Paramount Marva Hicks as T'Pel in a scene from the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode, "Persistence of Vision."
Veteran actress and singer Marva Hicks, who guest starred in two episodes of “Star Trek: Voyager,” died on September 16, 2022, according to a report in People Magazine, which noted that neither Hicks’ age nor her cause of death was revealed.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our dear Marva Hicks Taha,” Hicks’ husband, Akwasi Taha, and her family said in a statement. “Our beloved wife, family member and friend will be greatly missed and remains marvelous in our hearts forever. The love she had for her husband, family, friends and entertainment community knew no bounds. We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love. Thank you for your compassion and prayers.”
Hicks Played Tuvok’s Vulcan Wife, T’Pel, in Two Episodes of ‘Voyager’
ParamountMarva Hicks as T’Pel in a scene from the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode, “Body and Soul.”
According to the Hollywood entertainment site, Deadline, Hicks was a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and graduated from Howard University. In a 2020 interview with Broadway World, she recounted getting bitten by the theater bug. “I was 15,” Hick said. “In junior high school, I won a pageant contest and part of my prize was going to New York to see a Broadway show with the pageant coordinator and students from Virginia State University. My first professional performance job was actually at Arena Stage while I was attending Howard University’s College of Fine Arts, where I was studying acting and musical theatre. I was given permission to take the job understudying CCH Pounder and another actress whose name I do not recall, in a production of The National Health. I remember my scrubs costume and doing the blocking, but beyond that, I think I was in shock. (It was my) first paying job as a professional actress!”
Her stage credits included the Broadway productions “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music,” “The Lion King” (as Rafiki), “Caroline, Or Change,” and “Motown: The Musical,” as well as many off-Broadway and regional shows, among them the City Center Encores! productions of “Cabin In The Sky” and “Little Shop Of Horrors,” and The First Breeze Of Summer at Signature Theatre Company. According to the Internet Movie Database, Hicks appeared in such films and television shows as “One Life to Live,” “L.A. Law,” “Mad About You,” “Sister, Sister,” “Alien Nation: Body and Soul,” “Babylon 5,” “House of Cards,” “Daredevil,” “Search Party,” “The Blacklist” and “Madam Secretary.” Most recently, from March to April 2022, she starred in the play “Angry, Raucous, And Shamelessly Gorgeous,” which was staged at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
Also a recording artist, Hicks scored a hit single in 1991 with “Never Been In Love Before.” The track rose to No. 7 on the R&B chart for Polydor Records and was a track on her self-titled debut CD that was released that same year. During her career, according to Broadway World, she provided background vocals for such artists as Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Michael McDonald, James Ingram, and Glen Jones, and later toured with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
Hicks Scored a Hit Single in 1991 with the R&B Song ‘Never Been in Love Before’
Hicks made two memorable appearances in “Star Trek: Voyager. According to the site Memory Alpha, she guest starred as T’Pel, the wife of Tuvok (Tim Russ), in the second season “Voyager” episode “Persistence of Vision” and the seventh season episode “Body and Soul.” In the former, T’Pel was an illusion, and in the latter she was a hologram. “Persistence of Vision” first aired in 1995, while “Body and Soul” debuted in 2000. In between those two episodes, actress Kimber Lee Renay played the character in the episode “Bliss,” which premiered in 1999.
Additionally, according to a press release issued by Hicks’ publicist, she “lent her voice and talents to many nonprofit organizations, including the Ronald McDonald House. She was a very proud member of Broadway Inspirational Voices for many years.” The release concluded with the statement that “Marva Hicks Taha is survived by her husband, Akwasi Taha, and many family and life-long friends.”
Hicks’ Twitter bio reads, “Singing out loud and strong is what I am blessed to do. I am growing creatively and always moving forward! Love is the greatest gift of all!”