Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams Bio

Vanessa Lynn Williams (March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress as well as a fashion designer. Williams grew up in Millwood, New York where she would perform in musical theatre as a teenager. In 1981, while studying at Syracuse University, she represented New York in the Miss American Pageant in 1983 and was the first African American woman to receive a crown. After a scandal in regards to her pageant career, Williams moved on to a music career where she did background vocals for George Clinton in 1986. Williams eventually pursued a solo career and debuted her first album, ‘The Right Stuff’ in 1988 which was a mix of dance-pop and ballads. ‘The Right Stuff’ eventually went gold and he single, ‘Dreamin’ landed at number 1 on the R&B Chart. Her second album, ‘The Comfort Zone’ was released in 1991 with single, ‘Save The Best For Last’ which landed at number one on the Pop single chart. As her reputation was growing, she was featured in duet with Brian McKnight for the song, ‘Love Is’ which eventually became the soundtrack for TV series Beverly Hills 902010. Williams went on to release her third album, ‘The Sweetest Days’ in 1994 featuring Sting and Babyface which earned a platinum certificate. This was followed by ‘Star Bright’ in 1996 and ‘Next’ in 1997. She was also featured on the Disney film Pocahontas for the commercial release of the movie’s soundtrack single, ‘Colors of the Wind’. On top of her music career, the now 57 year old Williams also found success in her acting career with roles in feature films such as 1998’s Dance With Me, 1999’s Light It Up and 2000’s Shaft and is well known for her role on TV series Desperate Housewives.