Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Lynn Williams was born in Tarrytown, New York with a birth announcement that read: "Here she is: Miss America".{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11863479/Miss-America-apologises-to-Vanessa-Williams-Ugly-Betty-star.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11863479/Miss-America-apologises-to-Vanessa-Williams-Ugly-Betty-star.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Miss America apologises to Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty star

|access-date=September 15, 2015|last=Telegraph Reporters|date=September 14, 2015|publisher=The Daily Telegraph

}}{{cbignore}} She was raised in Millwood, New York. A paternal great-great-grandfather was William Fields, an African-American legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Williams is also of English, Welsh, Irish, Finnish, Italian, and Portuguese descent.{{cite web

|url=http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/feilds.htm

|title=African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee: William Alexander Feilds

|access-date=September 19, 2015

|publisher=State of Tennessee

|archive-date=July 24, 2015

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724020301/http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/feilds.htm

|url-status=dead

}}{{cite web

|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/who-do-you-think-you-are/episode-1-season-2/vanessa-williams/296860/|title=Who Do You Think You Are?: season 2, episode 1, Vanessa Williams (February, 2011)

|access-date=December 5, 2015|date=February 4, 2011|publisher=Who Do You Think You Are?}} Her mother Helen Tinch (1939–2024) met her father Milton Augustine Williams Jr. (1934–2006) while both were music education students at Fredonia State Teachers College in the late 1950s.{{cite web|url=http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/552660/Helen-Tinch-Williams--mother-of-Vanessa-Williams--to-be-honored-by-SUNY-Fredonia.html?nav=5007

|title=Helen Tinch Williams, mother of Vanessa Williams, to be honored by SUNY Fredonia

|access-date=December 5, 2015|date=November 10, 2010|publisher=Observer (Dunkirk)}} They became elementary school music teachers in separate districts after marriage. Milton also served as the assistant principal of his school for an extended period of time.{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3D6103FF93AA15752C0A9609C8B63|title=An Appreciation; Remembering Milton Williams, A Mentor to Music Students|access-date=December 5, 2015|last=Wise|first=Brian|date=January 29, 2006

|work=The New York Times}}

Williams was raised Catholic, the religion of her father. Her mother, who had been raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism when she married. Williams was baptized at Our Lady of Grace Church in the Bronx. Her mother played the organ at St. Theresa's Church in Briarcliff Manor for weddings and at Mass, and Williams used to assist her mother by turning the pages of sheet music.

Williams and her younger brother Chris Williams, who later became an actor, grew up in Westchester County, a predominantly white middle to upper-class suburb of New York City. Williams believes she may have been the first African-American student to go from the first grade to the 12th grade in the Chappaqua Central School District. She attended Robert E. Bell Middle School, as did her children years later. Williams revealed that the shop and home economics teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Fink, were still there when her children attended.{{cite web|url=https://kellyandryan.com/guide/june-17-2022-2/ |title=June 17, 2022 | LIVE with Kelly and Ryan |publisher=Kellyandryan.com |date=2022-06-17 |access-date=2022-06-24}}

A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin.{{cite web

|url=http://www.biography.com/people/vanessa-williams-9542151|title=Vanessa Williams Biography

|access-date=September 15, 2015|publisher=biography.com}} She was offered the Presidential Scholarship for Drama to attend Carnegie Mellon University during the college application period, one of 12 students to receive it, but decided instead to attend Syracuse University on a different scholarship.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/1496610/vanessa-williams/biography|title=Vanessa Williams Biography|access-date=September 15, 2015|publisher=Billboard|archive-date=September 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929142733/http://www.billboard.com/artist/1496610/vanessa-williams/biography|url-status=dead}} In 1981, Williams joined Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Drama as a musical theater major. She stayed at Syracuse through her second year until she was crowned Miss America 1984 in September 1983.{{cite web|url=http://www.syr.edu/news/articles/2008/vpa-vanessa-williams-05-08.html|title=Vanessa Williams to deliver 2008 convocation address for College of Visual and Performing Arts, receive BFA degree|access-date=September 15, 2015|last=Blust|first=Erica|date=May 5, 2008|publisher=Syracuse University|archive-date=September 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926012218/http://syr.edu/news/articles/2008/vpa-vanessa-williams-05-08.html|url-status=dead}}

In May 2008, Syracuse granted Williams a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/06/vanessa-williams-to-gradu_n_100365.html|title=Vanessa Williams To Graduate From College This Weekend

|access-date=September 15, 2015|agency=AP|date=May 14, 2008|publisher=Huffington Post}} According to Syracuse News, "Williams earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and her substantial performances on stage and screen." Williams delivered the 2008 convocation address, telling Syracuse seniors to "treasure this moment. These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life."{{cite web|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/vanessa_williams_receives_degr.html|title=Vanessa Williams gets Syracuse University degree

|access-date=September 15, 2015|last=Johnson|first=Melinda|date=May 10, 2008|publisher=syracuse.com}}

Williams is most often publicly recognized simply as "Vanessa Williams." There is occasional confusion with the similarly named actress Vanessa E. Williams. It has been reported that Vanessa L. became aware of Vanessa E. in the 1980s when the New York University registrar told her that another, similarly aged student with the same name and from the same state had applied.Hobson, Louis B. (August 16, 1998), {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120711000901/http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/W/Williams_Vanessa/1998/08/16/pf-762671.html "Vanessa dancing up a storm"]}}, Canoe.ca{{cite web |url=http://www1.myway.com/home/entertainment/celeb/tvguide_inthenews/0,13970,09_02_2003_1_-2,00.html |title=Vanessa Williams: Boomtown's New Bombshell! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211234405/http://www1.myway.com/home/entertainment/celeb/tvguide_inthenews/0,13970,09_02_2003_1_-2,00.html |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |work=TV Guide |date=September 2, 2003}} When Williams appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Vanessa E. 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 E. 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 E. in its TV series adaptation. The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration, and decided both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams".

{{Main|Vanessa Williams and Miss America}}

File:Vanessa Williams, former Miss America 1984, cropped.jpg

File:Oh How The Years Go By.JPG" at Miss America 2016]]

Williams was the first African-American recipient of the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984 on September 17, 1983. Several weeks before the end of her reign, a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published unauthorized nude photographs of her. Williams was pressured to relinquish her title and was succeeded by the first runner-up: Miss New Jersey 1983, Suzette Charles. Thirty-two years later in September 2015, when Williams served as head judge for the Miss America 2016 pageant, former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell made a public apology to her for the events of 1984.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/african-american-usa-crowned-1983-article-1.2353418 |title=Vanessa Williams is crowned the first African-American Miss America in 1983 |access-date=September 14, 2015|last=Singleton|first=Don|date=September 18, 1983|newspaper=Daily News}}{{Cite news |title=A New York Debut |url=http://www.people.com/people/vanessa_williams/biography/0,,,00.html |work=People |access-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-date=January 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118083154/http://www.people.com/people/vanessa_williams/biography/0,,,00.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news|title=A Look Black: Vanessa Williams Crowned Miss America In 1983|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/vanessa-williams-miss-america-anniversary_n_1891516.html |date=September 17, 2012|first=Julee|last=Wilson|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=February 23, 2013}}{{cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/arts/television/vanessa-williams-returns-to-miss-america-and-receives-an-apology.html |title=Vanessa Williams Returns to Miss America and Receives an Apology|access-date=September 14, 2015|last=Rogers|first=Katie|date=September 14, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times

}}

Williams first received public recognition for her musical abilities when she won the preliminary talent portion of the Miss America pageant with her rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again" (Williams would later be crowned Miss America 1984). Four years later in 1988, Williams released her debut album, The Right Stuff. The first single, "The Right Stuff", found success on the R&B chart, while the second single, "He's Got the Look", found similar success on the same chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams' first top 10 hit on the 1989 Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status in the U.S. and earned her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist and three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist at the 31st Grammy Awards.

Her 1991 second album The Comfort Zone became the biggest success in her music career. The lead single "Running Back to You" reached top twenty on the Hot 100, and the top position of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on October 5, 1991. Other singles included "The Comfort Zone" (#2 R&B), "Just for Tonight" (#26 Pop), a cover of The Isley Brothers' "Work to Do" (#3 R&B), and the club-only hit "Freedom Dance (Get Free!)".

The most successful single from the album, as well as her biggest hit to date, is "Save the Best for Last". It reached No. 1 in the United States, where it remained for five weeks, as well as No. 1 in Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada, and was in the top 5 in Japan, on the Irish Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart. The album sold 2.2 million copies in the U.S. at its time of release and has since been certified triple platinum in the United States by the RIAA, gold in Canada by the CRIA, and platinum in the United Kingdom by the BPI. Williams performed the song live at the 1993 Grammy Awards. The Comfort Zone earned Williams five Grammy Award nominations.

The Sweetest Days, her third album, was released in 1994 to highly favorable reviews. The album saw Williams branch out and sample other styles of music that included jazz, hip hop, rock, and Latin-themed recordings such as "Betcha Never" and "You Can't Run", both written and produced by Babyface. Other singles from the album included the adult-contemporary and dance hit "The Way That You Love" and the title track. The album was certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA and earned her two Grammy Award nominations.

Other releases include two Christmas albums, Star Bright in 1996, and Silver & Gold in 2004, as well as Next in 1997, Everlasting Love in 2005, and The Real Thing in 2009, along with Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years, a greatest hits compilation released in 1998, and a number of other compilations released over the years. Chart performances from subsequent albums, motion picture and television soundtracks have included the songs "Love Is", which was a duet with Brian McKnight, the Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning "Colors of the Wind", "Where Do We Go from Here?", and "Oh How the Years Go By".

In 1996, Williams performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XXX.

In April 2018, she announced she was working on a new studio album due in the fall that would incorporate her R&B, pop, & Broadway influences.{{cite web|url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/vanessa-williams-10305047|title=In Conversation with Vanessa Williams|last=Horn|first=Mark C.|date=April 7, 2018|website=Phoenix New Times|access-date=August 9, 2019}}

On April 26, 2024, Williams released a new single, "Legs (Keep Dancing)", the first from her ninth studio album, Survivor, which was released on August 23, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://vanessawilliams.com/|title=VW – Vanessa Williams|website=Vanessawilliams.com|access-date=July 17, 2024}} Williams launched her own record label, Mellian Music, for the release.{{cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/vanessa-williams-new-album-first-15-years-1234871020/|title=Vanessa Williams To Release First Album In 15 Years Under Her Own Record Label|last=Abraham|first=Mya|date=April 17, 2024|website=Vibe|access-date=April 18, 2024}} On May 13, 2024, the digital single "Legs (Keep Dancing)" debuted on the US Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (Billboard) chart in the Number 3 position. The single's success marks Williams' first hit on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.{{Cite web |last=McIntyre |first=Hugh |title=Vanessa Williams' Comeback Single Brings Her To A Billboard Chart For The First Time |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/05/13/vanessa-williams-comeback-single-brings-her-to-a-billboard-chart-for-the-first-time/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}} In July 2024, Williams released the single "Bop!", a collaboration with Trixie Mattel and Lion Babe.{{cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/vanessa-williams-new-album-first-15-years-1234871020/|title=Bop! – Vanessa Williams, Trixie Mattel & Lion Babe Single & Remix Bundle Available July 2024|website=Vanessawilliams.com|date=April 17, 2024 |access-date=July 17, 2024}}

Vanessa Williams has surpassed 250 million total streams on Spotify across all credits. She averages nearly 190K daily listeners on the platform.{{Cite web |title=Vanessa Williams |url=https://open.spotify.com/artist/75L9s8KVrhCNtBUkZFnDFW |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Spotify |language=en}}

File:Vanessa L. Williams at ATX Television Festival.jpg

Williams has had a successful career in television. Her first television appearance was on a 1984 episode of The Love Boat{{cite news|title='Love Boat': A Fantastic Voyage|url=https://ew.com/article/2007/10/07/love-boat-cast-and-crew-tell-all/|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|date=October 7, 2007|first=Dan|last=Snierson}} followed by guest appearances in a number of popular shows. In 1995, Williams starred as Rose Alvarez in a television adaptation of the 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie and portrayed the nymph Calypso in the 1997 Hallmark Entertainment miniseries The Odyssey. In 2000, Williams starred in the Lifetime film about the life of Henriette DeLille, The Courage to Love and in 2003, Williams read the narrative of Tempie Herndon Durham from the WPA slave narratives in the HBO documentary Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives.

In 2006, Williams received considerable media attention for her comic/villainess role as former model/magazine creative director turned editor-in-chief Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty. Her performance on the series resulted in a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/vanessa-williams |title=Vanessa Williams Emmy Award Winner |publisher=Emmys.com }} with additional nominations in 2008 and 2009. Williams next joined the cast of Desperate Housewives for its seventh season, where she portrayed Renee Perry, an old college "frenemy" of Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman).{{cite magazine |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2010/05/18/desperate-housewives-vanessa-williams |title='Desperate Housewives' Scoop: Vanessa L. Williams Moving to Wisteria Lane! |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=May 18, 2010}} In 2016, she joined the cast of The Librarians, as recurring villainess General Cynthia Rockwell.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/vanessa-williams-the-librarians-season-3-tnt-cast-1201766615/|title=Vanessa Williams Joins TNT's 'The Librarians' Season 3|date=May 4, 2016|website=Variety|last1=Wagmeister|first1=Elizabeth|access-date=May 11, 2016}} She starred as Maxine Robinson in the VH1 television series Daytime Divas during its one season in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vanessa-williams-topline-vh1s-star-871765|title=Vanessa Williams to Topline VH1's Star Jones Drama 'Satan's Sisters'|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 2016}}

Williams has appeared in a number of feature films. She received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph for the 1997 feature film Soul Food. In 2007, she starred in the independent film My Brother,{{cite news|title=Vanessa Williams Brings My Brother to Big Screen|url=http://voices.yahoo.com/vanessa-williams-brings-brother-big-screen-249134.html|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=Yahoo! Voices|date=March 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728231128/http://voices.yahoo.com/vanessa-williams-brings-brother-big-screen-249134.html|archive-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=dead}} for which she won Best Actress honors at the Harlem International Film Festival, the African-American Women in Cinema Film Festival, and at the Santa Barbara African Heritage Film Festival. She also notably co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1996 film Eraser,{{cite news|last=Hruska|first=Bronwen|title=The 'Eraser' Effect Singer Vanessa Williams Hopes The New Schwarzenegger Film Will Wipe Away Doubts About Her Acting – As Well As Any Lingering Memories of Her Beauty-queen Fiasco.|url=http://articles.philly.com/1996-06-19/entertainment/25629771_1_beauty-queen-spider-woman-williams-hits|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729173812/http://articles.philly.com/1996-06-19/entertainment/25629771_1_beauty-queen-spider-woman-williams-hits|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 29, 2013|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=Philly.com|date=June 19, 1996}} Samuel L. Jackson in the 2000 soft reboot of Shaft, the characters from Sesame Street in the 1999 film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, as the Queen of Trash, and with Miley Cyrus in the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie.{{cite news |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/05/62007/index.html |title=Production On 'Hannah Montana: The Movie' Is Underway |work=ETOnline.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525014236/http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/05/62007/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2008 |date=May 22, 2008}}

Williams began her career on stage in the 1985 production, One Man Band, as one of "the women".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/26/theater/stage-one-man-band-at-south-street-theater.html|title=Stage: 'One-Man Band,' at South Street Theater|access-date=May 6, 2016|last=Bruckner|first=D.J.R.|date=June 26, 1985|publisher=NY Times}} She followed it in 1989 as Laura in Ron Milner's Checkmates.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-05-ca-27334-story.html|title=Stage Review: New Faces in 'Checkmates' in Westwood|access-date=May 6, 2016|last=Shirley|first=Don|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

In 1994, she broadened her ascendant music career into a theatrical role when she replaced Chita Rivera as Aurora in the Broadway production of Kiss of the Spider Woman.{{cite news|title=Vanessa Williams, a Homespun 'Spider Woman'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/02/nyregion/vanessa-williams-a-homespun-spider-woman.html?ref=vanessalwilliams|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 2, 1994|first=Roberta|last=Hershenson}} In 1998, she portrayed Della Green in the revival of St. Louis Woman,{{cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/02/theater/theater-review-the-birthright-of-beauty-free-and-easy.html?pagewanted=all|title=Theater Review; The Birthright of Beauty: Free and Easy

|access-date=May 6, 2016|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=May 2, 1998|publisher=NY Times

}} and Carmen Jones in the 2002 Kennedy Center Special Performance of Carmen Jones.{{cite news

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/11/18/carmen-jones-chilled-and-well-served-its-star/53ad7202-cdef-4139-a05a-c56774534b87/|title='Carmen Jones,' Chilled and Well Served Its Star|access-date=May 6, 2016|last=Marks|first=Peter|date=November 18, 2002|newspaper=The Washington Post}} In the same year, she was also featured in the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning revival production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 56th Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance as the Witch. This production included songs revised for her.{{cite news|title=Spring Theater; Back to the Woods, With Darker Lyrics And a Dancing Cow|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/24/theater/spring-theater-back-to-the-woods-with-darker-lyrics-and-a-dancing-cow.html?ref=vanessalwilliams|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 24, 2002|first=Bernard|last=Weinraub}}

In 2010, Vanessa starred in a new Broadway musical revue entitled Sondheim on Sondheim, a look at Stephen Sondheim through his music, film and videotaped interviews. Sondheim ran from March 19 to June 13 at Studio 54 in New York City.{{cite web |author=Jones, Kenneth |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/137969-Sondheim-on-Sondheim-a-New-Musical-Reflection-of-a-Life-in-Art-Begins-on-Broadway |title=Sondheim on Sondheim, a New Musical Reflection of a Life in Art, Begins on Broadway |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301212708/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/137969-Sondheim-on-Sondheim-a-New-Musical-Reflection-of-a-Life-in-Art-Begins-on-Broadway |archive-date=March 1, 2014 |work=Playbill |date=March 19, 2010}} In 2013, she starred as Jessie Mae Watts in the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful, which was later turned into a 2014 television film.{{cite web |url=http://thetriptobountifulbroadway.com/ |title=The Trip To Bountiful |publisher=Roundabout Theatre Company |date=April 5, 2013}} In 2014, she starred in the Broadway musical, After MidnightDiamond Grant.{{cite web |url=http://broadwaytour.net/vanessa-williams-step-into-after-midnight-on-deck-circle |title=Vanessa Williams Steps Into 'After Midnight' on Deck Circle |work=BroadwayTour.net |date=February 20, 2014}} and in 2015, she appeared in a PBS production of Show Boat as Julie La Verne.{{cite web|url=https://berkshireonstage.com/2015/10/07/show-boat-gets-full-live-from-lincoln-center-treatment-on-pbs/|title=Classic American musical "Show Boat" gets first class production on PBS|access-date=May 6, 2016|last=Murray|first=Larry|date=October 7, 2015|website=berkshireonstage.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610124220/https://berkshireonstage.com/2015/10/07/show-boat-gets-full-live-from-lincoln-center-treatment-on-pbs/|archive-date=June 10, 2016|url-status=dead}} Williams starred as Margaret in POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive on Broadway, with performances that began on April 14, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre.{{cite web|last=Culwell-Block|first=Logan|title=Vanessa Williams, Rachel Dratch, Lilli Cooper, More to Star in POTUS On Broadway|url=https://playbill.com/article/vanessa-williams-rachel-dratch-lilli-cooper-more-to-star-in-potus-on-broadway|website=Playbill|access-date=March 2, 2022|date=March 1, 2022}}Wi

In February, 2024 Williams was cast to play the role of Miranda Priestly, in a stage production of the Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End.{{Cite web |last=Aversa |first=Ralphie |title=Vanessa Williams talks 'Survivor,' Miss America controversy and working with Elton John |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/09/26/vanessa-williams-survivor-interview/75381254007/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}

File:Vanessa williams bryant park 2007.jpg in New York City]]

Williams served as the host of the 1994 Essence Awards,{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/464326/the-essence-awards

|title=The Essence Awards (1994)|access-date=May 6, 2016|publisher=TCM Channel}} co-host of Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters: Verve Records at 50,{{cite web

|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-18-ca-59014-story.html

|title=TV Review: 'Jazz Masters' Salute on PBS Swings at Variable Speeds|access-date=May 6, 2016

|last=Kohlhaase|first=Bill|date=May 18, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times

}} host of the 1998 NAACP Image Awards,{{cite web

|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/457933/the-29th-naacp-image-awards

|title=The 29th NAACP Image Awards (1998)|access-date=May 6, 2016|publisher=TCM Channel

}} host of the 2002 documentary, It's Black Entertainment, host of The 6th Annual TV Land Awards in 2007,{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/tv-land-awards/294205/|title=TV Land Awards|access-date=May 6, 2016|date=2007|work=TV Guide

}} host of the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_36th_nominations_data.html|title=TV Land Awards|access-date=May 6, 2016|date=2009|publisher=Emmy Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413213541/http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_36th_nominations_data.html|archive-date=April 13, 2016|url-status=dead}} and host of the documentary Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation in 2009.

Williams is a spokesmodel for Proactiv Solution,{{cite news|title=Vanessa Williams|url=http://proactiv.pk/vanessa-williams.php|access-date=October 3, 2012|newspaper=proactiv.com|archive-date=March 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318003331/http://www.proactiv.pk/vanessa-williams.php|url-status=dead}} and was the first African-American spokesmodel for L'Oréal cosmetics in the 1990s.{{cite web|title=L'Oréal Futur-E TV Ad (1998)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FADDMz6nB1s|work=YouTube|access-date=October 3, 2012}} In 2018, Williams returned as a spokesmodel for L'Oréal as part of their "Age Perfect" campaign alongside fellow ambassadors Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, and Jane Fonda.{{cite news|url=https://www.thebeautyinfluencers.com/2018/07/29/loreals-golden-squad/|title=L'Oreal's Golden squad|work=The Beauty Influencers|date=July 29, 2018|access-date=September 24, 2018}}

In 2000, she appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as a contestant, and again in August 2009, as a celebrity guest during the show's tenth anniversary prime-time special editions, winning $50,000 for her charity.{{cite web|title=Who Wants to Be a Millionaire:Episode Guide|url=http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire.2/?sb=1&si=36&ipp=40|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129052211/http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire.2/?sb=1&si=36&ipp=40|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2013|work=msn|access-date=October 3, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 10th Anniversary – Part 4|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa4yo0_who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-10th_shortfilms|work=Dailymotion|date=August 12, 2009 |access-date=October 3, 2012}}

In a commercial that began running during Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, Williams voiced the new character Ms. Brown, a brown M&M.{{cite news|url=http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in-journal/31942-tv-qaa-the-good-wife-awards-shows-and-the-little-couple|title=TV Q&A: 'The Good Wife,' awards shows and 'The Little Couple'|last=Owen|first=Rob|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=February 17, 2012|access-date=February 17, 2012|archive-date=February 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222090309/http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in-journal/31942-tv-qaa-the-good-wife-awards-shows-and-the-little-couple|url-status=dead}}

In 2020, Williams was the winner of season 1, episode 2 of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and donated her prize of $20,000 to the LGBTQ charity The Trevor Project.

In March 2016, Williams launched her own clothing line, V. by Vanessa Williams, for EVINE Live.{{cite web|url=http://people.com/style/first-look-vanessa-williams-launches-clothing-line-where-everything-is-under-100-and-meant-to-hide-bra-fat/|title=First Look: Vanessa Williams Launches Clothing Line, Where Everything Is Under $100 and Meant to 'Hide Bra Fat'|date=March 14, 2016}}

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 life with type 1 diabetes and the fact that she was sexually molested by a woman when she was ten years old.{{cite news|first=Barbara|last=Chai|title=Vanessa Williams Speaks Candidly in 'You Have No Idea'|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/04/17/vanessa-williams-speaks-candidly-in-you-have-no-idea/|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=April 17, 2012|access-date=May 3, 2012}}{{cite news|first=Nicki|last=Gostin|title=QA: Vanessa Williams writes of sexual abuse, teenage abortion in new book|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/qa-vanessa-williams-writes-of-sexual-abuse-teenage-abortion-in-new-book|work=Fox News|date=April 18, 2012|access-date=May 3, 2012}} She spoke candidly about having an abortion while she was in high school.{{cite web|last=Bauer|first=Zoe|title=Lily Allen and Other Celebs Who Shared Their Views on Abortion|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/news/lily-allen-other-celebs-shared-views-abortion-210300509.html|work=Yahoo! OMG!|access-date=July 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025001541/http://omg.yahoo.com/news/lily-allen-other-celebs-shared-views-abortion-210300509.html|archive-date=October 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}

Williams is a practicing Catholic, something she spoke about on the ABC News program Focus on Faith with Fr. Edward L. Beck.{{cite web

|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/vanessa-williams-faith-10585404|title=Vanessa Williams on Her Faith|access-date=May 6, 2016|date=2010|work=ABC News}}

Williams has been married three times. She married Ramon Hervey II{{cite news|first=Lynn|last=Norment|title=Vanessa L. Williams: on her painful divorce, the pressures of superstardom and her new life as a single mom|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n12_v52/ai_19836399/|work=Ebony|date=October 1997|access-date=May 3, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110093013/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n12_v52/ai_19836399/|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l7MDAAAAMBAJ&q=Husband+Ramon+Hervey&pg=PA57|magazine=Jet|title=Vanessa Williams and Husband Ramon Hervey Hold L.A. Reception|date=March 16, 1987 |access-date=January 20, 2015}} at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbQDAAAAMBAJ&q=Ramon+Hervey&pg=PA54 |magazine=Jet |title=Vanessa Williams and Ramon Hervey Take Wedding Vows |date=February 2, 1987|access-date=February 12, 2017}} in 1987{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/583234/vanessa-williams-is-engaged-to-boyfriend-jim-skrip-check-out-her-stunning-engagement-ring|title=Vanessa Williams Is Engaged to Boyfriend Jim Skrip—Check Out Her Stunning Engagement Ring!|date=September 26, 2014|publisher=Eonline.com|access-date=January 20, 2015}} just a few years after giving up her Miss America crown and gave birth to her first child at that time. Hervey was a public relations specialist who was hired to resuscitate her career after her resignation.{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2014-02-11/entertainment/47204236_1_vanessa-williams-ramon-hervey-pageant|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406001737/http://articles.philly.com/2014-02-11/entertainment/47204236_1_vanessa-williams-ramon-hervey-pageant|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 6, 2014|title=Long past that Miss A scandal, Vanessa Williams is happy she – and pageant – are back in Atlantic City|work=Philly.com|access-date=January 20, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.vanessawilliams.de/mag_ebony1097.htm |title=Vanessa L. Williams: On Her Painful Divorce, the Pressures of Superstardom and Her New Life as a Single Mom |work=Ebony |date=October 1997 |access-date=January 20, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225110537/http://www.vanessawilliams.de/mag_ebony1097.htm |archive-date=December 25, 2010 }} They had three children, Melanie, Jillian, and Devin.{{cite web|title=Vanessa Williams Biography|url=http://www.people.com/people/vanessa_williams/biography/0,,,00.html|publisher=People|access-date=May 3, 2012|archive-date=January 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118083154/http://www.people.com/people/vanessa_williams/biography/0,,,00.html|url-status=dead}} They divorced in 1997.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/business/talking-money-with-rick-fox-vanessa-l-williams-behind-glamorous-life-his-hers.html |title=Talking Money with Rick Fox and Vanessa L. Williams – Behind the Glamorous Life, His-and-Hers Nest Eggs |date=November 25, 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 20, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/vanessa-williams-divorce-relationships_n_5572120.html|title=Vanessa Williams on Her Forever Romantic View of Relationships (VIDEO)|work=The Huffington Post|date=July 10, 2014|access-date=January 20, 2015}}

She married NBA basketball player Rick Fox in 1999. They had one daughter, Sasha Gabriella Fox.{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/fox%20denies%20another%20woman%20played%20part%20in%20williams%20split|title=Fox Denies Another Woman Played Part in Williams Split|date=July 19, 2004}} They divorced in 2004.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-08-10-fox-divorce_x.htm|work=USA Today|title= Rick Fox files for divorce from Vanessa Williams}}{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050027,00.html|title=Exes Vanessa Williams, Rick Fox Hook Up for Ugly Betty|access-date=August 5, 2007|last=Margaret|first=Mary|date=August 5, 2007|publisher=People Magazine|archive-date=October 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030073814/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050027,00.html|url-status=dead}} In 2015, she married Jim Skrip, a businessman from Buffalo, New York at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, after receiving a Church annulment of her first marriage.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.people.com/article/vanessa-williams-married|title=Vanessa Williams Ties the Knot with Jim Skrip|magazine=People|date=July 4, 2015|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite news|first=Lynette|last=Rice|title=Vanessa Williams Is Engaged to Jim Skrip|url=http://www.people.com/article/vanessa-williams-engaged-jim-skrip|work=People|date=September 26, 2014|access-date=September 26, 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-vanessa-williams-married-wedding-jim-skrip-20150706-story.html|title=Actress Vanessa Williams marries for a third time|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 6, 2015|access-date=February 12, 2017}} The couple quietly divorced in 2021.{{cite news|first=Janine|last=Rubenstein|url=https://people.com/vanessa-williams-reveals-she-quietly-divorced-jim-skrip-in-2021-exclusive-8682562|title=Vanessa Williams Quietly Divorced Jim Skrip in 2021:'I'm in Love with Life and Having Options' (Exclusive)|work=People|date=July 24, 2024|access-date=July 25, 2024}}

Her daughter, Jillian Hervey, is an American singer, dancer, and member of the group Lion Babe.

Williams is a grandmother.

In 2013, she was in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? to learn about her background. According to the DNA test results, she is 23% Ghanaian, 17% British, 15% Cameroonian, 12% Finnish, 11% Southern-European, 7% Togolese, 6% Beninese, 5% Senegalese and 4% Portuguese.[https://www.is.fi/viihde/art-2000000615798.html Hollywood-kaunottaren DNA:sta löytyi Suomi-yhteys], Ilta-Sanomat, 26 May 2013

Williams is involved with a number of humanitarian causes. in 2011 participated in the human rights campaign New Yorkers for Marriage Equality.{{cite web|title=Vanessa Williams Speaks Out for Marriage Equality|url=https://www.bet.com/article/c9nmp6/vanessa-williams-speaks-out-for-marriage-equality|publisher=BET.com|access-date=June 1, 2011}} She currently sits on the board of The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture a creative arts space run by the Catholic Archdiocese. She is partnered with Dress For Success, an organization that provides professional attire for low-income women seeking employment.{{cite web|url=http://www.fox5ny.com/news/117422960-video|title=Vanessa Williams|last=FOX|access-date=April 8, 2016|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420072157/http://www.fox5ny.com/news/117422960-video|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://time.com/3817853/vanessa-williams-dress-for-success-phone-interview/|title=Vanessa Williams on How to Make the Perfect First Impression—On the Phone}} Williams is also involved with The San Miquel Academy of Newburgh, a school for boys at risk.{{cite web|url=http://www.lohud.com/story/entertainment/people/suburbarazzi/2015/11/02/vanessa-williams-supports-tuition-free-school-for-at-risk-boys/75051062/

|title=Vanessa Williams supports tuition-free school for at-risk boys|access-date=November 4, 2015|last=West|first=Latoya|date=November 4, 2015|publisher=The Journal News}}

{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Williams}}

File:VanessaWilliamsHWoFMar2012.jpg

Williams is the recipient of many awards and nominations including eleven Grammy nominations for hits such as "The Right Stuff", "Save the Best for Last", and "Colors of the Wind". In addition, she has earned three Emmy nominations, a Tony Award nomination, seven NAACP Image Awards, and four Satellite Awards.

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 19, 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/dcf23a69591371fd150023ca2329cba3/VANESSA-WILLIAMS-RECEIVES-STAR-ON-HOLLYWOOD-WALK-OF-FAME/|title=Vanessa Williams receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame|access-date=September 14, 2015|date=2007|publisher=UPI}}

In December 2017, Vanessa L. Williams participated at COAF Gala fundraising event, delivering a special performance of her Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning song "Colors of the Wind" and paid tribute to Patricia Field, with whom she worked on the set of the TV series Ugly Betty.{{Cite news|url=http://asbarez.com/169382/3-6-million-raised-for-villages-in-armenia-during-coaf-gala/|title=$3.6 Million Raised for Villages In Armenia During COAF Gala|date=December 20, 2017|work=Asbarez}}

{{Main|Vanessa Williams discography}}

;Studio albums

• The Right Stuff (1988)
• The Comfort Zone (1991)
• The Sweetest Days (1994)
• Star Bright (1996)
• Next (1997)
• Silver & Gold (2004)
• Everlasting Love (2005)
• The Real Thing (2009)
• Survivor (2024)

• {{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Vanessa |last2=Williams |first2=Helen |year=2012 |title=You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-Nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other) |location=New York |publisher=Gotham Books |isbn=978-1-5924-0759-0}}
• {{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Vanessa |year=2020 |title=Bubble Kisses |location=New York |publisher=Sterling Children's Books |isbn=978-1-4549-3834-7}}

{{Portal|Biography}}

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
• Children of Armenia Fund

{{Clear}}

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{{Commons category}}

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• {{Official website}}
• {{IMDb name}}
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{{Mary Pickford Award}}

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