Judy Pace, a trailblazing Black model and actor known for her roles in Peyton Place and the acclaimed television movie Bryan’s Song, has died at 83.
Pace’s daughters announced she died ‘peacefully in her sleep’ on March 11
According to People, Pace’s daughters, attorney Shawn Pace Mitchell and actor Julia Pace Mitchell, announced their mother died “peacefully in her sleep” on March 11 during a family visit in Marina Del Rey, California.
In addition to Shawn and Julia, Pace is survived by her grandson, Stephen Lamar Hightower III, and her son-in-law, Otto Strong. To celebrate her life and legacy, the family encourages donations to be made to the NAACP.
Pace appeared in some of the most popular TV series of the 1960s and 1970s
Pace was born and raised in Los Angeles in 1942, Variety reported. She graduated from Dorsey High School and Los Angeles Community College. She began her career as a model, trained by her sister, Betty, and became the youngest model selected for Ebony magazine’s Fashion Fair national tour in 1961–1962. She became the first TV and print spokesmodel for Fashion Fair Cosmetics, paving the way for Black models in advertising and fashion.
Pace first made history in 1965 as the first Black bachelorette contestant on The Dating Game.
She continued to break barriers, becoming the first Black female actor to sign a long-term contract with Columbia Records in the 1960s. Pace made her silver screen debut in 1963’s 13 Frightened Girls and later joined the cast of the hit primetime soap opera Peyton Place, appearing from 1968 to 1969 and establishing herself as one of the most prominent Black actors on TV at the time.
Pace’s career soared in the 1970s. In 1971, she appeared in the Emmy-winning ABC TV movie Brian’s Song, playing Linda Sayers, the wife of NFL player Gale Sayers. The film dramatized the real-life friendship between Sayers and Brian Piccolo, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the same time, she starred in the ABC drama series The Young Lawyers, which ran for one season from September 1970 to May 1971.
Her other film credits include The Fortune Cookie (1966), Three in the Attic (1968), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), Frogs (1972) and Cool Breeze (1972).
Pace also made guest appearances on some of the most popular TV series of the 1960s and ’70s, including Bewitched, I Spy, I Dream of Jeannie, The Mod Squad, Sanford and Son, That’s My Mama, Good Times and What’s Happening.
She was a passionate philanthropist, co-founding the Kwanza Foundation with Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols in 1971. The organization supported Black women in film by offering scholarships to students from underrepresented communities pursuing careers in the arts.
Pace was married to actor Don Mitchell from 1972 to 1984. In 1986, she married Major League Baseball star Curt Flood, who died in 1997. After Flood’s passing, Pace continued to advocate for his legacy and played a key role in his posthumous induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The post Judy Pace Dies: Trailblazing Black Actress From ‘Peyton Place,’ ‘Brian’s Song’ Was 83 appeared first on Blavity.
