Biography of vanessa l williams

(1963-)

Who Is Vanessa Williams?

In 1983, Vanessa Williams made history when she was crowned the first African American Miss America.

But soon thereafter, nude photos of Williams were plastered on the pages of Penthouse magazine. Horrified, the Miss America pageant board asked Williams to resign her post. Williams soon started a singing career, finding great success and then branching out into acting, again with success.

Early Life

Vanessa Lynn Williams was born on March 18, 1963, in Bronx, New York.

Vanessa williams children

Williams' parents, Milton and Helen, both worked as music educators. They moved Vanessa and her brother, Chris, to the upscale suburbs of Millwood, New York, when Vanessa was 12 months old, so they could take jobs as music teachers in Millwood's public school system.

Music was an integral part of Williams' early life, and by the time she was 10, she had devoted herself almost completely to music and dance.

With plans to become the first African American Rock