Vanessa Williams
An American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, and actress. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal involving nude photographs caused her to relinquish her title early. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations.
Williams released her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988, which spawned the hits "The Right Stuff," a #1 on Hot Dance Songs, and "Dreamin'," a #1 on R&B and #8 on Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, in 1991 topped the Billboard R&B Album Chart, and spawned the 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 the Oscar-winner for Best Original Song, "Colors of the Wind," from the Disney animated feature film Pocahontas. It went on to reach #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Williams's first major movie 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 self-absorbed diva and former supermodel Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty. In 2009, Williams released her eighth studio album, The Real Thing. In 2010 she joined the ensemble cast of the series Desperate Housewives as spoiled rich woman Renee Perry.
Williams released her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988, which spawned the hits "The Right Stuff," a #1 on Hot Dance Songs, and "Dreamin'," a #1 on R&B and #8 on Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, in 1991 topped the Billboard R&B Album Chart, and spawned the 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 the Oscar-winner for Best Original Song, "Colors of the Wind," from the Disney animated feature film Pocahontas. It went on to reach #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Williams's first major movie 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 self-absorbed diva and former supermodel Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty. In 2009, Williams released her eighth studio album, The Real Thing. In 2010 she joined the ensemble cast of the series Desperate Housewives as spoiled rich woman Renee Perry.
Known for
Happy Clothes
Tripped Up
Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
Velma
Sherri
Queen of the Universe
Girls5eva
Bad Hair
Name That Tune
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams: Live From the West Side
Secret Celebrity RuPaul's Drag Race
Calling All T.O.T.S.
Singleholic
Stars in the House
Miss Virginia
Tamron Hall
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Batman: Hush
T.O.T.S.
American Style
The Legend of Hallowaiian
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
The Man from Earth : Holocene
Daytime Divas
Not Black Enough
The Secret She Kept
The $100,000 Pyramid
Match Game
Show Boat
The Librarians
The Trip to Bountiful
Broad City
He's Way More Famous Than You
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
666 Park Avenue
The Mindy Project
Bethenny
Who Do You Think You Are?
Modern Family
The Good Wife
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Hannah Montana: The Movie
RuPaul's Drag Race
The Wendy Williams Show
Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies
And Then Came Love
Ugly Betty
South Beach
My Brother
The Reichen Show
Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Christmas in Washington
The 7th Annual Soul Train Christmas Starfest
Desperate Housewives
Johnson Family Vacation
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
The Bachelorette
Boomtown
Keep the Faith, Baby
It's Black Entertainment
Santa, Baby!
The Proud Family
WW 3
A Diva's Christmas Carol
Shaft
Don Quixote
The Courage to Love
Light It Up
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
Futuresport
L.A. Doctors
Dance with Me
Pavarotti & Friends - For the Children of Liberia
VH1 Divas
LateLine
Soul Food
Hoodlum
The View
The Odyssey
Jungle Cubs
Eraser
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Bye Bye Birdie
Nothing Lasts Forever
Nothing Lasts Forever
MADtv
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Chicago Hope
Score with Chicks
Intimate Portrait
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Jacksons: An American Dream
Stompin' at the Savoy
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
Another You
The Kid Who Loved Christmas
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer
Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal
American Experience
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Under the Gun
The Pick-up Artist
Partners in Crime
T. J. Hooker
A Capitol Fourth
Saturday Night Live
Days of Our Lives
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Tony Awards
The Oscars
Acting
Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards
—
Witch (segment "Into the Woods") (archive footage)