Vanessa Lynn Williams was born 18 March 1963 an
American singer and
actor. In
1983 she became the first woman of
African-American descent to be
crowned Miss America, but a scandal caused her to
abandon her title soon.
Williams step by launching a
career as an entertainer, earning
Grammy, Emmy and
Tony Award nominations.
Williams competed in the Miss Syracuse Pageant when a campus musical she was in was canceled in 1983. After she won, Williams won Miss New York in 1983 and went to the national Miss America contest in Atlantic City. She was crowned Miss America 1984, 17 September 1983, the first African American to win the title.
Williams secured a record deal and released his debut album, The Right Stuff in 1988. Williams parlayed her ascendant music career into a theatrical role when she was cast in the Broadway production of Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1994.