One of television's most enduring leading ladies, who first broke through in the 1960s, left fans doing a double take during a rare outing in on Wednesday.
Showbiz
70s TV Star Wows at 81 After Iconic Roles
One of television's most enduring leading ladies, who first broke through in the 1960s, left fans doing a double take during a rare outing in Los Angeles on Wed...
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The 81-year-old icon - best known for her role as Harriet on In the Heat of the Night alongside Carroll O'Connor - looked effortlessly polished as she stepped out in a chic ensemble.
She paired a sleek black leather jacket with a vibrant red top and matching shoes, a look straight out of her vintage magazine-cover era, when she famously graced Jet magazine ten times at the height of her fame.
Her Hollywood glow hasn’t dimmed either, with the actress famously sharing the screen with and in projects including the 1977 film A Piece of the Action.
Longtime fans will also remember her as one of the first Black women to headline an American TV series, playing guidance counselor Miss Liz McIntyre in Room 222, which ran from 1969 to 1974.
So, can you guess the ageless screen legend turning heads once again?
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One of television's most enduring leading ladies, who first broke through in the 1960s, left fans doing a double take during a rare outing in Los Angeles on Wednesday
The 81-year-old icon - best known for her role as Harriet on In the Heat of the Night alongside Carroll O'Connor - looked effortlessly polished as she stepped out in a chic ensemble
She paired a sleek black leather jacket with a vibrant red top and matching shoes, a look straight out of her vintage magazine-cover era, when she famously graced Jet magazine ten times at the height of her fame
If you guessed Denise Nicholas, give yourself a round of applause.
Born in Detroit, Nicholas first appeared on the radar as a teenager after landing on the cover of Jet magazine at just 16.
Born in Detroit, Denise Nicholas first appeared on the radar as a teenager after landing on the cover of Jet magazine at just 16; (pictured in 1969)
Longtime fans will also remember her as one of the first Black women to headline an American TV series, playing guidance counselor Miss Liz McIntyre in Room 222, which ran from 1969 to 1974; (pictured 1972)
Her Hollywood glow hasn’t dimmed either, with the actress famously sharing the screen with Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby in projects including the 1977 film A Piece of the Action; (Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Tracy Reed, and Nicholas in 1977)
Nicholas is best known for her role as Harriet on In the Heat of the Night alongside Carroll O'Connor (pictured)
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Her debut novel Freshwater Road came out in 2005, earning critical acclaim and multiple literary awards; (pictured 2025)
The relationship was often described as volatile, and in 1972 Nicholas reported an incident to authorities in which Withers allegedly assaulted her in a Tucson motel room after she spoke about ending the relationship.
She later chose not to press charges and the couple divorced in 1974.
Despite the difficult chapter, Nicholas would go on to continue building her career on her own terms.
She joined the cast of In the Heat of the Night (1989–1995), where she not only starred but also wrote multiple episodes, marking the beginning of her transition into writing.
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That second act flourished in full when she pursued formal training at the University of Southern California’s Professional Writing Program.
In February 1980, tragedy struck Nicholas’ family when her younger sister, Michele Burgen - a 26-year-old editor at Ebony magazine - was fatally shot.
Her body was later discovered inside a locked rental car at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
Nicholas spent years trying to uncover answers, but despite their efforts, the case ultimately went unsolved.
She met CBS sports anchor Jim Hill at a Sacramento poetry reading in 1980, and the pair married on Valentine’s Day in 1981 before separating later that same year.
After a brief reconciliation, Nicholas filed for divorce again in 1984, with the split officially finalized in 1987.
Her debut novel Freshwater Road came out in 2005, earning critical acclaim and multiple literary awards.
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