October 12th 2024.
Hollywood has lost a true pioneer, Toni Vaz, at the age of 101. She was a well-known icon in the industry, known for her groundbreaking stunt work on screen. Her passing was confirmed by a spokesperson on October 4 at the Motion Picture Fund campus in Woodland Hills, where she was a beloved resident for many years. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
One of Vaz's fellow Hollywood stars, Octavia Spencer, paid tribute to her on Instagram with a heartfelt post. The 54-year-old actor expressed her sadness, saying, "I am incredibly saddened to learn of Toni Vaz's passing. I am filled with so much gratitude for everything Toni has done as a stunt performer, actor, and especially as the founder of the NAACP Image Awards." She went on to say that Toni's impact will be felt by generations and that she will be deeply missed. Spencer sent her love to Toni's family, friends, and colleagues.
Vaz's career began to take off after she moved from New York to Los Angeles in the early 1950s. She appeared as an extra in the 1959 film Tarzan the Ape Man, opposite MGM's iconic lion, Leo. She later founded the NAACP Image Awards in 1967, which celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the media and entertainment industry, and honors those who promote social justice through their work.
Despite her successful career as a stuntwoman, Vaz faced many challenges as one of the first Black women in the industry. She stood in for Hollywood legends such as Cicely Tyson in the Mission: Impossible TV series and worked with Juanita Moore in The Singing Nun and Eartha Kitt. Her daring stunts included dangling from a helicopter, and she has over 50 TV shows and movies to her credit, with more than 20,000 hours of performance.
In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vaz spoke about why she created the NAACP Image Awards. She explained, "In those days, the jobs black people got were playing maids, hookers, Aunt Jemimas. That upset me. We can play attorneys and doctors. So I thought, why don't we change that image?" Her contribution to the awards ceremony was overlooked for many years until she received her own statuette in a special tribute in 2000. In 2021, she was honored with the Image Awards' Founder Award, and Community star Yvette Nicole Brown called her a "true Black innovator."
Vaz's impact on the entertainment industry has not gone unnoticed. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that she will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025. She is survived by her nephew, Errol Reed, and niece, Janice Powell-Bowen.
Vaz's story will live on through her involvement in MPTF Studios productions, including an episode of Behind the Silver Screen and Reel Stories, Real Lives, where her story was told by Angela Bassett. She will always be remembered as a true pioneer in Hollywood, breaking barriers and changing the perception of African Americans in the entertainment industry. Rest in peace, Toni Vaz.
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