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Vanessa Williams is a Actor and Executive producer American born on 18 march 1963

Vanessa Williams

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Birth name Vanessa Lynn Williams
Nationality USA
Birth 18 march 1963 (61 years)

Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American actress and singer who is particularly well known for her roles as Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty, Renee Perry in Desperate Housewives, and Teri Joseph in the 1997 feature film Soul Food. She initially gained recognition as the first African American woman to win the title of Miss America (during the Miss America 1984 pageant on September 17, 1983). Seven weeks before the end of her reign, however, a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published unauthorized nude photographs of Williams. She relinquished her title and was succeeded by the first runner-up, Miss New Jersey 1983, Suzette Charles. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning multiple Grammy and Emmy nominations and a Tony Award nomination. She is also the recipient of 7 NAACP Image Award and 3 Satellite Awards. In September, 2015 at the Miss America 2016 pageant, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell apologized to Williams (who was serving as head judge) for what was said to her by the Miss America Organization during the events of 1984.

A few years after the Miss America pageant, Williams entered the music industry, releasing her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988. The single, "The Right Stuff", reached the #1 spot on Hot Dance Songs, and "Dreamin'" was #1 on R&B and No. 8 on Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, The Comfort Zone in 1991, topped the Billboard R&B Album Chart, and contained the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Save the Best for Last." In 1995 she recorded "Colors of the Wind", the Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film Pocahontas that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Williams also became a well known actress in film and theater. Her first major film role was in Arnold Schwarzenegger's Eraser in 1996. She later starred in films such as Dance with Me, and Shaft. Williams has appeared in television shows such as The Redd Foxx Show, T.J. Hooker, The Love Boat, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal, 666 Park Avenue, and The Mindy Project. She has also starred in a number of television films including The Jacksons - An American Dream, Bye Bye Birdie, The Odyssey, and The Trip to Bountiful (based on her role in the 2013 theatrical revival). Williams' theatrical performances also include Kiss of the Spider Woman, St. Louis Woman, and the 2002 Kennedy Center performance of Carmen Jones. She joined the seventh season of The Good Wife as self-made businesswoman Courtney Boalt and the love interest for Alan Cumming's character, Eli Gold.

Biography

Williams' first husband is Ramon Hervey II, a public relations specialist who was hired to resuscitate her career after her resignation as Miss America in July 1984. He was an older man, 33 at the time, while she was 23. In 1987, they married at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church. The marriage was held in New York, but another group was able to watch it via videotape in Los Angeles. She was the major breadwinner during the marriage which lasted for 10 years. Hervey also ceased to be her manager during the marriage. After the divorce she expressed respect for him. They have three children: Melanie, Jillian Hervey, and Devin. Jillian, following in her mother's footsteps, released her first single with the duo Lion Babe in 2012.

Williams then married NBA basketball player Rick Fox. After eloping in summer 1999 in the Caribbean, they had another ceremony in September 1999 in New York. They had a daughter in May 2000. After The National Enquirer published pictures of Fox kissing and hugging another woman in mid-2004, Fox's representative announced that the couple had been "headed toward divorce" for over a year. A few months later in August 2004, Fox filed for divorce from Williams. Fox and Williams' split however was amicable enough for the two of them to work onscreen together several years later on the television show Ugly Betty.

Ten years later, during a 2014 taping of The Queen Latifah Show, Williams announced her engagement to Jim Skrip, a retired accountant from Buffalo. They married on July 4, 2015.

Williams and her mother, Helen, co-authored a memoir entitled You Have No Idea, published in April 2012. In the book, Williams discusses her childhood, rise to fame, and personal struggles, including the fact that she was sexually molested by a woman when she was 10 years old. She also spoke candidly about having an abortion while she was in high school. Williams is a supporter of gay rights and same sex marriage and in 2011, she participated in a HRC campaign entitled “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality".