Toni Vaz, a film veteran who broke ground as an extra, stuntwoman and actress before becoming an activist and founder of the NAACP Image Awards, has died. He was 101 years old.
A representative for the Motion Picture & Television Fund confirmed that she died on October 4. No cause of death was given. According to the representative, Vaz was “a beloved resident” at the MPTF's Woodland Hills home.
With roots in the British West Indies and Panama — his parents came from Barbados before emigrating to the United States — Vaz was one of four siblings raised in New York. She moved to Los Angeles from the East Coast in the 1950s to pursue a career as an actress and stuntwoman, which may have been a surprising career choice to some since her mother did not allow her to watch movies until she came of age. The leap of faith paid off with an early role as an extra in Joseph M. Newman's film Tarzan, the ape man for MGM. Released in 1959, the film featured Vaz in a scene alongside the studio's Leo the Lion.
With one credit under her belt, Vaz moved on to Arnold Laven's Anna Lucastawith Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis Jr., and that of Henry Koster The singing nun. She went on to do more stunts as one of the first black women to dive headfirst into the profession. She doubled for the legendary Cicely Tyson in Mission: impossible TV series and has appeared in more than 50 films and TV shows in a career that has seen her travel the world and caught on film dangling from helicopters and other impressive feats.
In a 2019 profile published by The Hollywood journalistVaz told reporter Rebecca Ford that she felt pigeonholed. “In those days, the jobs black people got were playing maids, prostitutes, Aunt Jemimas,” she said. “This shocked me.” But instead of getting angry, she joined the new Hollywood branch of the NAACP (headquartered in Beverly Hills at the time) and came up with the idea of creating an event that would elevate the image of black artists in the city. “We can play lawyers and doctors. So I thought, why don't we change that image? he said.
The first NAACP Image Awards were hosted in 1967 from inside the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton. “The mayor came. It was amazing,” recalled Vaz, who once ran her own modeling agency for women of color. She booked “Immie Girls” as models to work at the ceremony. The awards show, which continues today, celebrates the achievements of people from color in media and entertainment and honors those who advance social justice through their work.
However controversy followed. For years, Vaz said he didn't get proper recognition for creating the star-studded event. Various reports attribute different names to the show's founding, from Maggie Hathaway to Davis Jr., so Vaz has spent years trying to correct the record, as previously reported by THR. “I had a list of all the people I wrote certified letters to and no one ever wrote back,” he recalled. “Never.”
The record was rectified in 2000. Vaz received an Image Award trophy, an honor handed out along with a special tribute to honor his efforts. She was also a guest of honor on the March 2019 telecast, where host Anthony Anderson called her an extraordinary woman when he introduced her to the audience, who responded with a standing ovation. “Every time I saw that show, for years, it bothered me inside. But I feel good. I feel good now,” he said.
Most recently, Vaz appeared on MPTF's Reel Stories, Real Lives series with a segment hosted by NAACP Image Award winner Angela Bassett. She appeared in the MPTF centennial promotional campaign throughout Los Angeles. She had honors on the horizon: Vaz has been approved to be feted with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2025. It's unclear whether she will receive the honor posthumously.
Vaz is survived by his nephew Errol Reed and niece Janice Powell-Bowen.