Judy Pace, the television and film actress celebrated for roles in the 1960s and 1970s — including the TV movie Brian’s Song and key Blaxploitation films — died March 11, 2026, her daughters announced. She was 83.
Death and family announcement
Pace’s daughters, Shawn and Julia Pace Mitchell, said she “died peacefully in her sleep” while visiting family in Marina Del Rey, Calif., their statement reported by Deadline said. The family confirmed her death on March 11, 2026.
Career and legacy
Pace built a career across film and television. Her best-known screen roles included Vickie Fletcher on the soap opera Peyton Place and Linda Sayers, the wife of Gale Sayers, in the acclaimed 1971 TV movie Brian’s Song. The film was a critical success and earned multiple Emmys as well as a Grammy.
She appeared in a wide range of projects through the 1960s and 1970s, with credits that include 13 Frightened Girls (1963), Batman (1966), Bewitched (1966), Days of Our Lives (1967), I Dream of Jeannie (1967), The Mod Squad (1968), The Young Lawyers (1970–1971) and Shaft (1973). For her work on ABC’s The Young Lawyers she won an NAACP Image Award in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
Pace was also a trailblazer off screen: in 1965 she was the first Black bachelorette contestant to appear on The Dating Game. Prior to acting she worked as a model.
Personal life and survivors
Pace was previously married to actor Don Mitchell; the couple had two daughters and divorced in 1984 after 12 years of marriage. She later married baseball player Curt Flood; they remained together until his death in 1997. She is survived by her daughters Shawn and Julia Pace Mitchell.
Her family’s announcement and reporting on her death were noted by Deadline. The entertainment community and fans will remember Pace for both her on-screen performances and the barriers she broke during her career.
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