Judy Pace, the actress and model who helped break barriers for Black performers in Hollywood during the 1960s and '70s, has died at 83. And she truly was a star.
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Her daughters, Shawn and Julia Pace Mitchell, announced that Pace "died peacefully in her sleep" while visiting family in Marina del Rey, California.
For many fans, Pace will always be remembered for her role in the classic sports drama Brian's Song, where she portrayed the wife of Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers. The groundbreaking 1971 film told the emotional story of Sayers and teammate Brian Piccolo, who became the NFL's first interracial roommates.
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But Pace's career stretched far beyond that one iconic role.
Born in Los Angeles in 1942, she first made a name for herself as a model. In 1961, she became the youngest model to join the Ebony Fashion Fair, one of the most influential showcases of Black fashion and culture at the time.
Her acting career soon followed.
Pace made her film debut in the 1963 Cold War thriller 13 Frightened Girls, becoming the first Black woman under contract at Columbia Studios. Over the next decade, she appeared in a long list of popular TV shows, including Batman, Bewitched, The Flying Nun, Tarzan, I Spy, and Peyton Place.
She also won an NAACP Image Award for her role as Pat Walters on the legal drama The Young Lawyers.
In the 1970s, Pace became a familiar face in Blaxploitation cinema, starring in films like Cotton Comes to Harlem and The Slams.
Off screen, she also dedicated time to philanthropy, helping found the Kwanza Foundation alongside Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols.
Pace is survived by her two daughters, a grandson, and extended family. Donations in her honor are being directed to the NAACP.
