Vanessa Williams

VANESSA L. WILLIAMS

Date of Birth: March 18, 1963

Born in Tarrytown, New York, Williams dropped out of Syracuse University to pursue the Miss America crown. She won the crown in 1984 but was dethroned following publication of nude photos of her in Penthouse magazine. The same issue of Penthouse featured underage cover girl Traci Lords who was only 16 at the time, making the issue illegal to own or trade unless the Lords spread had been cut out of the magazine.

As well as playing roles in feature films such as Shaft (2000) and Johnson Family Vacation (2004), Williams has also shown up regularly on TV in such fare as the mini-series Nothing Lasts Forever and the made-for-TV remake of Bye Bye Birdie. In 2003, she won a Golden Satellite Award for her performance in the Showtime TV production Keep the Faith, Baby.

She has a daughter with her husband, Toronto-born NBA player/actor Rick Fox, and three children from a previous marriage.

Filmography

Johnson Family Vacation (2004)
Shaft (2000)
Light It Up (1999)
Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
Dance with Me (1998)
Soul Food (1997)
Hoodlum (1997)
Eraser (1996)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
Another You (1991)
Under the Gun (1989)
The Pick-up Artist(1987)