home, Jellybean (1984), and Never Forget (1991). Throughout his career, he often portrayed a police officer or some other type of law enforcement figure.

Iona Morris was born on 23 May 1957 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for X-Men (1992), Robotech: The Movie (1986) and Megazone 23 (1985).

Bradshaw, disillusioned and working at his father's life insurance company, applied his singing talents on the "Ted Mack Family Hour" (1951). After this he studied at Harvard to earn a degree in English. At Harvard he met Joan Baez and played at Carnegie Hall, he also honed his acting skills at Harvard. In the early sixties he was given a full scholarship to study at the Royal Academy in London. He is also an accomplished writer and has written material for TV Shows such as Planet of the Apes and Columbo.

Mark Robert Brown is known for Star Trek (1966), Bracken's World (1969) and The Bill Cosby Show (1969).

Davis Roberts was born on 7 March 1917 in Mobile, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for Westworld (1973), Star Trek (1966) and What's Happening!! (1976). He died on 18 July 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Garland Thompson was born on 14 February 1938 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Monsters (1988), Star Trek (1966) and South Pacific (1958). He died on 18 November 2014 in New York City, New York, USA.