Judy Pace, the groundbreaking actress who shattered barriers for Black women in Hollywood with memorable roles in “Peyton Place” and the landmark television movie “Brian’s Song,” died March 11 in her sleep while visiting family in Marina del Rey. She was 83.
Family spokesperson Joseph Babineaux confirmed Pace’s death to The Hollywood Reporter. Her daughters, attorney Shawn Pace Mitchell and actress Julia Pace Mitchell, announced that their mother “died peacefully in her sleep.” The elegant Los Angeles native leaves behind a legacy as one of Hollywood’s most striking performers during an era when opportunities for Black actresses remained frustratingly limited.
Born June 15, 1942, Pace shattered multiple barriers throughout her career. She became the first Black woman under contract with Columbia Pictures in the early 1960s, the first Black bachelorette on “The Dating Game” in 1965, and the first television and print spokesmodel for Fashion Fair Cosmetics — helping expand representation in advertising and fashion at a time when such visibility was revolutionary.
After graduating from Dorsey High School and attending Los Angeles City College, where she majored in sociology, Pace trained as a model under her sister Betty’s guidance. She became the youngest model selected for the prestigious Ebony Fashion Fair in 1961, launching a career that would span film, television, and advocacy.
Her film debut came in 1963’s “13 Frightened Girls,” directed by horror master William Castle, where she played a Liberian diplomat’s daughter. The role opened doors to a prolific run of television appearances on popular series including “Bewitched,” “Batman,” “I Spy,” “Tarzan,” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Pace achieved widespread recognition for her recurring role as Vickie Fletcher on 15 episodes of the fifth and final season of ABC’s primetime soap “Peyton Place” in 1968-69. Her portrayal of a complex, morally ambiguous character marked the first time a Black actress played a villain on network television — a departure from the limited, respectable roles typically offered to Black performers.
“All the black women in the movies seem to be nurses, school teachers, social workers,” Pace told critic Roger Ebert in a 1969 interview. “Black women lead real lives, baby. They’re not all doctors’ wives.”
The actress won an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for her trailblazing portrayal of attorney Pat Walters on ABC’s “The Young Lawyers,” which aired from September 1970 to March 1971 alongside Lee J. Cobb and Zalman King. The role showcased Pace as a sharp, unapologetic career woman at a time when such representations for Black women remained exceedingly rare on American television.
In 1971, Pace starred in the landmark ABC telefilm “Brian’s Song” as Linda Sayers, wife of Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers, played by Billy Dee Williams. The Emmy-winning movie, which also featured James Caan as Brian Piccolo, drew 55 million viewers when it aired November 30, 1971 — half of all Americans who owned televisions at the time. The film remains one of the most celebrated television movies ever made, ranked among the greatest “guy-cry” films in a 2005 Entertainment Weekly readers’ poll.
Pace’s film work included prominent roles in “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970), directed by Ossie Davis, where she played the sharp-tongued, scheming Iris opposite Calvin Lockhart. She also appeared in “Three in the Attic” (1968) with Christopher Jones — a performance that prompted Roger Ebert to praise her as “a quick, funny actress who can put an edge on a line.” Her other credits included the ecological horror film “Frogs” (1972) with Ray Milland and “The Slams” (1973) with Jim Brown.
Beyond acting, Pace demonstrated a commitment to expanding opportunities for other Black artists. In 1971, she co-founded the Kwanza Foundation alongside “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols. The organization — the only philanthropic nonprofit Black organization honoring women in film both in front of and behind the camera — supported Black women working in the industry and provided scholarships to minority students pursuing careers in the arts.
Her television credits extended through the 1970s with guest appearances on “The Mod Squad,” “Shaft,” “Medical Center,” “Kung Fu,” “Sanford and Son,” “That’s My Mama,” “What’s Happening!!” and “Good Times.” Though she largely stepped away from Hollywood after the 1970s, she made occasional returns, including a small role in Spike Lee’s 2004 TV movie “Sucker Free City.” Her final acting credit came in 2017 with a four-episode arc on “Beauty and the Baller.”
Accepting an award in 2019, Pace reflected on her remarkable journey. “This is my 77th year — I am having a ball,” she told a cheering crowd. “I’m a native Californian. I have to thank my mom and my dad for getting the **** out of Jackson, Mississippi, and making their way to the Pacific Ocean, where you can be anything you want to be.”
Pace was married to actor Don Mitchell, known for his role on NBC’s “Ironside,” from 1972 to 1984; the couple had two daughters. She later married baseball legend Curt Flood in 1986 and remained a passionate advocate for his legacy following his death in 1997, championing his cause for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite widespread support — including a 2020 letter from 102 members of Congress urging his enshrinement — Flood has not yet been inducted.
She is survived by her daughters, attorney Shawn Pace Mitchell and actress Julia Pace Mitchell, who played Sofia Dupre on “The Young and the Restless”; her grandson, Stephen Lamar Hightower III; and her son-in-law, Otto Strong.
The family has requested that donations in Pace’s memory be made to the NAACP.
