Vanessa Lynn Williams[1] (born March 18, 1963) 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 1984. 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 2016 pageant for the events.
Vanessa Williams | |
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![]() Williams in 2019 | |
Born | Vanessa Lynn Williams March 18, 1963 New York City, U.S.[1] |
Education | Syracuse University (BFA) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1982–present |
Title |
|
Term | Miss America: September 17, 1983 – July 22, 1984 (resigned) |
Predecessor | Debra Maffett |
Successor | Suzette Charles |
Spouses | Ramon Hervey II
(m. 1987; div. 1997)Jim Skrip
(m. 2015; div. 2021) |
Children | 4, including Jillian Hervey |
Relatives | Chris Williams (brother) |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels | |
Website | vanessawilliams |
Williams rebounded from the scandal with a successful career as a singer and actress. In 1988, 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 1989. With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone (1991) and The Sweetest Days (1994), 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 1993 Grammy Awards ceremonies. Her later studio albums include Everlasting Love (2005) and The Real Thing (2009).
As an actress, Williams enjoyed success on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in 1994 with Kiss of the Spider Woman. In 2002, she starred as The Witch in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods that earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical nomination. She starred in the revival of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful in 2013, and the ensemble political farce POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive in 2022. She is also known for her appearances in television, with her best known roles being Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty (2006–2010), 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 (2010–2012).
Early life and education
editVanessa Lynn Williams was born in Tarrytown with a birth announcement that read: "Here she is: Miss America".[2][3] She was raised in Millwood, New York.[1] A paternal great-great-grandfather was William Fields, an African-American legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Williams is also of English and Welsh descent.[4][5] Her mother Helen Tinch met her father Milton Augustine Williams Jr. (1935–2006) while both were music education students at Fredonia State Teachers College in the late 1950s.[6] They became elementary school music teachers in separate districts after marriage.[6] Milton also served as the assistant principal of his school for an extended period of time.[7]
Williams was raised Catholic, the religion of her father. Her mother, who had been raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism when she married. Williams was baptized at Our Lady of Grace Church in the Bronx. 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.[2]
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.[3] Williams believes she may have been the first African-American student to go from the first grade to the 12th grade in the Chappaqua Central School District.[5] She attended Robert E. Bell Middle School, as did her children years later. Williams revealed that the shop and home economics teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Fink, were still there when her children attended.[8]
A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin.[1][2] She was offered the Presidential Scholarship for Drama to attend Carnegie Mellon University during the college application period, one of 12 students to receive it, but decided instead to attend Syracuse University[1] on a different scholarship.[9] In 1981, Williams joined Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Drama as a musical theater major.[9][10] She stayed at Syracuse through her second year until she was crowned Miss America 1984 in September 1983.[10]
In May 2008, Syracuse granted Williams a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[11] According to Syracuse News, "Williams earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and her substantial performances on stage and screen."[10] Williams delivered the 2008 convocation address, telling Syracuse seniors to "treasure this moment. These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life."[12]
Name misattribution
editWilliams is most often publicly recognized simply as "Vanessa Williams". There is occasional confusion with the similarly named actress Vanessa E. Williams. It has been reported that Vanessa L. became aware of Vanessa E. in the 1980s when the New York University registrar told her that another, similarly aged student with the same name and from the same state had applied.[13][14] When Williams appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Vanessa E. accidentally received her check for the appearance, which she returned.[13]
In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. Vanessa E. had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first,[13] so as a compromise, Williams was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. To compound the confusion, both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food, Williams in the film version, and Vanessa E. in its TV series adaptation. The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration, and decided both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams".[14]
Miss America
editWilliams was the first African-American recipient of the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984 on September 17, 1983. Several weeks before the end of her reign, a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published unauthorized nude photographs of her. Williams was pressured to relinquish her title and was succeeded by the first runner-up: Miss New Jersey 1983, Suzette Charles. Thirty-two years later in September 2015, when Williams served as head judge for the Miss America 2016 pageant, former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell made a public apology to her for the events of 1984.[15][16][17][18]
Career
editMusic
editWilliams first received public recognition for her musical abilities when she won the preliminary talent portion of the Miss America pageant with her rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again" (Williams would later be crowned Miss America 1984).[15] Four years later in 1988, Williams released her debut album, The Right Stuff.[1] The first single, "The Right Stuff", found success on the R&B chart, while the second single, "He's Got the Look", found similar success on the same chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams' first top 10 hit on the 1989 Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status in the U.S. and earned her an NAACP Image Award and three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.[1]
Her second album The Comfort Zone became the biggest success in her music career.[1] The lead single "Running Back to You" reached top twenty on the Hot 100, and the top position of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on October 5, 1991. Other singles included "The Comfort Zone" (#2 R&B), "Just for Tonight" (#26 Pop), a cover of The Isley Brothers' "Work to Do" (#3 R&B), and the club-only 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".[1]
It reached No. 1 in the United States, where it remained for five weeks, as well as No. 1 in Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada, and was in the top 5 in Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The album sold 2.2 million copies in the U.S. at its time of release and has since been certified triple platinum in the United States by the RIAA, gold in Canada by the CRIA, and platinum in the United Kingdom by the BPI. Williams performed the song live at the 1993 Grammy Awards Ceremony. The Comfort Zone earned Williams five Grammy Award nominations.[1]
The Sweetest Days, her third album, was released in 1994 to highly favorable reviews.[1] The album saw Williams branch out and sample other styles of music that included jazz, hip hop, rock, and Latin-themed recordings such as "Betcha Never" and "You Can't Run", both written and produced by Babyface. Other singles from the album included the adult-contemporary and dance hit "The Way That You Love" and the title track. The album was certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA and earned her two Grammy Award nominations.[1]
Other releases include two Christmas albums, Star Bright in 1996, and Silver & Gold in 2004, Next in 1997, Everlasting Love in 2005, and The Real Thing in 2009, along with a greatest-hits compilation released in 1998, and a number of other compilations released over the years.[1] Chart performances from subsequent albums, motion picture and television soundtracks have included the songs "Love Is", which was a duet with Brian McKnight, the Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning "Colors of the Wind", "Where Do We Go from Here?", and "Oh How the Years Go By".[1]
In 1996, Williams performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XXX.
In April 2018, she announced she was working on a new studio album due in the fall that would incorporate her R&B, pop, & Broadway influences.[19]
On April 26, 2024, Williams released a new single, "Legs (Keep Dancing)", the first from her upcoming ninth studio album, Survivor, set to be released August 23, 2024.[20] Williams launched her own record label, Mellian Music, for the release.[21] On May 13, 2024, the digital single "Legs (Keep Dancing)" debuted on the US Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (Billboard) chart in the Number 3 position. The single's success marks Williams' first hit on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.[22] In July 2024, Williams released the single "Bop!", a collaboration with Trixie Mattel and Lion Babe.[23]
Vanessa Williams has surpassed 250 million total streams on Spotify across all credits. She averages nearly 190K daily listeners on the platform.[24]
Television and film
editWilliams has had a successful career in television. Her first television appearance was on a 1984 episode of The Love Boat[25] followed by guest appearances in a number of popular shows. In 1995, Williams starred as Rose Alvarez in a television adaptation of the 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie and portrayed the nymph Calypso in the 1997 Hallmark Entertainment miniseries The Odyssey. In 2001, Williams starred in the Lifetime film about the life of Henriette DeLille, The Courage to Love and in 2003, Williams read the narrative of Tempie Herndon Durham from the WPA slave narratives in the HBO documentary Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives.[1]
In 2006, Williams received considerable media attention for her comic/villainess role as former model/magazine creative director turned editor-in-chief Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty.[1] Her performance on the series resulted in a nomination for outstanding supporting actress at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards[26] with additional nominations in 2008 and 2009. .[1] Williams next joined the cast of Desperate Housewives for its seventh season, where she portrayed Renee Perry, an old college "frenemy" of Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman).[27] In 2016, she joined the cast of The Librarians, as recurring villainess General Rockwell.[28] She starred as Maxine in the VH1 television series Daytime Divas during its one season in 2017.[29][30]
Williams has appeared in a number of feature films. She received a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph for the 1997 feature film Soul Food. In 2007, she starred in the independent film My Brother,[31] 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. She also notably co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser,[32] Samuel L. Jackson in the 2000 soft reboot of Shaft, the characters from Sesame Street in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, as the Queen of Trash, and with Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana: The Movie.[33]
Theatre
editWilliams began her career on stage in the 1985 production, One Man Band, as one of "the women".[34] She followed it in 1989 as "Laura" in Checkmates.[35]
In 1994, she broadened her ascendant music career into a theatrical role when she replaced Chita Rivera as Aurora in the Broadway production of Kiss of the Spider Woman.[36] In 1998, she portrayed Della Green in the revival of St. Louis Woman,[37] and Carmen Jones in the 2002 Kennedy Center Special Performance of Carmen Jones.[38] In the same year, she was also featured in the Tony/Drama Desk Award-winning revival production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, for which she was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award for her performance as the Witch. This production included songs revised for her.[39]
In 2010, Vanessa starred in a new Broadway musical revue entitled Sondheim on Sondheim, a look at Stephen Sondheim through his music, film and videotaped interviews. Sondheim ran from March 19 to June 13 at Studio 54 in New York City.[40] In 2013, she starred as Jessie Mae Watts in the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful, which was later turned into a 2014 television film.[41] In 2014, she starred in the Broadway musical, After Midnight[42] and in 2015, she appeared in a PBS production of Show Boat as Julie La Verne.[43] Williams will star as Margaret in POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive on Broadway, with performances beginning on April 14, 2022, at the Shubert Theatre.[44]
Additional roles
editWilliams served as the host of the 1994 Essence Awards,[45] co-host of Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters: Verve Records at 50,[46] host of the 1998 NAACP Image Awards,[47] host of the 2002 documentary, It's Black Entertainment, host of The 6th Annual TV Land Awards in 2007,[48] host of the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2009,[49] and host of the documentary Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation in 2009.
Williams is a spokesmodel for Proactiv Solution,[50] and was the first African-American spokesmodel for L'Oréal cosmetics in the 1990s.[51] In 2018, Williams returned as a spokesmodel for L'Oréal as part of their 'Age perfect' campaign alongside fellow ambassadors Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, and Jane Fonda.[52] In 2000, she appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as a contestant, and again in August 2009, as a celebrity guest during the show's tenth anniversary prime-time special editions, winning $50,000 for her charity.[53][54]
In a commercial that began running during Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, Williams voiced the new character Ms. Brown, a brown M&M.[55]
In 2020, Williams was the winner of episode 2 of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and donated her prize of $20,000 to the LGBTQ charity The Trevor Project.
Fashion
editIn March 2016, Williams launched her own clothing line, V. by Vanessa Williams, for EVINE Live.[56]
Personal life
editWilliams and her mother Helen co-authored a memoir titled You Have No Idea, published in April 2012. In the book, Williams discusses her childhood, rise to fame, and personal struggles, including life with type 1 diabetes, including the fact that she was sexually molested by a woman when she was ten years old.[57][58] She spoke candidly about having an abortion while she was in high school.[59]
Williams is a practicing Catholic, something she spoke about on the ABC News program Focus on Faith with Fr. Edward L. Beck.[2]
Williams has been married three times. She married Ramon Hervey II[60][61] at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church[62] in 1987[62][63] just a few years after giving up her Miss America crown and gave birth to her first child at that time. Hervey was a public relations specialist who was hired to resuscitate her career after her resignation.[62][64][65] They had three children, Melanie, Jillian, and Devin.[66] They divorced in 1997.[67][68]
She married NBA basketball player Rick Fox in 1999. They had one daughter, Sasha Gabriella Fox.[66][69] They divorced in 2004.[1][70][71] In 2015, she married Jim Skrip, a businessman from Buffalo, New York at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, after receiving a Church annulment of her first marriage.[72][73][74] The couple quietly divorced in 2021.[75]
Her daughter, Jillian Hervey, is an American singer, dancer, and member of the group Lion Babe.
Williams is a grandmother.
Activism
editWilliams is involved with a number of humanitarian causes. in 2011 participated in the human rights campaign New Yorkers for Marriage Equality.[76] She is partnered with Dress For Success, an organization that provides professional attire for low-income women seeking employment.[30][77] Williams is also involved with The San Miquel Academy of Newburgh, a school for boys at risk.[78]
Honors and awards
editWilliams is the recipient of many awards and nominations including eleven Grammy nominations for hits such as "The Right Stuff", "Save the Best for Last", and "Colors of the Wind". In addition, she has earned three Emmy nominations, a Tony Award nomination, seven NAACP Image Awards, and four Satellite Awards.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 19, 2007.[79]
In December 2017, Vanessa L. Williams participated at COAF Gala fundraising event, delivering a special performance of her Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning song "Colors of the Wind" and paid tribute to Patricia Field, with whom she worked on the set of the TV series Ugly Betty.[80]
Discography
edit- Studio albums
- The Right Stuff (1988)
- The Comfort Zone (1991)
- The Sweetest Days (1994)
- Star Bright (1996)
- Next (1997)
- Silver & Gold (2004)
- Everlasting Love (2005)
- The Real Thing (2009)
- Survivor (2024)
Filmography
editFilm
editYear | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Pick-up Artist | Rae | |
1988 | Under the Gun | Samantha Richards | |
1989 | Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal | Valentine Hayward | Television film |
1990 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer | Terri Knight | Television film |
Seriously...Phil Collins | Rachel | Television film | |
The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Lynette Parks | Television film | |
1991 | Another You | Gloria | |
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man | Lulu Daniels | ||
1992 | Stompin' at the Savoy | Pauline | Television film |
1995 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Dr. Kathy "Kat" Hunter | Television film |
Bye Bye Birdie | Rose Alvarez | Television film | |
1996 | Eraser | Dr. Lee Cullen | |
1997 | Soul Food | Teri Joseph | |
Hoodlum | Francine Hughes | ||
1998 | Dance with Me | Ruby Sinclair | |
Futuresport | Alejandra 'Alex' Torres | Television film | |
1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Queen of Trash | |
Light It Up | Detective Audrey McDonald | ||
2000 | The Courage to Love | Mother Henriette DeLille | Television film |
Don Quixote | Dulcinea/Aldonza | Television film | |
Shaft | Carmen Vasquez | ||
A Diva's Christmas Carol | Ebony Scrooge | Television film | |
2001 | WW3 | M.J. Blake | Television film |
Santa, Baby! | Alicia | Voice, television film | |
2002 | Keep the Faith, Baby | Hazel Scott | Television film |
2004 | Johnson Family Vacation | Dorothy Johnson | |
Beck and Call | Zoe | Short | |
2006 | Rehearsing a Dream | Herself | Short |
My Brother | L'Tisha Morton | ||
2007 | The Beautiful World of Ugly Betty | Wilhelmina Slater | Television film |
And Then Came Love | Julie Davidson | Also executive producer | |
2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Vita | |
2011 | Delhi Safari | Beggum | Voice |
2013 | He's Way More Famous Than You | Herself | |
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor | Janice | ||
2014 | The Trip to Bountiful | Jessie Mae Watts | Television film |
When Marnie Was There | Hisako | Voice | |
2017 | The Man From Earth: Holocene | Carolyn | |
2018 | Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay | Amanda Waller | Voice, direct-to-video |
The Legend of Hallowaiian | Fire Goddess | Voice | |
False Profits | Suzanne | Television film | |
2019 | Batman: Hush | Amanda Waller | Voice, direct-to-video |
Miss Virginia | Sally Rae | ||
2020 | Bad Hair | Zora | |
2023 | Tripped Up | Patty |
Television
editYear | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1979 | Live from Lincoln Center | Graduates/Off Stage Voices | Episode: "New York City Opera: Street Scene" |
1984 | Partners in Crime | Roselle Robins | Episode: "Celebrity" |
The Love Boat | Miss America | Episode: "Ace's Valet/Mother Comes First/Hit or Miss America" | |
1986 | He's the Mayor | Herself | Episode: "An Officer and the Mayor" |
The Redd Foxx Show | Jessica | Episode: "The Prodigal Son" | |
T.J. Hooker | Officer Pat Williamson | Episode: "Partners in Death" | |
The Love Boat | Pearl | Episode: "My Stepmother, Myself/Almost Roommates/Cornerback Sneak" | |
1987 | Password Plus and Super Password | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Recurring role |
1988 | Showtime at the Apollo | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.3" |
Soul Train | Herself | Episode: "Thomas Dolby/Vanessa L. Williams/Tony Terry" | |
1989 | After Hours | Herself/Host | Episode: "Turkey Day Part 2" |
Family Feud | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Recurring Guest | |
1992 | Soul Train | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa L. Williams/Shanice Wilson/Jodeci" |
Soul Train Music Awards | Herself/Co-Host | ||
Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "Woody Harrelson/Vanessa Williams" | |
The Jacksons: An American Dream | Suzanne de Passe | Episode: "Part I & II" | |
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Danny Mitchell | Episode: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from the Forum" | |
1994 | Essence Awards | Herself/Host | Main Host |
Great Performances | Herself/Host | Episode: "Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters: Verve Records at 50" | |
1995 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Beauty | Voice, episode: "Beauty and the Beast" |
1996 | Intimate Portrait | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Arandis | Episode: "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." | |
1997 | The Odyssey | Calypso | Episode: "Part I & II" |
1998 | NAACP Image Awards | Herself/Co-Host | |
Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "Alec Baldwin/Luciano Pavarotti, Vanessa Williams" | |
1999 | I'll Make Me a World | Herself/Narrator | |
L.A. Doctors | Dr. Leanne Barrows | Recurring role | |
2000 | Sesame Street | Herself | Episode: "Dancing on Sesame Street" |
Christmas in Vienna | Herself | Episode: "Our Favorite Things: Christmas in Vienna" | |
2000–09 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Recurring guest |
2002 | Cool Women | Herself | Episode: "Singers/Actresses" |
Ally McBeal | Sheila Hunt | Episode: "Another One Bites the Dust" | |
The Proud Family | Debra Williams | Voice, episode: "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thingy, Baby" | |
2003 | Boomtown | Detective Katherine Pierce | Recurring role (season 2) |
2004 | Mad TV | Herself | Episode: "Episode #9.20" |
Fashion in Focus | Herself | Episode: "Compassion in Fashion" | |
Evening at Pops | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" | |
2005 | Black in the 80s | Herself | Episode: "Color in Film" & "Color TV" |
Gospel Superfest | Herself/Host | Main host | |
2006 | South Beach | Elizabeth Bauer | Main cast |
2006–10 | Ugly Betty | Wilhelmina Slater | Main cast |
2007 | Shear Genius | Herself/Celebrity Judge | 2 episodes |
E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" | |
2007–08 | Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies | Mama Mirabelle | Voice, main role |
2009 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Herself/Host | |
2010 | Drama League Award | Herself/Host | |
Biography | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" | |
The A-List: New York | Herself | Episode: "To the Sky" | |
2010–12 | Desperate Housewives | Renee Perry | Main role (seasons 7 and 8) |
2011 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" |
RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "The Queen Who Mopped X–mas" | |
2012 | Kitchen Cousin's | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams Kitchen Surprise" |
Phineas and Ferb | Flight Attendant | Voice, episode: "Where's Perry? Part I" | |
2012–13 | 666 Park Avenue | Olivia Doran | Main role |
2014 | The Haunting Of | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" |
Oprah's Master Class | Herself | Episode: "Vanessa Williams" | |
2015 | The Mindy Project | Dr. Philips | Episode: "Danny Castellano Is My Nutritionist" |
Royal Pains | Olympia Houston | Recurring role (season 7) | |
The Good Wife | Courtney Paige | Recurring role (season 7) | |
Live from Lincoln Center | Julie LaVerne | Episode: "Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat" | |
2016 | Broad City | Elizabeth Carlton | Episode: "Game Over" |
2016–17 | The Librarians | General Cynthia Rockwell | Recurring role (season 3) |
2016–18 | Milo Murphy's Law | Dr. Eileen Underwood | Voice, recurring role |
2017 | Daytime Divas | Maxine Robinson | Main cast |
Difficult People | Trish | Episode: "Strike Rat" | |
Modern Family | Rhonda | Episode: "The Long Goodbye" | |
2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Divas Lip Sync Live" |
Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Kathy Najimy vs. Yvette Nicole Brown and Vanessa Williams vs. Gary Cole" | |
Me, Myself & I | Kelly Frasier | Recurring role | |
2019 | American Style | Herself | Recurring guest |
Project Runway All Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Penneys From Heaven" | |
Match Game | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Joel McHale/Rachael Ray/Jason Biggs/Caroline Rhea/Donald Faison/Vanessa Williams" | |
Doc McStuffins | Delilah | Voice, episode: "Adventures in Baby Land" | |
First Wives Club | Nancy | Episode: "Something Blue" | |
2019–22 | T.O.T.S. | Captain Candace Beakman | Voice, main role |
2020 | RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race | Herself/Vanqueisha De House | Contestant (season 1) |
How's Your Head, Hun? | Herself | Episode: "Love in the Time of Quarantine" | |
Let's Make a Deal | Herself | Episode: "Episode #12.27" | |
2020–21 | Twenties | Angela | Guest (season 1), recurring (season 2) |
2021 | Broadway Profiles | Herself | 2 episodes |
A Capitol Fourth | Herself/Host | ||
Kenan | Tasha Noble | Episode: "Hair Show" | |
Marvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord | Emma Frost | Voice, main role | |
2021–24 | Girls5eva | Nance Trace | Recurring role |
2021–23 | Queen of the Universe | Herself/Judge | |
2022 | Carpool Karaoke | Herself | Episode: "Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton & Amber Ruffin" |
A Black Lady Sketch Show | Delilah | Episode: "It’s a New Day, Africa America!" | |
2023 | American Experience | Herself/Narrator | Episode: "Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space" |
RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Episode: "Grand Finale"[81] | |
Great Performances | Herself | Episode: "Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best" | |
2024 | Velma | Dr. Perdue (voice) | Recurring role (six episodes) |
Theatre
editYear | Title | Role | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | One Man Band | The Women | South Street Theatre, Off-Broadway |
1988 | Checkmates | Laura McClellan-Williams | Westwood Playhouse |
1994 | The Jazz Masters, Live from Carnegie Hall | Host/Performer | Carnegie Hall |
1994 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Spider Woman/Aurora Replacement | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway debut |
1998 | St. Louis Woman | Della Green | City Center, Off-Broadway |
2001 | Broadway Bash | Performer | City Center, Off-Broadway |
2002 | Into the Woods | The Witch | Ahmanson Theatre, Pre-Broadway |
Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway | |||
Carmen Jones | Carmen Jones | Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | |
2004 | Silver & Gold | Herself/Performer | Palace Theatre, Broadway |
2010 | Sondheim on Sondheim | Performer | Studio 54, Broadway |
2013 | The Trip to Bountiful | Jessie Mae Watts | Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway |
After Midnight | Special Guest Star | Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway | |
2014 | Showboat | Julie | New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall |
2018 | Hey Look Me Over | Performer | City Center, Off-Broadway |
2020 | City of Angels | Carla/Alaura | Garrick Theatre, West End |
2022 | Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Concert Series | Herself/Performer | Town Hall, Broadway |
Anyone Can Whistle | Cora Hoover Hooper | Carnegie Hall | |
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive | Margaret | Shubert Theatre, Broadway | |
50 Years of Broadway at the Kennedy Center | Performer | Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | |
April 15, 2024 | KRISTIN: An Evening with Friends for Todd | Performer | Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway |
October, 2024 | The Devil Wears Prada | Miranda Priestly | Dominion Theater, West End |
November 11, 2024 | A Wonderful World | Producer | Studio 54, Broadway |
Bibliography
edit- Williams, Vanessa; Williams, Helen (2012). You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-Nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other). New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-5924-0759-0.
- Williams, Vanessa (2020). Bubble Kisses. New York: Sterling Children's Books. ISBN 978-1-4549-3834-7.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Vanessa Williams Biography". biography.com. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Vanessa Williams on Her Faith". ABC News. 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Telegraph Reporters (September 14, 2015). "Miss America apologises to Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty star". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee: William Alexander Feilds". State of Tennessee. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
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