Vanessa Estelle Williams (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 is also known for her role as Anne-Marie McCoy in the first and fourth of the Candyman films, and as Rhonda Blair in the first season of the Fox prime time soap opera, Melrose Place (1992–93).
Vanessa Estelle Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2011 | |
| Born | Vanessa Estelle Williams |
| Education | Marymount Manhattan College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse |
Andre Wiseman
(m. 1992; sep. 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 died when she was 10 years old leaving Williams to be raised by her grandmother, Johnnie Mae Mungen.[4][5] She has traced 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 (also born 1963). 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. To compound the confusion, both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food (Vanessa L. Williams in the film version, and Vanessa E. Williams in its TV series adaptation). The Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided both actresses could use the professional name "Vanessa Williams".[10]
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, the 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.[11] She later had guest starring roles on NYPD Blue and Living Single, before she was cast as a series regular in the ABC legal drama, Murder One (1995–1996) created by Steven Bochco. She received her first nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on the show. In 1996, Williams had a recurring role as Dr. Grace Carr in the CBS medical drama series, Chicago Hope, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nomination.[7]
In 2000, Williams was cast as Maxine Chadway in the Showtime drama series Soul Food, a continuation of the successful 1997 film of the same name.[7] Two other leads were 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 an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2003, and received three additional nominations. The series aired to 2004 and went on to be the longest running drama with a predominantly black cast in the history of American prime-time television.[12]
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.[13][14] In October 2016, it was announced she was cast in the role of Valerie Grant on the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives.[15]
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 film 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 returned to her role of Anne-Marie McCoy in the fourth film in the Candyman film series.[16]
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)[17] and Haile Zion Ali (born 2003).[18] In April 2018, Williams filed for divorce from Wiseman for the second time.[19]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | New Jack City | Keisha | |
| 1992 | Candyman | Anne-Marie McCoy | |
| 1994 | Drop Squad | Mali | |
| 1996 | Mother | Donna | |
| 1997 | Breakdown | - | Short |
| A Woman of Color | Thandi Kota | TV Movie | |
| 1999 | Incognito | Wilhelmina Hunter | TV Movie |
| 2000 | Punks | Jennifer | |
| Playing with Fire | Riana Roberts | TV Movie | |
| 2002 | Our America | Sandra Williams | TV Movie |
| Like Mike | Pharmacist | ||
| Baby of the Family | Gloria | ||
| 2003 | Black Listed | J.W. | Video |
| Allergic to Nuts | Jennie | Short | |
| 2005 | Gift for the Living | Voiceover | Short |
| 2007 | Ice Spiders | Dr. April Sommers | TV Movie |
| Drawing Angel | Thulani | Short | |
| 2008 | Hummingbird | Donya | Short |
| Flirting with Forty | Kristine | TV Movie | |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Lori Strother | |
| Contradictions of the Heart | Lea | Video | |
| 2010 | 5150 | TJ | Short |
| 2011 | A Mother's Love | Rochelle Richardson | |
| 2012 | Sugar Mommas | Lynn | TV Movie |
| Raising Izzie | Tonya Freeman | TV Movie | |
| Something Like a Butterfly | Vonda | Short | |
| 2013 | The Get Away | Lisa | Short |
| And Then... | Baybee | Short | |
| 2014 | Men, Money & Gold Diggers | Sandra Winslow | TV Movie |
| The Last Piece | Phone Voice (voice) | Short | |
| Crossed the Line | Juice | ||
| 2016 | The Secret She Kept | Beverly | TV Movie |
| Diva Diaries | Alex | ||
| 2018 | Thriller | Mrs. Walker | |
| 2019 | One Fine Christmas | Susan | TV Movie |
| I Left My Girlfriend for Regina Jones | Rebecca | ||
| 2021 | Candyman | Anne-Marie McCoy | |
| 2022 | Singleholic | Jackie Chisholm |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dream Street | - | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1989–91 | The Cosby Show | Jade/Cheryl | Recurring Cast: Season 5 & 7 |
| 1990 | Law & Order | Vera | Episode: "Happily Ever After" |
| 1992–93 | Melrose Place | Rhonda Blair | Main Cast: Season 1 |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | Kira | Episode: "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel" |
| Living Single | Hellura | Episode: "Another Saturday Night" | |
| 1995–96 | Murder One | Lila | Main Cast: Season 1 |
| 1996 | Buddies | Janice Rollins | Episode: "Marry Me... Sort Of" |
| Malcolm & Eddie | Stephanie | Episode: "Big Brother Is Watching" | |
| Chicago Hope | Dr. Grace Carr | Recurring Cast: Season 3 | |
| 1997 | Jungle Cubs | Trech (voice) | Episode: "The Ape That Would Be King" |
| Between Brothers | Rebecca | Episode: "The Interview" | |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Denise Clements | Episode: "Collateral Damage" |
| The Steve Harvey Show | Nina | Episode: "Rent" | |
| 1999 | Total Recall 2070 | Violet Whims | Episode: "Self-Inflicted" |
| 2000–04 | Soul Food | Maxine Chadway | Main Cast |
| 2001 | Heavy Gear: The Animated Series | Sonja Briggs (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Crystal Stacy | Episode: "Shuffle, Ball Change" |
| 2008–09 | Lincoln Heights | Naomi Bradshaw | Episode: "Ode to Joy" & "Bully for You" |
| 2009 | Knight Rider | Ambassador Olara Kumali | Episode: "Don't Stop the Knight" & "Day Turns Into Knight" |
| Everybody Hates Chris | Tallulah Lafitte | Episode: "Everybody Hates Bomb Threats" | |
| 2015 | Ward of the State | Lisa Jackson | TV Series |
| 2015–17 | The Flash | Francine West | Recurring Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2015–20 | The Bay | Mayor Cleo Harris | Recurring Cast: Season 4, Guest: Season 6 |
| 2016– | Days of Our Lives | Valerie Grant | Series Regular |
| 2017 | Major Crimes | Zora Sax | Episode: "Intersection" |
| 2017–18 | Famous in Love | Ida Turner | Recurring Cast |
| 2018 | 40 and Single | Bertha Brown | Main Cast |
| A Luv Tale: The Series | Candice | Main Cast | |
| 2020 | Two Degrees | Vanessa | Episode: "Bonus Adults" |
| 2021 | American Horror Stories | Eleanor Berger | Episode : "Ba'al" |
| The L Word: Generation Q | Pippa Pascal | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 9-1-1 | Claudette Collins | Recurring Cast: Season 5[20] |
Awards and nominations
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. 42 (5): 54–57.
- ^ a b "VANESSA WILLIAMS". Sun-Sentinel. 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.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ a b c d "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: Boomtown's New Bombshell!". TV Guide. September 2, 2003. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Vanessa Williams Joins DAYS". Soap Opera Digest. United States. October 5, 2016. 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. Vol. 53, no. 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.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 11, 2021). "'9-1-1': Vanessa Estelle Williams Joins Fox Drama Series". Deadline. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
External links
