Hollywood said farewell to '70s actress and model Judy Pace last week after she passed away aged 82 on March 11. The star left her mark on television and film, appearing in the drama series Peyton Place as Vickie Fletcher, the sport drama film Brian's Song and The Young Lawyers.
Judy's two daughters, Shawn and Julia, announced she "died peacefully in her sleep" in a statement shared by a spokesperson for the family. While Shawn is an attorney, Judy's other daughter Julia has followed in her mother's footsteps - and she stars in a major long-running soap opera.
Read on for all you need to know about Julia Pace Mitchell and where you've seen her before.
© Patrick McMullan via Getty ImageJulia is a soap opera star
Judy's daughter Julia got into acting in the early 2000s with guest appearances on shows like Strong Medicine and Law and Order. In 2009, she starred alongside Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Naturi Naughton and Emmy-winning actress Angela Bassett in the crime drama film, Notorious.
The next year, she landed herself a role on the popular CBS soap opera series, The Young and the Restless as Sofia Dupre, who came from Berlin and was revealed to be engaged to Malcolm Winter. Julia stayed on the show for two seasons, starring in 114 episodes according to IMDb, before departing in 2012 and briefly returning in 2019.
© Getty Images for BETWhat she's up to now
Since her soap opera stint, Julia has gone on to rack up roles in several other films and TV series. She landed a part in the 2022 survival psychological thriller, Fall, which starred The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Scream actor Mason Gooding, Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner.
In 2021, she joined the drama series, All the Queen's Men, starring as Ms Patty up until 2023. She's also appeared on the TV series, Bad Boy, The Big Bang Theory's prequel show, Young Sheldon, and the 2024 film, A Thousand Faces. Off-screen, Julia has been married to businessman, Stephen L. Hightower II, since 2011.
Her dad was also an actor
The acting gene clearly runs in the family. Julia's father is the late American actor, Don Mitchell, best known for starring in the '60s TV drama, Ironside and its '90s film, The Return of Ironside, as Mark Sanger. His other credits included Scream Blacula Scream, the '70s drama, Medical Story, and Short Walk to Daylight. Don was married to Julia's mother, Judy, from 1972 to 1986. He died at age 70 in December 2013.
