Vanessa Lynn Williams was born in Tarrytown, New York with a birth announcement that read: "Here she is: Miss America". She was raised in Millwood, New York. A paternal great-great-grandfather was … 展开

Williams 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 Vaness… 展开

Williams 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 … 展开