Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American singer, actress and ex-model. She became the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss America in 1983. Thereafter, Vanessa Williams made her mark as a model, singer, songwriter and actor. Though Miss America title helped kick-start her career, the journey did not come easy. She had to resign her title a few weeks before the end of her reign as Penthouse magazine aanounced that they would be publishing her nude photographs. She, however, bounced back from the Miss America controversy and pursued a successful singing and acting career. Her debut album, The Right Stuff, was a moderate success; it was foillowed by eight more studio albums, each of which received commercial success. As an actress also, Vanessa Williams enjoyed success on stage and screen. For her portrayal of Teri Joseph in in the 1997 comedy-drama film Soul Food , Vanessa received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
