Vanessa Lynn Williams: Encyclopedia - Vanessa Lynn Williams

Vanessa Lynn Williams

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.

Until the late 1990s, Vanessa Lynn Williams was known simply as "Vanessa Williams". However, when she went to get her Screen Actors Guild card, she had to register as "Vanessa L. Williams" because another Vanessa Williams was already a member.

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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.

Vanessa Lynn Williams - Billboard Hot 100 Chart History

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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, 2000's Shaft opposite Samuel L. Jackson and most recently, 2004's Johnson Family Vacation alongside Cedric the Entertainer.

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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 also will be starring in the upcoming UPN drama South Beach, which starts airing January 11, 2006.

Vanessa Lynn Williams - Awards

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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.

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1988

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1989

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1991

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1994

• 1994 Won Theatre World Awards for Best Debut Performance ("Kiss of the Spider Woman").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1996

• 1996 Won Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement).

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 1997

• 1997 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album ("Star Bright").
• 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").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 2000

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 2001

• 2001 Nominated for Drama League Awards for Most Distinguished Performance ("Into the Woods").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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").

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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.[1]

As of 2006, it's not known if the divorce is final or not, but Williams is now dating 29-year-old actor Rob Mack, who she met on the set of her show South Beach.[2]

Vanessa Lynn Williams - Discography

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

Vanessa Lynn Williams - 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)

See also

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• Traci Lords appeared in sexually suggestive poses while underage in the same September 1984 issue of Penthouse as Williams. These magazines are illegal in the US unless the images of Traci Lords are removed.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Vanessa Lynn Williams", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki