Vanessa A. Williams
| Vanessa A. Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams (left) with Nicole Ari Parker in 2011. | |
| Born |
May 12, 1963 Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Marymount Manhattan College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Andre Wiseman (m. 1993) John Marshall Jones (m. 2007) |
| Children | 2 |
Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Maxine Joseph–Chadway in the Showtime drama series, Soul Food (2000–04), for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Williams also is known for role as Anne-Marie McCoy in the 1992 horror film Candyman and as Rhonda Blair in the first season of the Fox prime time television soap opera, Melrose Place (1992-93).
Life and career
Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.[1] In an ABC News interview, she stated that her background is from a family of slaves from Georgia and Virginia.[2] After high school she went on to get a bachelor's degree in theater and business management from Marymount Manhattan College.[3] In 1993, Williams met Andre Wiseman and they began dating, then married in Stuyvesant, New York. They have two sons together.
Williams is not related to Vanessa L. Williams, the first African American woman to win the title of Miss America in 1984. Williams later went to acting in films and television, becoming known simply as "Vanessa Williams".[4] In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. Vanessa A. had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first,[5] so as a compromise, the former Miss America was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided that both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams".[6]
Television
Williams began her career appearing in an episodes of The Cosby Show and Law & Order. In 1992, she was cast as Rhonda Blair, first and only black regular character, in the Fox prime time soap opera, Melrose Place. She was written off after only one season for lack of direction. "I think they didn't make the effort to equip themselves [to write for a black character], either by hiring a black writer or asking me things," - said Williams later.[7] She later had guest starring roles on NYPD Blue and Living Single, before was cast as series regular in the ABC legal drama, Murder One (1995-1996) created by Steven Bochco. She received her first nomination an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on show. In 1996, Williams had a recurring role as Dr. Grace Carr in the CBS medical drama series, Chicago Hope, for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nomination.[3]
In 2000, Williams was cast as Maxine Chadway in the Showtime drama series Soul Food, a continuation of his successful 1997 film of the same name.[3] Two other lead played by Nicole Ari Parker and Malinda Williams. In the 1997 film Vanessa L. Williams played the leading role of Teri Joseph, and Vivica A. Fox played Maxine. For her performance, Williams won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2003, and received three additional nominations. The series aired to 2004 and went to be the longest running drama with a predominantly black cast in the history of American prime-time television.[8]
After Soul Food, Williams had guest starring roles on Cold Case, Knight Rider and Lincoln Heights. In 2015, she was cast in a recurring role of Iris West’s mother in The CW drama series, The Flash.[9][10] In October 2016, it was announced she was cast in the role of Valerie Grant on the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives.[11]
Film
In film, Williams is best known for playing Keisha in the 1991 crime thriller New Jack City opposite Wesley Snipes and Ice T. She is also known for playing Anne-Marie McCoy in the 1992 horror Candyman opposite Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen. The following years she had small parts in Drop Squad (1994), Mother (1996), Punks (2000), Like Mike (2002), and Imagine That (2009) alongside Soul Food co-star Nicole Ari Parker. Williams is also has starred in a number of made for television movies, include Emmy Award-nominated performance in Our America (2002).[3] She also had roles in a several smaller productions in recent years.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dream Street | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1990 | Law & Order | Vera | Episode: "Happily Ever After" |
| 1991 | New Jack City | Keisha | |
| 1989, 1991 | The Cosby Show | Cheryl / Jade | 4 episodes |
| 1991 | Fatal Bond | Waitress | |
| 1992 | Candyman | Anne-Marie McCoy | Nominated — Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1992-1993 | Melrose Place | Rhonda Blair | Series regular, 32 episodes |
| 1994 | Drop Squad | Mali | |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Kira | Episode: "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel" |
| 1995 | Living Single | Hellura | Episode: "Another Saturday Night" |
| 1996 | Buddies | Janice Rollins | Episode: "Marry Me... Sort Of" |
| 1995-1996 | Murder One | Lila | Series regular, 23 episodes Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1996) |
| 1996 | Mother | Donna | |
| 1996 | Malcolm & Eddie | Stephanie | Episode: "Big Brother Is Watching" |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Grace Carr | 6 episodes Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (1997) |
| 1997 | Between Brothers | Rebecca | Episode: "The Interview" |
| 1997 | A Woman of Color | Television film | |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Denise Clements | Episode: "Collateral Damage" |
| 1998 | The Steve Harvey Show | Nina | Episode: "Rent" |
| 1999 | Total Recall 2070 | Dr. Violet Whims | Episode: "Self-Inflicted" |
| 1999 | Incognito | Wilhelmina Hunter | Television film |
| 2000 | Punks | Jennifer | |
| 2000 | Playing with Fire | Riana Roberts | Television film |
| 2002 | Our America | Sandra Williams | Television film Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable |
| 2002 | Like Mike | Pharmacist | |
| 2002 | Baby of the Family | Gloria | |
| 2003 | Black Listed | J.W. | Direct-to-video |
| 2000-2004 | Soul Food | Maxine Chadway | Series regular, 74 episodes NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2003) Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2001, 2004-05) |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Crystal Stacy | Episode: "Shuffle, Ball Change" |
| 2007 | Ice Spiders | Dr. April Sommers | Television film |
| 2008 | Flirting with Forty | Kristine | Television film Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special |
| 2009 | Contradictions of the Heart | Lea | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Knight Rider | Ambassador Olara Kumali | Episodes: "Don't Stop the Knight" and "Day Turns Into Knight" |
| 2009 | Everybody Hates Chris | Tallulah Lafitte | Episode: "Everybody Hates Bomb Threats" |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Lori Strother | |
| 2008-2009 | Lincoln Heights | Naomi Bradshaw | Episodes: "Ode to Joy" and "Bully for You" |
| 2011 | A Mother's Love | Rochelle Richardson | |
| 2012 | Sugar Mommas | Lynn | Television film |
| 2012 | Raising Izzie | Tonya Freeman | Television film Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress: T.V. Movie/Cable |
| 2014 | Men, Money & Gold Diggers | Sandra WInslow | Direct-to-video |
| 2014 | Crossed the Line | Juice | Direct-to-video |
| 2015-2016 | The Flash | Francine West | 4 episodes |
References
- ↑ McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 362–. ISBN 978-0-7864-3790-0. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Vanessa A. Williams and African Ancestry on ABC News". Youtube/ABC News. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
- 1 2 3 4 "Vanessa Williams". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ "No, She's Not That Vanessa Williams 'Melrose' Star's Making A Name For Herself". philly-archives. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ "There are two Vanessa Williams". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ "My Way - Celebrity Gossip". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ "Vanessa Williams devastated when written off The Place". Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ "No black dramas left on television". TODAY.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ↑ Laura Prudom. "'The Flash' Casts 'Candyman' Star as Iris West's Mother". Variety. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ Jack Klompus (30 September 2015). "The Flash casts Iris West's missing mum". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ↑ SOD (October 5, 2016). "Vanessa Williams Joins DAYS". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2016.