Judy Pace, the trailblazing actress who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood with notable appearances in “Peyton Place” and the seminal TV film “Brian’s Song,” passed away in her sleep on March 11, 2026, while visiting family in Marina del Rey, California. She was 83.
Family representative Joseph Babineaux confirmed Pace’s passing to The Hollywood Reporter. Her daughters, attorney Shawn Pace Mitchell and actress Julia Pace Mitchell, said their mother “died peacefully in her sleep.” A stylish Los Angeles native, Pace leaves behind a legacy as one of the most striking performers of an era when roles for Black actresses were still severely limited.
Born June 15, 1942, Pace was groundbreaking throughout her career. She became the first Black woman signed to a 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 push representation in advertising and fashion when such visibility was rare.
After graduating from Dorsey High School and studying sociology at Los Angeles City College, Pace trained as a model with guidance from her sister Betty. In 1961 she became the youngest model chosen for the prestigious Ebony Fashion Fair, launching a career that spanned film, television, and advocacy.
She made her film debut in 1963’s “13 Frightened Girls,” directed by William Castle, portraying the daughter of a Liberian diplomat. That part led to a steady string of TV roles on popular series such as “Bewitched,” “Batman,” “I Spy,” “Tarzan,” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Pace gained broad recognition for her recurring role as Vickie Fletcher across 15 episodes during the fifth and final season of ABC’s primetime soap “Peyton Place” in 1968–69. Her depiction of a morally complex antagonist marked the first time a Black actress played a villain on network TV — breaking from the limited, respectable parts usually 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.”
She received an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for her trailblazing role as attorney Pat Walters on ABC’s “The Young Lawyers,” which ran from September 1970 to March 1971 alongside Lee J. Cobb and Zalman King. The character presented Pace as a sharp, unapologetic professional at a time when such portrayals of Black women were rare on American television.
In 1971, Pace appeared in the landmark ABC telefilm “Brian’s Song” as Linda Sayers, wife of Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers, portrayed by Billy Dee Williams. The Emmy-winning telefilm, which also starred James Caan as Brian Piccolo, attracted 55 million viewers when it aired Nov. 30, 1971 — about half of U.S. TV owners at the time. The movie remains one of the most celebrated TV films, later ranking among the top “guy-cry” films in a 2005 Entertainment Weekly readers’ poll.
Pace’s movie credits included major parts in “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970), directed by Ossie Davis, where she played the sharp-tongued schemer Iris opposite Calvin Lockhart. She also appeared in “Three in the Attic” (1968) with Christopher Jones — a role Roger Ebert praised, calling her “a quick, funny actress who can put an edge on a line.” Other credits include the ecological horror film “Frogs” (1972) with Ray Milland and “The Slams” (1973) with Jim Brown.
Beyond acting, Pace worked to expand opportunities for other Black artists. In 1971 she co-founded the Kwanza Foundation with “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols. The organization — a philanthropic nonprofit focused on honoring Black women in film both on-screen and behind the camera — supported Black women in the industry and offered scholarships to minority students pursuing arts careers.
Her TV appearances continued through the 1970s with guest roles 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 back from show business after the 1970s, she returned occasionally, including a small part in Spike Lee’s 2004 TV movie “Sucker Free City.” Her last acting credit was a four-episode arc on “Beauty and the Baller” in 2017.
Author Bob McCann, in his Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television, listed Pace among the “last generation of truly pioneering Black actresses,” together with Brenda Sykes, Pam Grier, and Rosalind Cash.
Accepting an award in 2019, Pace reflected on her remarkable life. “This is my 77th year — I am having a ball,” she told the audience. “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; they had two daughters. She later wed baseball great Curt Flood in 1984 and became an outspoken supporter of his legacy after his death in 1997, advocating for his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite widespread backing — 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 portrayed Sofia Dupre on “The Young and the Restless”; her grandson, Stephen Lamar Hightower III; and her son-in-law, Otto Strong.
The family has asked that donations in Pace’s memory be directed to the NAACP.
