The NAACP Image Awards founder and groundbreaking stuntwoman turned 101

Toni Vaz, an actor turned pioneering stunt performer who later founded the NAACP Image Awards, had died. She was 101 years old. A spokesperson told Deadline that Vaz died on October 4 at the Motion Picture Fund campus in Woodland Hills, but gave no further details.

Vaz grew up in New York City and her mother, who was from Barbados, did not allow her to watch films. But when she grew up, Vaz went to Hollywood. She was cast as an extra in the 1959 feature film Tarzan the Ape Manshoots a scene opposite MGM’s Leo the Lion. Later she had small roles in Anna Lucasta and 1966s The Singing Nunwhich led to a new career in stunt work – a first for a black woman.

Vaz performed stunts for such groundbreaking actors as Cecily Tyson and stood in for the star Mission: Impossible — Eartha Kitt and Juanita Moore. She was soon traveling the world performing all sorts of daredevil feats in front of the camera, including hanging from helicopters, and racked up more than 50 film credits and more than 20,000 hours of performing

During a tribute to the Black Stuntmen’s Association by the Las Vegas City Council in 2006, Vaz said, “Before they formed this great stuntmen’s association, I did a lot of the work. …And we got very little pay for it. But today we are doing much better.”

Eager to create a prestigious awards show for people of color, she founded the NAACP Image Awards to honor her peers and encourage studios and producers to hire and honor a broader range of talent. The first ceremony was held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1967 and she would receive the Image Awards’ Founders Award in 2021.

Yvette Nicole Brown called her “a true black innovator” when receiving the Vaz Founder’s Award. “At a time when there were very few roles for black talent in Hollywood, one determined actress saw an opportunity to showcase our work and change the perception of African Americans in the entertainment industry,” she said. “That’s when the NAACP Image Awards were born. .. It gave us a platform to see each other the way we see ourselves.”

Anthony Anderson introduced Vaz at the 50th Anniversary Image Awards saying: “We owe it all to one remarkable woman.”… [Vaz] was saddened by the quality of roles given to black actors. So she took action. She joined the Hollywood chapter of the NAACP and helped develop an idea for an awards show that would showcase us in the best possible way. They and others fought to change our image, and so the NAACP Image Award was born.”

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Later in life, Vaz remained very active and took part in many MPTF Studios productions, including an episode of Behind the screen dedicated herself to her career. In 2020, she was featured in MPTF’s Reel Stories, Real Lives, with her story told by Oscar nominee and multiple Image Award winner Angela Bassett. Vaz also appeared prominently in the organization’s 100th anniversary advertising campaign throughout Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recently announced that it will honor Vaz with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.

She is survived by a nephew, Errol Reed; a niece, Janice Powell-Bowen; and a variety of extended families.