The Miss America:Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963), known professionally as Vanessa L. Williams or Vanessa Williams, is an American singer, actress, producer and former fashion model. In 1983, she became the first African-American woman crowned Miss America, but a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published nude photographs of her. She relinquished her title early and was succeeded by the first runner-up, Suzette Charles of New Jersey. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations. She is arguably the most successful Miss America winner in the field of entertainment.
Williams released her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988, which spawned the hits “The Right Stuff”, a No. 1 on Hot Dance Songs, and “Dreamin'” a No. 1 on R&B and No. 8 on Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album The Comfort Zone in 1991 topped the Billboard R&B Album Chart, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit “Save the Best for Last”. In 1994 she debuted on Broadway in the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. In 1995 she recorded “Colors of the Wind”, the Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film Pocahontas, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.Williams’s first major film role was as the star of the feature film Eraser in 1996. She also starred in the movies Soul Food, Dance with Me, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Shaft and Johnson Family Vacation. From 2006 to 2010, she played the role of the scheming, self-absorbed diva and former supermodel Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty, for which she received three Emmy Awards nominations. In 2009, Williams released her eighth studio album, The Real Thing. From 2010 to 2012, she starred in Desperate Housewives as spoiled rich woman Renee Perry. She starred in the supernatural drama series 666 Park Avenue in 2012.
To say that Vanessa is sexy because she appeared in Penthouse seems to defeat her sexiness. The truth is that we think beneath her demur and angelic exterior lays a sex-starved lioness. The combination of her cappuccino skin and her crystal blue eyes is enough to make a holy man feel guilty. However, despite her curves and being the subject of many fantasies, Vanessa managed to build a respectable and under-sexualized career after her scandal in ’84, all of which detracts from her overall sex appeal.Not many people haven’t heard of multi-platinum Vanessa Williams, although her spotlight dimmed in the late ’90s and early part of the 21st century. In 2006 and 2007, however, her profile experienced a resurgence due to the television vehicle Ugly Betty, which stars America Ferrara. Vanessa moved forward, yet again in 2006, and completed the film, And Then Came Love.
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Although we are happy to see her back, Vanessa is still probably, and will forever be, best known for her chart-topping hit “Save the Best For Last.” But that’s not to say that she wasn’t a bankable actress in the ’90s. A few of her starring roles include: Erasure (1996) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Soul Food (1997) with Vivica A. Fox, Hoodlum (1997), Dance with Me (1998), and in Shaft (2000), which starred Samuel L. Jackson. Vanessa Lynn Williams was born on March 18, 1963, in Millwood, New York. Her parents, Milton and Helen Williams, were both music teachers, which leads us to wonder how Vanessa ever got started on the piano and the French horn. It wasn’t long after her introduction to music that she discovered her naturally beautiful and silky voice, which became such a passion that she pursued singing at Syracuse University as a Theater Arts major.Vanessa began competing in beauty pageants when she elegance and grace matured. Before she knew it, she was crowned Miss New York and on her way to represent her state in the Miss America 1984 pageant. Despite her doubts about winning, Vanessa proved herself and everyone else wrong when she won the crown. As a matter of fact, she became the first black woman to win the Miss America crown. Unfortunately, toward the end of her reign, her past caught up with her: In her pre-Miss America days Vanessa posed in some pictures for Penthouse magazine and the publication was threatening to reveal them without her consent.
As a result, she resigned as Miss America. When all had seemed hopeless, she picked up her chin, moved on and began a new career. A year later, Vanessa was singing backup on George Clinton’s “Hey Good Looking” and “Do Fries Go with That Shake?” Although the songs weren’t widely known, Vanessa caught the attention of Wing/Murcury Record executives and after a couple meetings they signed her to a recording contract. While working up a storm on her debut album in 1987, she married and later divorced her now ex-manager Ramon Hervey. Williams is most often referenced and publicly recognized simply as “Vanessa Williams”. There is, however, occasional confusion with similarly named actress Vanessa A. Williams, who is just two months younger. It has been reported that Williams first became aware of Vanessa A. in the 1980s when her New York University registrar told her that another, similarly aged student with the same name and from the same state had applied. When Williams appeared as Miss America in a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Vanessa A. accidentally received her check for the appearance, which she returned.In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. Vanessa A. had registered the name “Vanessa Williams” first, so as a compromise, Williams was occasionally credited as “Vanessa L. Williams” in acting credits. To compound the confusion, both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food (Williams in the film version, and Vanessa A. in its TV series adaptation). The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided that both actresses could use the professional name “Vanessa Williams”. Today, Williams’ prominence has led to a more prevailing association with the stage name “Vanessa Williams”, so much so that it has widely become solely attributable to her. She is credited as such in the American television series Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. Williams is also the owner of the internet domain name vanessawilliams.com. Today, the younger Vanessa Williams is most often publicly and professionally referenced as “Vanessa A. Williams”
She has been married twice. Her first marriage, to public relations consultant Ramon Hervey II, was from 1987 to 1997. Hervey later became Williams’ manager. The couple had two daughters, Melanie (born June 30, 1987), Jillian (born June 19, 1989), and one son, Devin (born April 14, 1993). William’s daughter Jillian, following in her mother’s footsteps, released her first single with the duo Lion Babe in 2012.Her second marriage was to NBA basketball player Rick Fox. They married in September 1999 and have a daughter, Sasha, born on May 1, 2000. After The National Enquirer published pictures of Fox kissing and hugging another woman in mid-2004, Fox’s representative announced that the couple had been “headed toward divorce” for over a year. A few months later in August 2004, Fox filed for divorce. Fox acted alongside Williams in two episodes during the second season of Ugly Betty, playing the role of Dwayne, Wilhelmina’s sexy bodyguard.During an interview with Barbara Walters which aired on February 24, 2008, Williams not only admitted to using Botox but also called it “a miracle drug, no cutting, nothing, and I love it. But I also want to act so I don’t do it to freeze my face.” Williams is a practicing Roman Catholic. Williams and her mother, Helen, co-authored a memoir titled You Have No Idea, published in April 2012. In the book, Williams discusses her childhood, rise to fame, and personal struggles, including the fact that she was sexually molested by a woman when she was 10 years old. She also spoke candidly about her decision to have an abortion as a teenager. Williams is a supporter of gay rights and same sex marriage and in 2011, she participated in a HRC campaign entitled “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality”
