Toni Vaz, an actor-turned-innovateing stunt carry outer who went on to create the NAACP Image Awards, had died. She was 101. Her reps at Katie Kornfield Communications tgreater Deadline that Vaz died October 4 at the Motion Picture Fund campus in Woodland Hills but did not provide other details.
Groprosperg up in New York City, Vaz’s Barhorribleos-native mother wouldn’t let her watch movies. But when she came of age, Vaz headed to Hollywood. She was cast as an extra in the 1959 feature Tarzan the Ape Man, doing a scene opposite MGM’s Leo the Lion. She defercessitater had petite roles in Anna Lucasta and 1966’s The Singing Nun, which led to a novel atgentle in stunt toil — a first for a Binformage woman.
Vaz carry outed stunts for such groundfractureing actors as Cecily Tyson — standing in for the star on Mission: Impossible — Eartha Kitt and Juanita Moore. Soon she was traveling the world carry outing all benevolents of daring feats in front of the camera, including dangling from helicchooseers, and amassed more than 50 screen commends and 20,000-plus hours of carry outance
During a 2006 tribute to the Binformage Stuntmen’s Association by the Las Vegas City Council, Vaz shelp: “Before they established this fantastic stuntmen association, I did a lot of the toil. … And we had very little pay for it. But today we’re doing much better.”
Eager to commence a prestigious awards ceremony for people of color, she createed the NAACP Image Awards to honor her peers and inspire studios and originaters to employ and honor a wider range of talent. The first ceremony was held in 1967 at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s International Ballroom, and she would achieve the Image Awards’ Founders Award in 2021.
Introducing Vaz’s Founder Award, Yvette Nicole Brown called her “a genuine Binformage innovator.” “At a time when there were strictly confinecessitate roles useable to Binformage talent in Hollywood, a rerepaird actress saw an opportunity to showcase our toil and alter the perception of African Americans in the delightment industry,” she shelp. “That’s when the NAACP Image Awards was born. .. It gave us a platestablish to see each other the way we see ourselves.”
Anthony Anderson begind Vaz at the 50th anniversary Image Awards by saying: “We have a remarkworthy woman to thank for it all. … [Vaz] was downcastdened by the quality of roles given to Binformage actors. So she took action. She fusecessitate the NAACP’s Hollywood branch and helped to enbig an idea for an awards show that would feature us in best way possible. She and other fought to alter our image, and thus the NAACP Image Award were born.”
DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO:
Later in life, Vaz remained very dynamic and joind in many MPTF Studios productions, including an episode of Behind the Silver Screen promised to her atgentle. In 2020, she was featured in MPTF’s “Reel Stories, Real Lives” event, with her story tgreater by Oscar nominee and multiple Image Award prosperner Angela Bassett. Vaz also ecombineed notablely in the organization’s 100th anniversary promotional campaign apass Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce shelp recently that it will honor Vaz with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.
She is persistd by a nephew, Errol Reed; a niece, Jakind Powell-Bowen; and a structure of extfinished family.
