Judy Pace, the pioneering actress known for her roles in the television classic Peyton Place, the Emmy-winning film Brian’s Song, and several defining entries of the 1970s Blaxploitation era, has died at the age of 83.
Pace passed away on Wednesday while visiting family in Marina del Rey, California. Her daughters, Shawn and Julia Pace Mitchell, confirmed the news, sharing that the actress died peacefully in her sleep.
Over a career that stretched across television and film, Pace became a familiar face to audiences during a transformative era for Black performers in Hollywood. She earned widespread recognition for her role as Vickie Fletcher on the popular soap opera Peyton Place, which aired on ABC and helped introduce her to millions of viewers.
One of her most widely remembered performances came in the 1971 television movie Brian’s Song, where she portrayed Linda Sayers, the wife of legendary Gale Sayers. The film told the story of the friendship between Sayers and his Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo, whose life was cut short after a battle with terminal cancer. The emotional film became a major critical success, earning multiple Emmy Awards as well as a Grammy.
Pace’s career began earlier in the 1960s, when she appeared in films such as 13 Frightened Girls in 1963. As television expanded during that decade, she became a frequent presence on popular series. Her credits included appearances on Batman, Bewitched, Days of Our Lives, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Mod Squad. She later appeared in the television drama The Young Lawyers from 1970 to 1971, where she played a law student working in Boston.
Her performance on The Young Lawyers earned Pace an NAACP Image Award in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, further cementing her growing reputation in the industry.
Pace also became part of a cultural milestone earlier in her career. In 1965, she made history as the first Black “bachelorette” contestant to appear on the popular television show The Dating Game, an appearance that reflected the gradual shift toward broader representation on American television.
During the 1970s, Pace’s work expanded into films associated with the Blaxploitation movement, including Shaft and Cotton Comes to Harlem. Her performances during that era helped place her among a generation of Black actors who were carving out space in Hollywood and bringing new visibility to Black stories and characters on screen.
Before her acting career gained momentum, Pace worked as a model, a path that helped open doors in entertainment during a time when opportunities for Black women in the industry were limited. Through a steady stream of television and film roles, she built a career that spanned decades and helped push forward the presence of Black women in mainstream productions.
In her personal life, Pace was married to actor Don Mitchell. The couple shared two daughters before divorcing in 1984 after 12 years of marriage. She later married former Curt Flood, the baseball star known for challenging Major League Baseball’s reserve clause. The pair remained together until Flood’s death in 1997.
Across television dramas, popular sitcoms, and groundbreaking films, Pace built a body of work that reflected both her versatility as an actress and the changing landscape of American entertainment. Her performances helped open doors for future generations of Black actresses while leaving a lasting imprint on television and film.
