Book Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams is an American singer, actress, producer and dancer whose career spans pop and R&B hits, Broadway and primetime television. She made history as the first Black woman crowned Miss America, winning the 1984 title. Her 1988 debut album The Right Stuff produced the top-ten single "Dreamin'," and she followed with The Comfort Zone (1991) and The Sweetest Days (1994). The Comfort Zone delivered her number-one signature ballad "Save the Best for Last," which she sang live at the 1993 Grammy Awards. Later albums include Everlasting Love (2005), The Real Thing (2009) and Survivor (2024). In total she has received 11 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. On Broadway she debuted in 1994 in Kiss of the Spider Woman, earning a Theatre World Award, and her turn as The Witch in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She later starred in The Trip to Bountiful in 2013. On screen she played Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty and appeared in Desperate Housewives and Soul Food (1997). She holds a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.