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Vanessa Williams

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For other people named Vanessa Williams, see Vanessa Williams (disambiguation).
Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is a Grammy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-nominated, and Tony Award-nominated American R&B/pop/theatrical singer and actress

Williams made history in 1984 when she became the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss America. Williams' reign as Miss America came to an abrupt end when scandal led to her subsequent resignation of the title. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer.

Early life

Williams was born in Millwood, New York to Milton and Helen Williams, who were both music teachers. Both of the parents are half African-American and Caucasian. Vanessa has a younger brother named Chris, who is also an actor. They grew up in a white middle-class suburban area. Prophetically, her parents put "Here she is: Miss America" on her birth announcement.[1]

Williams studied piano and French horn growing up, but was most interested in singing. She received a scholarship and attended Syracuse University as a Theatre Arts major, but chose to discontinue her college education to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Pageants and Miss America title

Williams began competing in beauty pageants in the early 1980s. Williams won Miss New York in 1983, and went to the Miss America national pageant in Atlantic City. She was crowned Miss America 1984 on September 17, 1983 making her the first-ever African-American Miss America. Prior to the final night of competition, Williams won both the Preliminary Talent and Swimsuit Competitions from earlier in the week. Williams' reign as Miss America was not without its challenges and controversies. For the first time in pageant history, a reigning Miss America was the target of death threats and angry racist hate mail. [2]

Ten months into her reign as Miss America, she received an anonymous phone call stating that nude photos of her taken by a photographer prior to her pageant days had surfaced. Williams believed the photographs were private and had been destroyed; she claims she never signed a release permitting the photos to be used.[3]

The genesis of the photos dated back to 1982, when she worked as an assistant and makeup artist for photographer Tom Chiapel. According to Williams, Chiapel advised her that he wanted to try a "new concept of silhouettes with two models." He photographed Williams and another woman in several nude poses. The photographs depicted mild overtones of simulated lesbian sex, which was quite controversial for its time.[4]

Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy, was initially offered the photos, but turned them down. Days later, Bob Guccione, the publisher of Penthouse, announced that his magazine would publish the photos in their September 1984 issue, and paid Chiapel for the rights to them without Williams' consent. According to the PBS documentary, "Miss America," the Vanessa Williams issue of Penthouse would ultimately bring Guccione a $14 million windfall.[5]

After several days of media frenzy and sponsors threatening to pull out of the upcoming 1985 pageant, Williams felt pressured by Miss America Pageant officials to resign, and did so in a press conference on July 23, 1984. Williams' resignation received enormous media attention. Although she resigned from fulfilling the duties of a current Miss America, she was allowed to keep the bejeweled crown and scholarship money and is officially recognized by the Miss America Organization today as "Miss America 1984a".

Williams has gone on to lead what is arguably the most successful career of any former Miss America.

Music career

After time out of the spotlight, Williams secured a record deal, and released her debut album, The Right Stuff in 1988. The first single, "The Right Stuff", was successful on the R&B charts and the third single, "Dreamin'", was a chart success becoming Williams' first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and her first number one single in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status and earned her three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.

Her second album The Comfort Zone became the biggest success in her music career. The lead single Running Back to You became another chart topper for her, reaching the top position of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in October 5, 1991. Other singles included "The Comfort Zone", "Just for Tonight", "Work to Do" and the club 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". The song was at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and reached #1 on charts in countries all over the world, including Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada and in the top 5 in Japan and the United Kingdom. The album went three times platinum in the United States by the RIAA, gold in Canada by the CRIA, and platinum in the United Kingdom by the BPI. The Comfort Zone earned her five Grammy Award nominations.

In addition to Williams' first two albums, her most notable chart successes have included the songs "Love Is", "The Sweetest Days", "Colors of the Wind", and "Oh How The Years Go By". In total, Williams has sold over six million records and received fifteen Grammy Award nominations.

In early 2007, it was announced she had signed with jazz label Concord Records. An album, which will be her 9th, is expected later this year and will be a mix of old jazz standards as well as new ballads/Brazilian bossa nova as well.

Acting career

Theatrical roles

Williams parlayed her ascendant music career into a theatrical role when she was cast in the Broadway production of Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1994. She was also featured in a Tony-nominated performance as the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods in a revival of the show in 2002, which included songs revised for her.

Other notable theatrical roles include her performances in Carmen Jones at the Kennedy Center, the off-Broadway productions of One Man Band and Checkmates, and the New York City Center's Encores!® Great American Musicals in Concert, St. Louis Woman.

Feature film roles

Williams has appeared in several feature films. Her most prominent role was in the film Soul Food (1997), for which she won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. Vanessa appeared in the 1991 cult classic film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. She also co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Eraser and opposite Latin sensation Chayanne in Dance with Me.

In 2007, Vanessa returned to the big screen starring in two independent motion pictures. The first being My Brother, 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, and the second being And Then Came Love.

For the complete list of her feature film roles, see Vanessa L. Williams at IMDb.

Television

Williams' first television appearance was on a 1984 episode of The Love Boat, playing herself. She subsequently made guest appearances on a number of shows, including T.J. Hooker, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, LateLine, MADtv, Ally McBeal and Boomtown.

She has had many appearances in television movies and miniseries, including Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer and The Jacksons: An American Dream. She played the nymph Calypso in the 1997 Hallmark Entertainment miniseries The Odyssey, starring Armand Assante. She appeared as the Ebenezer Scrooge character in an update of the Charles Dickens story "A Christmas Carol" called "A Diva's Christmas Carol". In 2001, Williams starred in the Lifetime cable movie about the life of Henriette DeLille, The Courage to Love. In early 2006 she starred in the short lived UPN drama South Beach.

In 2007, Williams received considerable media attention for her comic/villainess role as magazine creative director Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty, produced by Salma Hayek. Her performance on the series has resulted in a nomination for outstanding supporting actress at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.

For the complete list of her television appearances, see Template:Tvtome person.

Other media appearances

Name conflict

In Williams' career, she was initially known simply as "Vanessa Williams". However, there is occasionally confusion or conflicts with similarly-named actress Vanessa A. Williams, who first came to national notice when she appeared in the first season of Melrose Place.

Williams (VLW) first became aware of Vanessa A. Williams (VAW) in the 1980s when her New York University registrar told her that another similarly-aged girl with the same name and from the same state had applied.[6][7] When VLW appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Day Parade, VAW accidentally received her check for the appearance (which she returned).[6]

In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. VAW had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first,[6] so as a compromise, VLW was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. VLW says the Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided that both actresses could use the stage name "Vanessa Williams."[7] She is credited this way in the opening credits for Ugly Betty. Both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food (VLW in the film version, and VAW in its TV series adaptation).

In a 1997 interview with Playboy magazine, VLW claims VAW made a "catty remark" about her when VAW appeared in a Broadway play.[8] A year later, VLW told Canoe.ca: "She registered the name first but I made the name famous so I have more claim to it these days."[6]

Personal life

Williams has been married twice. Her first marriage to her then-manager Ramon Hervey II was from 1987 to 1997. They have three children: Melanie (born 1987), Jillian (born 1989), and Devin (born 1993).

Her second marriage was to NBA basketball player Rick Fox. They married in September 1999 and have a daughter, Sasha Gabriella (born May 2000). After The National Enquirer published pictures of Fox kissing another woman in mid-2004, Fox's representative announced that the couple had been "headed toward divorce" for over a year.[9] A few months later in August 2004, Fox filed for divorce.[10] During some press interviews, Williams cast some doubt on the divorce status,[11] but while visiting the Howard Stern radio show in March 2005, she said that while she and Fox were intimate with each other briefly during the 2004 holidays, a reconciliation was unlikely.[12]

In early 2006, Williams dated 29-year-old actor Rob Mack, whom she met on the set of her show South Beach.[13] She's currently single and resides in Beverly Hills, California.

Her father Milton died on January 17, 2006 at the age of 70.[14]

Discography

Albums

The Right Stuff

  • Released: June 6, 1988
  • Label: WING / Mercury
  • Chart Peak: US Pop #38, R&B #18
  • RIAA Certification: Gold
  • Singles: "The Right Stuff", "Dreamin'", "(He's Got) The Look", "Darlin' I"

The Comfort Zone

  • Released: August 20, 1991
  • Label: WING / Mercury
  • Chart Peak: US Pop #17, R&B #1, UK #24
  • RIAA Certification: 3x Platinum
  • Singles: "Running Back To You", "The Comfort Zone", "Save The Best For Last", "Just For Tonight", "Work To Do", "What Will I Tell My Heart"

The Sweetest Days

  • Released: December 6, 1994
  • Label: WING / Mercury
  • Chart Peak: US Pop #57, R&B #25
  • RIAA Certification: Platinum
  • Singles: "The Sweetest Days", "The Way That You Love", "Betcha Never", "You Can't Run"

Star Bright

Next

  • Released: August 26, 1997
  • Label: Mercury
  • Chart Peak: US Pop #53, R&B #28
  • RIAA Certification: N/A (U.S. Sales: 280,000)
  • Singles: "Happiness", "Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout?", "Oh How The Years Go By", "First Thing On Your Mind"

Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years

The Christmas Collection: The Best Of

The Millennium Collection: The Best Of

Love Songs

Silver & Gold

  • Released: October 12, 2004
  • Label: Lava / Atlantic
  • Chart Peak: US Pop #120, R&B #46, Gospel #2
  • RIAA Certification: N/A (U.S. Sales: 100,000)
  • Singles: "Silver And Gold", "Merry Christmas, Darling"

Everlasting Love

Singles

Year Title Album UK U.S. U.S. R&B
1988 "The Right Stuff" The Right Stuff 62 44 4
1988 "(He's Got) The Look" The Right Stuff - - 10
1989 "Dreamin'" The Right Stuff 74 8 1
1989 "Darlin I" The Right Stuff - 88 10
1991 "Running Back to You" The Comfort Zone - 18 1
1991 "The Comfort Zone" The Comfort Zone - 62 2
1992 "Save the Best For Last" The Comfort Zone 3 1 1
1992 "Just for Tonight" The Comfort Zone - 26 11
1992 "Work to Do" The Comfort Zone - 52 3
1993 "Love Is" (with Brian McKnight) Beverly Hills 90210 Soundtrack - 3 55
1994 "The Sweetest Days" The Sweetest Days 41 18 40
1994 "The Way That You Love" The Sweetest Days 52 67 23
1995 "Colors of the Wind" Pocahontas Soundtrack 21 4 53
1995 "You Can't Run" The Sweetest Days - - 40
1996 "Where Do We Go From Here? (from the film "Eraser")" Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years - 71 90
1997 "Happiness" Next - - 33
1997 "Oh How The Years Go By" Next - - -

Awards and Accolades

  • In The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Beauty Queen", Krusty the Klown informs the pageant audience that it is possible for the runner-up to inherit the crown. He says, "And don't say it'll never happen. Because we all remember that thing that happened with what's her name. Click, click. You know." This being a reference to Williams' nude photographs.
  • Also in the episode "Itchy and Scratchy Land", when driving to the amusement part, Homer turns on the radio to hear the following "Continuing our "Sign of Evil" countdown, here's Vanessa Williams". This being a reference to Williams' singing career

See also

References

  1. ^ Entertainment Tonight interview. December 11, 2005.
  2. ^ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/missamerica/peopleevents/e_inclusion.html
  3. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921751,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
  4. ^ Tom Chiapel (September, 1984). "HER SHE COMES, MISS AMERICA". Pictorial. Penthouse. pp. 66–75. ISSN 0090-2020. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/missamerica/peopleevents/e_inclusion.html
  6. ^ a b c d B. Hobson, Louis. Vanessa dancing up a storm, Canoe.ca. August 16, 1998.
  7. ^ a b Vanessa Williams: Boomtown's New Bombshell!. TV Guide. September 02, 2003.
  8. ^ http://www.vanessawilliams.de/about_funengl.htm
  9. ^ http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/fox%20denies%20another%20woman%20played%20part%20in%20williams%20split
  10. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-08-10-fox-divorce_x.htm
  11. ^ http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/vanessa%20questions%20divorce%20stories
  12. ^ http://www.marksfriggin.com/news05/3-21.htm#wed
  13. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/380551p-322985c.html
  14. ^ http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/13688429.htm
Preceded by Miss America
1984 		Succeeded by
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