biography

Vanessa Williams' multi-faceted career has been distinguished by her remarkable success in music, movies, television and theatre. She scored her first hit on the big screen starring opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser. Vanessa also enjoyed a triumphant nine-month run on Broadway as Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, while her third album, The Sweetest Days, went platinum and her single, Colors of the Wind (from the soundtrack of Pocahontas), soared up the charts and went on to earn an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award. During television's May sweeps, she starred as the seductive Calypso in the top-rated epic mini-series The Odyssey.

During the course of her career, Vanessa has been honored with two NAACP Image Awards, nine Grammy nominations and a number of New York Music Awards. Not bad for a woman who lost her Miss America crown because of scandalous pre-pageant photos involving explicit nudity and more than a hint of S&M.

Born in Millwood, New York, Vanessa majored in musical theatre at Syracuse University. Her first success as a recording artist came in 1988 with her first release, The Right Stuff, which became a pop and R&B smash. In 1991, Williams topped the pop, adult contemporary and R&B charts for five straight weeks with the single Save the Best For Last, from the multi-million selling CD The Comfort Zone.