Judy Pace, the trailblazing actress who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood with notable parts in “Peyton Place” and the influential TV movie “Brian’s Song,” died in her sleep on March 11, 2026, while visiting family in Marina del Rey, California. She was 83.
Family representative Joseph Babineaux verified Pace’s passing to The Hollywood Reporter. Her daughters, Shawn Pace Mitchell and Julia Pace Mitchell, shared that their mother “died peacefully in her sleep.” The Los Angeles-born performer leaves a lasting reputation as one of the era’s most striking actresses at a time when roles for Black women were severely limited.
Born June 15, 1942, Pace broke many ground rules across her career. She was the first Black woman signed to a contract at Columbia Pictures in the early 1960s, became the first Black bachelorette on “The Dating Game” in 1965, and served as the first television and print spokesmodel for Fashion Fair Cosmetics — expanding representation in advertising and fashion when visibility was rare.
After graduating from Dorsey High School and attending Los Angeles City College as a sociology major, Pace trained as a model under her sister Betty’s guidance. In 1961, she became the youngest model chosen for the prestigious Ebony Fashion Fair, launching a career that spanned film, television, and advocacy.
Her screen debut came in the 1963 film “13 Frightened Girls,” directed by William Castle, in which she played the daughter of a Liberian diplomat. That part led to steady television work with appearances on series such as “Bewitched,” “Batman,” “I Spy,” “Tarzan,” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Pace gained wide attention for her recurring role as Vickie Fletcher across 15 episodes of ABC’s “Peyton Place” during its fifth and final season 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 narrow, respectable roles usually available to Black performers.
“All the Black women in the movies seem to be nurses, school teachers, social workers,” Pace told Roger Ebert in 1969. “Black women lead real lives, baby. They’re not all doctors’ wives.”
She earned a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award for Best Actress for her pioneering turn as attorney Pat Walters on ABC’s “The Young Lawyers,” which aired from September 1970 to March 1971 with Lee J. Cobb and Zalman King. The part presented Pace as a sharp, unapologetic professional at a time when such portrayals of Black women were uncommon on American television.
In 1971, she portrayed Linda Sayers, the wife of Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers (played by Billy Dee Williams), in the landmark ABC telefilm “Brian’s Song.” The Emmy-winning movie, which also starred James Caan as Brian Piccolo, drew 55 million viewers when it aired on Nov. 30, 1971 — roughly half of TV-owning Americans then. The film remains highly regarded and was ranked among the top “guy-cry” films in a 2005 Entertainment Weekly readers’ poll.
Pace’s film credits include notable parts in “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970), directed by Ossie Davis, where she played the sharp-witted Iris opposite Calvin Lockhart. She also appeared in “Three in the Attic” (1968) with Christopher Jones — a role Roger Ebert called evidence of her being “a quick, funny actress who can put an edge on a line.” Other credits include the ecological horror “Frogs” (1972) with Ray Milland and “The Slams” (1973) with Jim Brown.
Outside of acting, Pace worked to create more opportunities for Black artists. In 1971, she co-founded the Kwanza Foundation with “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols. The nonprofit — noted as the only philanthropic Black organization honoring women in film both in front of and behind the camera — supported Black women in the industry and offered scholarships to minority students pursuing arts careers.
Her TV work continued through the 1970s with guest spots on “The Mod Squad,” “Shaft,” “Medical Center,” “Kung Fu,” “Sanford and Son,” “That’s My Mama,” “What’s Happening!!” and “Good Times.” Although she largely stepped back from Hollywood after the 1970s, she returned occasionally, including a small role 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,” alongside Brenda Sykes, Pam Grier, and Rosalind Cash.
Accepting an honor in 2019, Pace reflected on her journey. “This is my 77th year — I am having a ball,” she told attendees. “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 remained an active advocate for his legacy after he died in 1997, campaigning for his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite significant backing — including a 2020 letter from 102 members of Congress — Flood has not 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 memorial donations be made to the NAACP.