Judy Pace, the trailblazing performer who broke down barriers for Black women in the entertainment industry through unforgettable performances in “Peyton Place” and the historic television film “Brian’s Song,” passed away on March 11, 2026, in her sleep during a visit with relatives in Marina del Rey, California. Her age was 83.
Joseph Babineaux, a family representative, verified Pace’s passing to The Hollywood Reporter. Her children, Shawn Pace Mitchell and Julia Pace Mitchell, shared that their mother “died peacefully in her sleep.” The sophisticated Los Angeles-born star left behind an enduring impact as one of the industry’s most compelling talents during a period when roles for Black actresses were severely restricted.
Born on June 15, 1942, Pace broke through numerous barriers during her professional life. She was the first Black woman to sign a contract with Columbia Pictures in the early 1960s, the first Black contestant on “The Dating Game” in 1965, and the first television and print representative for Fashion Fair Cosmetics — contributing to expanded representation in marketing and beauty industries when such prominence was groundbreaking.
Following her graduation from Dorsey High School and studies at Los Angeles City College, where she concentrated in sociology, Pace received modeling instruction from her sister Betty. She was selected as the youngest model for the esteemed Ebony Fashion Fair in 1961, beginning a professional journey that would encompass cinema, television, and activism.
Her cinematic introduction occurred in 1963’s “13 Frightened Girls,” helmed by horror filmmaker William Castle, in which she portrayed a Liberian diplomat’s daughter. This opportunity paved the way for numerous television appearances on well-known programs such as “Bewitched,” “Batman,” “I Spy,” “Tarzan,” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Pace gained broad acclaim for her recurring character as Vickie Fletcher across 15 episodes of the fifth and concluding season of ABC’s primetime drama “Peyton Place” in 1968-69. Her depiction of a nuanced, ethically questionable character represented the first instance of a Black actress portraying an antagonist on network television — a shift from the constrained, wholesome roles usually available to Black actors.
“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 performer received an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for her pioneering depiction of lawyer Pat Walters on ABC’s “The Young Lawyers,” broadcast from September 1970 through March 1971 with Lee J. Cobb and Zalman King. This character presented Pace as an assertive professional woman during an era when such portrayals for Black women were extraordinarily uncommon on American television.
In 1971, Pace appeared in the historic ABC television film “Brian’s Song” as Linda Sayers, the spouse of Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers, portrayed by Billy Dee Williams. The Emmy-winning production, which also starred James Caan as Brian Piccolo, attracted 55 million viewers upon its Nov. 30, 1971 broadcast — half of all Americans with televisions at that time. The production endures as one of the most acclaimed television films ever produced, listed among the best “guy-cry” films in a 2005 Entertainment Weekly readers’ poll.
Pace’s cinematic portfolio featured significant roles in “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970), helmed by Ossie Davis, where she enacted the witty, conniving Iris opposite Calvin Lockhart. She additionally starred in “Three in the Attic” (1968) with Christopher Jones — a showing that led Roger Ebert to commend her as “a quick, funny actress who can put an edge on a line.” Her additional projects included the environmental horror production “Frogs” (1972) with Ray Milland and “The Slams” (1973) with Jim Brown.
Outside of performing, Pace showed dedication to creating opportunities for fellow Black artists. In 1971, she established the Kwanza Foundation with “Star Trek” performer Nichelle Nichols. The institution — the only charitable nonprofit Black organization recognizing women in cinema both in front of and behind the camera — assisted Black women in the profession and offered scholarships to minority students seeking careers in the arts.
Her television appearances continued throughout 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.” Although she mostly withdrew from Hollywood following the 1970s, she made intermittent comebacks, including a minor part in Spike Lee’s 2004 TV film “Sucker Free City.” Her last performance credit occurred in 2017 with a four-episode arc on “Beauty and the Baller.”
Writer Bob McCann, in his Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television, identified Pace among the “last generation of truly pioneering Black actresses,” with Brenda Sykes, Pam Grier, and Rosalind Cash.
Receiving an honor in 2019, Pace reflected on her extraordinary path. “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 hell out of Jackson, Mississippi, and making their way to the Pacific Ocean, where you can be anything you want to be.”
Pace was wed to performer Don Mitchell, recognized for his performance on NBC’s “Ironside,” from 1972 until 1984; the pair had two children. She subsequently married baseball icon Curt Flood in 1984 and continued as a devoted supporter of his legacy after his death in 1997, promoting his case for admission into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite considerable backing — including a 2020 letter from 102 members of Congress advocating for his enshrinement — Flood has not yet been inducted.
She is survived by her children, lawyer Shawn Pace Mitchell and performer 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 contributions in Pace’s honor be directed to the NAACP.