Toni Vaz, a trailblazing actor and stunt double, has died at the age of 101. The Motion Picture & Television Fund confirmed her passing on October 4, although no cause of death was disclosed.
Vaz embarked on her Hollywood journey in the 1950s when she moved from the East Coast to Los Angeles, determined to break into acting and stunt work. Her decision to pursue this career was all the more remarkable, as her mother had not allowed her to watch movies until she was older. However, Vaz’s passion for the industry led her to success, starting with a small role as an extra in Joseph M. Newman's Tarzan, the Ape Man for MGM in 1959, where she appeared in a scene alongside the iconic MGM lion.
With this experience, Vaz continued to build her career, landing roles in films such as Arnold Laven's Anna Lucasta and Henry Koster's The Singing Nun. As one of the first Black women to establish herself as a professional stuntwoman, Vaz took on daring stunts and doubled for the legendary Cicely Tyson on the popular TV show Mission: Impossible. Over the years, she featured in more than 50 films and television shows, traveling the world and performing awe-inspiring stunts, including hanging from helicopters.
In recent years, Vaz was honored in the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s "Reel Stories, Real Lives" series, where her remarkable story was narrated by NAACP Image Award winner Angela Bassett.
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