Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963 in Millwood, New York) is a pop/R&B singer and actress who made history when she became the first African American woman to be crowned Miss America in September, 1983. She resigned close to the end of her reign on July 23, 1984, however, when it was discovered that she had posed nude for photographs that were later published in the September 1984 issue adult magazine Penthouse without her permission. The crown was given to Suzette Charles 54 days before the 1984 pageant.

Williams was born in New York City to two teachers; she and her brother grew up in the suburbs of NYC. Propheticly her parents put "Here she is Miss America" on her birth announcement. (Entertainment Tonight December 11 2005) She received a scholarship and attended Syracuse University, but later dropped out of college to pursue a career in entertainment.

Music

Williams managed to rise above the Miss America scandal and become a popular singer with her 1988 debut album, The Right Stuff, which reached gold status and earned her three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist. Her most notable songs include "Dreamin'", "Running Back To You", "Save The Best For Last", "Love Is", "The Sweetest Days", "Colors of the Wind", and "Oh How The Years Go By". Throughout her career, Williams has sold six million records and received fifteen Grammy nominations.

In 2005, Vanessa released her eighth studio album, Everlasting Love, a collection of covers of her favorite 1970s songs.

Billboard Hot 100 Chart History

• "The Right Stuff" - July 23, 1988 - 10 weeks - #44
• "Dreamin'" - January 7, 1989 - 20 weeks - #8
• "Darlin' I" - June 3, 1989 - 4 weeks - #88
• "Running Back to You" - August 10, 1991 - 21 weeks - #18
• "The Comfort Zone - December 7, 1991 - 12 weeks - #62
• "Save the Best for Last" - February 1, 1992 - 27 weeks - #1 (for 5 weeks)
• "Just for Tonight" - May 23, 1992 - 19 weeks - #26
• "Work to Do" - September 26, 1992 - 11 weeks - #52
• "Love Is" (duet with Brian McKnight) - January 23, 1993 - 25 weeks - #3
• "The Sweetest Days" - November 12, 1994 - 23 weeks - #18
• "The Way That You Love" - May 6, 1995 - 7 weeks - #67
• "Colors of the Wind" - June 24, 1995 - 23 weeks - #4
• "Where Do We Go From Here" - July 13, 1996 - 14 weeks - #71

Film

Vanessa also made a splash into Hollywood and became an acclaimed actress, with appearances in films such as Eraser, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and starring in movies such as 1997's Soul Food, for which she won the Best Actress award at the NAACP Image Awards, and 1998's Dance With Me. Her other movies include 1997's Hoodlum opposite Laurence Fishburne, 1999,s Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (as the Queen of Trash), 2000's Shaft opposite Samuel L. Jackson and most recently, 2004's Johnson Family Vacation alongside Cedric the Entertainer.

Television

In addition to her music, theater, and work on the silver screen, Williams has starred in numerous made-for-TV movies, miniseries, and has appeared on hit shows including, The Love Boat, T.J. Hooker, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, LateLine, Ally McBeal and Boomtown. She has also appeared in a number of advertisements for Radio Shack, starting in 2001. Recently Williams has become the spokesmodel for Proactiv Solutions. She currently stars in the UPN drama South Beach, which started airing January 11, 2006.

Awards

1983

• Crowned Miss America 1984 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Prior to the final night of competition, Williams won both the Preliminary Talent and Swimsuit Competitions earlier in the week.

1988

• 1988 Nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female ("The Right Stuff").

1989

• 1989 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female ("Dreamin'").
• 1989 Won NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist.

1991

• Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female ("Runnin' Back to You").

1992

• 1992 Nominated for 3 American Music Awards for Favorite Female Artist - Pop / Rock, Favorite Female Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues, Favorite Album - Adult Contemporary ("The Comfort Zone").
• 1992 Nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Pop Female Vocalist ("Save the Best for Last"), Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female ("The Comfort Zone").
• 1992 Nominated for 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video of the Year ("Save the Best for Last") and Best Cinematography in a Video ("Running Back to You").

1993

• 1993 Won a Billboard Music Award for No. 1 Adult Contemporary Single ("Love Is").
• 1993 Nominated for Grammy Award for Pop Vocal Group ("Love Is").
• 1993 Won Playboy Magazine's - Best Female Rhythm and Blues Vocalist.

1994

• 1994 Won Theatre World Awards for Best Debut Performance ("Kiss of the Spider Woman").
• 1994 Won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist.

1995

• 1995 Nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Pop Female Vocalist ("Colors of the Wind"), Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female ("The Way That You Love"), Best Musical Show Album ("Kiss of the Spider Woman").
• 1995 Won Grammy Award for Best Song written specifically for a Motion Picture or Television ("Colors of the Wind").

1996

• 1996 Won Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement).
• 1996 Nominated for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist for "Where Do We Go From Here" from the motion picture, "Eraser"
• 1996 Nominated for Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Action ("Eraser").

1997

• 1997 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album ("Star Bright").
• 1997 Nominated for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album - ("Next").
• 1997 Nominated for NAACP Image Awardfor Best Actress - Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special ("The Odyssey").
• 1997 Won NAACP Image Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture ("Soul Food").
• 1997 Nominated for Online Television Academy Awards for Best Guest Actress - Syndicated Series ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine").
• 1997 Nominated for Black Film Awards for Best Actress - Motion Picture ("Soul Food").

1999

• 1999 Nominated for A.L.M.A. Award for Best Song from A Movie - "You Are My Home" from the motion picture, "Dance With Me".

2000

• 2000 Nominated for Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Action ("Shaft").
• 2000 Nominated for NAACP Image Award- Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture - ("Light It Up").

2001

• 2001 Nominated for Drama League Awards for Most Distinguished Performance ("Into the Woods").
• 2001 Nominated for NAACP Image Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture ("Shaft").

2002

• 2002 Won Golden Satellite Awards for Best Actress - Miniseries or Movie ("Keep the Faith, Baby").
• 2002 Nominated for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress - Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special ("Keep the Faith, Baby").
• 2002 Nominated for Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actress In a Musical ("Into the Woods").
• 2002 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album - Into The Woods (Vanessa Williams cast recording).

Personal Life

Williams is the mother of four children. Three of her children are from her first marriage to her then-manager Ramon Hervey, which ended in 1997. She married again in 1999 to NBA basketball star Rick Fox, previously of the Los Angeles Lakers. They have one daughter named Sasha.

After The National Enquirer published pictures of Fox kissing another woman in mid-2004, Fox's publicist announced that the couple had been separated for over a year. A few months later on August 11, Fox filed for divorce. During some press interviews, Williams casted some doubt on the status of their relationship. But while visiting the Howard Stern Radio Show in early 2005, she said she and Fox were intimate with each other briefly during the holidays, but said a reconciliation was unlikely.

Her father Milton Williams, a music teacher, recently passed away at the age of 70.

Discography

• The Right Stuff
• The Comfort Zone
• The Sweetest Days
• Star Bright
• Next
• Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years
• Silver and Gold
• Everlasting Love

Filmography

• The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
• Under the Gun (1988)

• Another You (1991)
• Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
• The Jacksons: An American Dream
• Eraser (1996)
• Hoodlum (1997)
• Soul Food (1997)
• Dance with Me (1998)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
• Light It Up (1999)
• Shaft (2000)
• A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000)
• Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003) (documentary) (narrator)
• Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
• My Brother (2006)