All Photos: Alan Mercer
The Daily Variety, along with many publications, and critics call Judy Pace, one of the most beautiful women to ever appear on screen. In the 1970s, she was the personification of black beauty, but just calling her a black beauty is a slap in the face because she's a beauty, period. Her dark-brown complexion is always mentioned because she was the first dark complected beauty on-screen. She proved to whites and blacks, that beauty doesn't discriminate and a woman with dark skin can be a beauty, too. Her presence is always welcoming, warm, sexy but innocent. She is truly graceful and a vision of loveliness. But don't make the mistake of knowing her for just beauty. She is truly a grand actress.
She came from a humble upbringing. After graduating from high school, she attended Los Angeles City College, where she majored in sociology. Always striking, she was taught modeling by her sister then she got an offer to join the prestigious Ebony Fashion Fair and she auditioned and became the youngest model for the show. Modeling was something new and adventurous for Judy. She went on to model in many leading publications.
She showed great potential as an actress and she realized that she was meant to be an actress so she began taking acting classes and performing in L.A. theater. Small parts on television and films started coming in, leading to bigger and better roles, such as “Three In The Attic’ in 1968. Judy played one of three femme fatales who band together to turn the tables on a white gigolo by loving him to death. This film was one of Hollywood's first interracial love/sex movies. Judy played her part so daringly, enticingly and erotically that you forgot her race and color and were hypnotized by her powerful aura.
Judy got her first major break in Hollywood as the first black villainess on TV with her role as "Vickie Fletcher" in the hit ABC-TV soap-opera/drama series ‘Peyton Place’ in 1968. Judy was excellent as the manipulative, lying, cheating, back-stabber who ruins everyone's life who walked in her path. When ‘Peyton Place' was canceled, others found it hard to find work but Judy didn't. Judy played one of three young lawyers who took on cases dealing with the poor and oppressed on ABC-TV's 'The Young Lawyers.'
The 1970s was the start of a new, exciting, experimental era that'll never be seen again. It was the era of black power and black beauty. Judy, more than anyone, exemplified that era of thinking. She was black and beautiful, truly. She was the "new" black woman - confident, strong, sweet, sexy, vivacious and beautiful. Judy Pace was referred to as "The Black Babydoll" or "The Black Barbie" because she looked just like a perfect doll.
Judy Pace became a familiar face on both the big and small screen, appearing in popular blaxploitation movies and popular television shows. She played a character on the soap opera 'One Life To Live.’ Television programs on which she appeared include 'Batman,’ ‘Bewitched,’ 'The Flying Nun,’‘I Spy,’ ‘The Mod Squad,’ ‘Kung Fu,’ ‘Sanford and Son,’ and ‘What’s Happening' just to name a few. Judy also made a supporting role appearance as Gale Sayer's wife in the critically acclaimed 1971 ABC-TV movie ‘Brian’s Song.’
She never acted black or white. She simply just acted and her portrayals were moving to anyone watching her, she made you become deeply involved in her roles. Even as a bad lady, she made you hate her but love her a little. Judy was a natural, versatile actress; she could play the sweet, innocent girl next door, she could play an evil, femme fatale, she could play the dumb beauty and make it believable. She made you understand her and have a little heart for her.
Judy's first marriage was to actor Don Mitchell, who had success on ‘Ironside. She had two children from that union and, later, she married baseball legend Curt Flood. Since Flood's death in 1997, Judy has been a major spokesperson for her husband's role in establishing free agency in professional sports. Judy is also the founder and supporter of the Kwanza Foundation with "Star Trek" legend, Nichelle Nichols. Her daughter Julia Pace Mitchell currently has a role in the daytime soap opera ‘The Young and the Restless.’ Her other daughter is a prominent attorney.
A special thank you to Donald Welch for making this happen!
AM: Judy, it’s time for your return to show business.
JP: You know I literally retired because I don’t multi-task. I know that’s the thing people do now and I applaud everyone who can do that, especially women. I think being pregnant is a job! (laughing) It takes your full concentration. I admire women who can go to a board meeting and carry a baby but I can’t do that. I had no role models for that. When I grew up almost everyone’s Mom stayed at home. I had the stay at home Mom and a grandmother who was always there. I’m now realizing I had a very blessed childhood with a Mom and a Dad who doted over all of us.
AM: That is a rare blessing now.
JP: I thank the Lord for the blessings I have received. To get back to the point I couldn’t have a career and my children. My kids refer to me as a Mid 20th Century Diva. (laughter) I take that title with great pride! I was lucky I got in the business at the time the Civil Rights movement was going on. Of course I’m referring to the Sixties. In those days you had to do everything as a performer. You had to dance, sing and act and you better do it well. Since I was a dark brown African American I had to wear blinders like a horse. The only thing I could focus on was my career.
AM: That’s how you did it.
JP: I had to be like a laser. It was the only way I could make it.
AM: You are considered a pioneer today Judy.
JP: I rolled my covered wagon up on Sunset and rolled into Columbia Studios and they signed me. (laughter)
AM: Did you have to audition or were you signed based on beauty?
JP: At the time I entered the business, dark brown was not considered pretty in any way, shape or form. Dark brown didn’t get you in the beauty lane.
AM: And yet you are beautiful.
JP: I was a novelty. There weren’t any before me. I broke the color barrier of dark brown. Interestingly I was working as a model. I was the continuing national image of Pepsi-Cola and that had never happened before.
AM: How did you get started in modeling?
JP: I had an audition with Johnson Publications who publish Ebony, Essence and Jet magazines. They had a fabulous traveling show that went to all the major cities called The Ebony Fashion Fair. Only the best top models could even be in the show. My dear friend Marilyn McCoo was in high school with me and she called me and told me we had to go to the audition. We were seventeen years old. Her Mom wouldn’t let her go but I did and I got a call back to go to Chicago and meet Mr. Johnson. We had a great interview and they signed me to be a model. I was so excited and went to New York for all the fittings and started doing the shows. Then I got a phone call from the road manager telling me they were going to have to let me go! I started crying and Mrs. Johnson got on the line and told me I was the cutest little model but I looked like I was dressed up in my Mother’s clothes. She told me not to cry because they would have me back the next year and the designers would create a youthful line so I would be their young model.
AM: Did they keep their word?
JP: They did bring me back the next year and I was the teenage model. I was just too youthful for their sophisticated high fashion clothes. At this time Ebony got a call from Columbia Pictures looking for a dark skinned Actress to play an African Diplomats daughter. So I went and signed a contract.
AM: What kind of work did you do for Columbia?
JP: Mainly Sixties television work like ‘Bewitched’ and ‘The Flying Nun’ and all those shows at the time.
AM: Was it a good experience to guest on these shows? I know it can be difficult to enter a set where everyone knows each other already and you are the new one.
JP: My first agent, Lil Cumber, who was a legend, told me to make sure everyone on these sets became my instant best friend. That includes lighting, sound and director because you don’t want anyone not on your side. That really helped me and I didn’t have any problems. No matter what my call time was I came early and stayed late so I could learn how the pros did it. I soaked it all up.
AM: You didn’t stay at Columbia that long did you?
JP: No, I was also the first dark brown Actress to sign with Twentieth Century Fox. My daughters made me aware I was the first Black Villainess on television when I filmed 'Peyton Place.’ I along with Glynn Turman and Ruby Dee was part of the first Black family in a prime time drama. I was also the first pregnant Black woman and teenager on a show.
AM: Judy, you have so many firsts! Did you enjoy filming ‘Peyton Place’?
JP: We had a great time. Being part of that show really pumped my career up. From this I got a contract for a three movie deal with American International Films. I was the first Black woman to have a three movie deal!
AM: What movies did you make for them?
JP: The first film was called ‘Three In The Attic’ and starred Yvette Mimieux. It was a box office hit! Then I did ‘Down In The Cellar’ with Joan Collins and Larry Hagman. The last one I did was ‘Frogs’ which is now a cult favorite.
AM: I know ‘Frogs’. Everybody knows that movie! What was it like working with Ray Milland?
JP: Whenever he was working I would go on the set and watch, even if I didn’t have any scenes that day. Just to watch this professional being brilliant with whatever scene he was doing.
AM: I love your looks in that film too.
JP: I played a fashion model! You know in all three of these films my boyfriends were Caucasian men. That was very forward for the time. It was never made mention that I was Black and they were White. I was just the girlfriend! We were always of an equal level.
AM: Can you tell me about 'Cotton Comes To Harlem’?
JP: 'Cotton Comes To Harlem’ changed the industry. It was the first movie with a predominantly Black cast in the Top Ten Movies. No one expected it to do that. This movie started the whole genre of African American movies that started around 1970. Before this, these films were not considered a money making opportunity. Only the musicals from the 30's and 40's had been made before.
AM: You have always played all kinds of characters. You didn’t get typecast so much.
JP: Well I had a lot of fun. I had a point to make and that was dark brown skinned people don’t always have to play the maid. If it’s a good role just send me in. A lot of the roles I took were not written for a Black woman, they were just written for a woman.
AM: Did you ever think of another career outside of acting?
JP: No, it’s all I wanted to do. I enjoyed working so much. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I had that point to prove and it stuck with me. My Dad always called me his little Hershey bar so to me dark brown was a delicious color. I didn’t know I was a beauty until I started modeling.
AM: What is your favorite type of work?
JP: I love to do comedy! That is my favorite, even though on my reel you won’t see any.
AM: Comedy is the hardest style of acting.
JP: It is the hardest thing to create, produce, be a character in or be believable.
AM: Why is that?
JP: It’s because everybody knows what’s going to make you cry but nobody knows what’s going to make you laugh. You can give the dialogue to ten different people and maybe only one will make you laugh. It’s the toughest. I love comedy and that’s why I love Donald Welch. He writes interesting and sophisticated comedy.
AM: You are about to film Don’s movie 'The Divorce’ right now aren’t you?
JP: Yes, I’m glad he brought me in for the role in the movie.
AM: I’m looking forward to seeing you back on the big screen.
JP: My daughters told me I needed to get back to work. They have been giving me one or two films that I have been in the last several Christmas’s. They were finding them before everything was on DVD. They wanted to see some of my work. Most of it I hadn’t even seen.
AM: I get the feeling you were just as happy being a stay at home Mom as you were being a well known actress.
JP: Thank you Jesus for my Mom and Dad. I’m basically a happy person. I love life and the blessings it gives you. I also did nightclub work.
AM: I didn’t know that.
JP: It was expected if you were in the entertainment industry at that time. You better do nightclub work. I loved doing it.
AM: But you also wanted to be a Mom so you let it all go.
JP: Yes, I had a shift in my priorities. I wanted to hang out with my kids and my husband. All my friends were still in the business so I lived vicariously through them.
AM: Did you make 'Brian’s Song’ before you had your daughters?
JP: Yes, it was right before I married Don Mitchell. By the way I auditioned with Lou Gossett instead of Billy Dee Williams.
AM: Was Billy Dee famous at the time?
JP: No, but he used to play basketball with Lou and my husband and some other actors and Lou got hurt so Billy got the part.
AM: I know you are back to work again Judy. How did this happen?
JP: I never meant to retire. I love show business and all that it involves. I have been filming a new sitcom the past couple of weeks and I start Donald Welch’s movie ‘The Divorce’ in February.
