Vanessa Estelle Williams
Vanessa Estelle Williams (born May 12, 1963), sometimes professionally credited as Vanessa A. Williams,[1] 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 and as Nino Brown's feisty gun moll, Keisha in the 1991 crime drama film, New Jack City. Williams also is known for her role as Anne-Marie McCoy in the first and fourth films in the Candyman film series, and as Rhonda Blair in the first season of the Fox prime time soap opera, Melrose Place (1992–93).
Vanessa Estelle Williams | |
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![]() Williams in 2011 | |
Born | Vanessa Estelle Williams May 12, 1963 |
Education | Marymount Manhattan College |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1989–present |
Spouse(s) | Andre Wiseman
(m. 1992; separated 2018) |
Children | 2 |
Early life and education
Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.[2] Williams has three brothers.[3] Her mother Verdell passed away when she was 10 years old leaving Williams to be raised by her grandmother, Johnnie Mae Mungen.[4][5] She can trace her ancestry back to Georgia and Virginia.[6] After high school she went on to get a bachelor's degree in theater and business management from Marymount Manhattan College.[7]
Career
Williams later went to acting in films and television, becoming known simply as "Vanessa Williams".[8] In the area of acting, she ran into name conflict with singer/actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams. Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. Vanessa Estelle had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first,[9] so as a compromise, the former Miss America was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits.
Television
Williams began her acting career in 1989, appearing in 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.[10] 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.[7]
![](../I/Actor_Boris_Kodjoe_and_Actress_Vanessa_Williams_host_the_program..jpg.webp)
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.[7] 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.[11]
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.[12][13] In October 2016, it was announced she was cast in the role of Valerie Grant on the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives.[14]
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 has also starred in a number of made for television movies, including Emmy Award-nominated performance in Our America (2002).[7] She also had roles in several smaller productions in recent years. In 2021, she will return to her role of Anne-Marie McCoy fourth films in the Candyman film series.[15]
Personal life
Williams married Andre Wiseman in November 1992 when the couple eloped.[4] The couple have two sons together: Omar Tafari (March 5, 1997)[16] and Haile Zion Ali (born 2003).[17] In April 2018, Williams filed for divorce from Wiseman for the second time.[18]
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 |
1992–93 | 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" |
1995–96 | 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 | 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 |
2000–04 | 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 | |
2008–09 | 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 | Television to DVD |
2015–17 | The Flash | Francine West | 4 episodes |
2016– | Days of Our Lives | Valerie Grant | Series regular |
2016 | Diva Diaries | Alex | |
2017–18 | Famous in Love | Ida Turner | Recurring role |
2019 | I Left My Girlfriend for Regina Jones | Rebecca | |
2019 | Thriller | Mrs. Walker | |
2019 | One Fine Christmas | Susan | Television film |
2020 | Singleholic | Jackie Chisholm | |
2021 | Candyman | Anne-Marie McCoy | |
References
- Vanessa Williams [@NessaWilliams] (February 28, 2020). "[...] my middle name is ESTELLE! [...]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 362–. ISBN 978-0-7864-3790-0. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- Waldron, Robert (January 30, 2017). "Magnificent Journey". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. 42 (5): 54–57.
- "VANESSA WILLIAMS". Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. June 27, 1993. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- "Vanessa Williams". SouthJersey.com. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- "Vanessa Williams and African Ancestry". ABC News. Retrieved December 12, 2013 – via YouTube.
- "Vanessa Williams". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- "No, She's Not That Vanessa Williams 'Melrose' Star's Making A Name For Herself". philly-archives. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- "There are two Vanessa Williams". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- "Vanessa Williams devastated when written off The Place". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- "No black dramas left on television". Today.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Laura Prudom. "'The Flash' Casts 'Candyman' Star as Iris West's Mother". Variety. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- Jack Klompus (September 30, 2015). "The Flash casts Iris West's missing mum". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- SOD (October 5, 2016). "Vanessa Williams Joins DAYS". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- "Candyman 2020: Every Returning Character Confirmed & Rumored". ScreenRant. March 4, 2020.
- Randolph, Laura B (December 1997). "Celebrity Baby Boom". Family. Essence. 53 (2).
- "Vanessa Williams Biography". Celebrity Facts and Awards. TV Guide. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- "Vanessa A. Williams Files to Divorce Husband Again". TMZ. April 16, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
External links
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