Hollywood icon Toni Vaz, best known for her trailblazing onscreen stunt work, has died aged 101.
A spokesperson confirmed Vaz died on October 4 on the Motion Picture Fund campus in Woodland Hills where she was a longtime ‘beloved’ resident. No cause of death has been revealed.
Hollywood star Octavia Spencer paid tribute to her in a heartfelt Instagram post.
The 54-year-old actor wrote: ‘I’m incredibly saddened to learn of Toni Vaz’s passing. I am filled with so much gratitude for everything Toni has done has a stunt performer, actor and especially as the founder of the NAACP Image Awards.
‘Toni’s impact will be felt by generations and she will be truly missed. Sending love to her family, friends and colleagues everywhere.’
After moving from New York to Los Angeles in the early 1950s, Vaz’s career picked up when she starred as an extra in the 1959 film Tarzan the Ape Man opposite MGM’s Leo the Lion.
Vaz eventually pivoted into a stunt career and became one of the first Black women to do so.
She has stood in for Hollywood legends with her daring stunts, including Cicely Tyson in the Mission: Impossible TV series which ran from 1966 to 1973.
She also worked with Juanita Moore in The Singing Nun and singer and actress Eartha Kitt at one point. Her stunts have included dangling from a helicopter.
She has appeared in 50 TV shows and movies to her credit and has over 20,000 hours of performance.
As well as her pioneering stunt work, Vas is also known for founding the NAACP Image Awards in 1967 to celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in media and entertainment and honor those who promote social justice through their work.
In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she explained why she created the awards ceremony.
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?’
Vaz said she spent years being overlooked by the Image Awards, and her contribution to its creation was entirely overlooked, until 2000 when she received her own statuette in a special tribute.
In 2021 she also received the Image Awards’ Founder Award and Community star Yvette Nicole Brown called her a ‘true Black innovator’.
Her speech continued: ‘At a time when there were severely limited roles available to Black talent in Hollywood, a determined actress saw an opportunity to showcase our work and change the perception of African Americans in the entertainment industry.
‘That’s when the NAACP Image Awards was born… It gave us a platform to see each other the way we see ourselves.’
In recent years, Vaz was involved 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.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recently confirmed it would honor Vaz with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025, per Deadline.
She is survived by her nephew, Errol Reed, and niece, Janice Powell-Bowen.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : R Kelly’s daughter claims she was sexually abused by the disgraced singer
MORE : Celine Dion row erupts after French musicians claim Olympics performance was ‘pre-recorded’
MORE : Legendary 90s group cancel tour at the last minute over ‘unforeseen circumstances’
