Vanessa Lynn Williams [ 1 ] born March 18, is an American singer, actress, model, producer, and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America She would later resign her title amid a media controversy surrounding nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine. Thirty-two years later, Williams was offered a public apology during the Miss America pageant for the events.
Williams rebounded from the scandal with a successful career as a singer and actress. In , she released her debut studio album The Right Stuff , whose title single saw moderate success as well as " Dreamin' " , which peaked at number 8 in the United States in With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone and The Sweetest Days , she saw continued commercial success and received multiple Grammy Award nominations, including her number-one single and signature song , " Save the Best for Last ", which she performed live at the Grammy Awards ceremonies.
As an actress, Williams enjoyed success on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in with Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is also known for her appearances in television, with her best known roles being Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty β , for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series ; and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives β Williams is also of English and Welsh descent.
Williams was raised Catholic, the religion of her father. Her mother, who had been raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism when she married. 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 , who later became an actor, grew up in Westchester County , a predominantly white middle to upper-class suburb of New York City.
Bell Middle School, as did her children years later. Williams revealed that the shop and home economics teachers, Mr. Fink, were still there when her children attended. A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin. These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life. Williams is most often publicly recognized simply as "Vanessa Williams.
