Judy Pace, the pioneering actress who broke racial barriers in 1960s and '70s television and film, has died at age 83. Best known for her role as Vickie Fletcher on the prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place," Pace became one of TV's first Black female antagonists, portraying an ambitious character that viewers could love to hate.

Born in Los Angeles in 1942, Pace's career began with modeling before she became the first Black woman under contract at Columbia Pictures. She made television history in 1965 as the first Black bachelorette featured on "The Dating Game." Her breakthrough came with "Peyton Place," where she challenged stereotypes by playing a complex character far removed from the saintly or servile roles typically offered to Black actresses.

Pace's filmography included significant blaxploitation films like "Cotton Comes to Harlem" and "Cool Breeze," as well as the critically acclaimed TV movie "Brian's Song." She earned an NAACP Image Award for her role in "The Young Lawyers" and appeared in numerous popular series. Her second husband, baseball star Curt Flood, was a free agency pioneer whose legal challenge to baseball's reserve clause transformed professional sports. As TV journalist Ed Gordon noted, Pace was among the most visible Black faces onscreen during her era, helping pave the way for future generations of Black actresses.