Judy Pace, a trailblazing actress and blaxploitation star whose career helped expand opportunities for Black women in film and television, died in her sleep March 11. She was 83.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Pace built a wide-ranging body of work, earning recognition for her role as the ambitious Pat Walters on “The Young Lawyers” and as the villainess Vickie Fletcher on “Peyton Place.”
In a 2023 interview with The Actor’s Choice, Pace revealed that through her leading role as Pat Walters, she became the first Black actress starring in a series whose title bears the name of their character. As Vickie on “Peyton Place,” she was the first Black teenager to play a recurring character on television.
Additionally, in playing Vickie, Pace was among the first Black women to star as an antagonist on a major television series — a groundbreaking role in an era when Black women were frequently relegated to subservient or one-dimensional characters.
Pace distinguished herself through her range and determination to take on more dynamic parts. Her appearances in “Three in the Attic” (1968), “Brian’s Song” (1971) and scores of other films challenged stereotypes and demonstrated that Black actresses could occupy a broader spectrum of roles on screen.
Pace was born in 1942 in Los Angeles. Her father, an airplane mechanic, and her mother, a dressmaker, established the largest Black-owned retail shop in the area at the time, Kitty’s Place.
While attending Los Angeles City College, where she studied sociology, Pace began modeling. She appeared in the Ebony Fashion Fair in 1963, and at age 20, she became the youngest model to ever walk the runway for the show — an experience that would change the trajectory of her life.
According to Ebony Magazine, director William Castle cast Pace in the film “13 Frightened Girls” after seeing her modeling photos.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Pace continued to break barriers. Described by Variety magazine as “the most beautiful Black actress in Hollywood,” she was known for her beauty in addition to her acting abilities. She became the first spokesmodel for Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a Black-owned and founded beauty brand, and appeared regularly in its national advertising campaigns.
In 1965, she was featured as the first Black bachelorette on “The Dating Game,” a competitive reality TV show.
Pace’s film work during the 1970s placed her firmly within the blaxploitation film scene, a genre that helped create new visibility for Black actors. She appeared in films such as “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970) and “Frogs” (1972), taking on roles that contributed to a growing presence of Black characters in mainstream cinema.
Though the blaxploitation film genre was often criticized for reinforcing stereotypes, it also provided opportunities for Black actors that had previously been unavailable. Pace’s work reflected both the possibilities and the limitations of the era.
Beyond her on-screen achievements, Pace was known for her advocacy in the acting industry.
In 1971, Pace co-founded the Kwanza Foundation in partnership with actress Nichelle Nichols. The organization aimed to support Black women in film and provide scholarships to minority students pursuing the arts. Her work as an actress helped lay the groundwork for future generations of Black actresses to pursue careers with fewer structural limitations.
In the 2023 interview with The Actor’s Choice host Ron Brewington, Pace said there were few Black performers working in film and television when she entered the industry.
“There weren’t many of us out there in the ’60s,” Pace said. “This was during the time when if someone was on TV, and the’ were Black, you would get on the phone and call your friends and say, ‘Turn on Channel 2, there’s a Black man on there!’ Or, ‘Turn on Channel 4, there’s a Black woman on there!’”
Colleagues and admirers remembered Pace as a trailblazer whose influence extended beyond her performances.
Close friend and fellow actress Tatyana Ali shared in a social media post following Pace’s passing that the actress was “elegance, sophistication and generosity personified.”
“What an honor to have worked with you and spent some time in your shine,” Ali wrote.
In 1972, Pace married actor Don Mitchell, another pioneering Black actor who played notable roles in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple had two daughters before divorcing in 1984.
She remarried Major League Baseball player Curt Flood in 1986 and remained with him until his death in 1997.
Pace leaves her daughters, Shawn Pace Mitchell and Julia Pace Mitchell; and a grandson.