Vanessa Williams

A multi-talented actress and singer, and the first African-American Miss America (although she stepped down over a controversy surrounding nude photos), Vanessa Williams has been one of the most successful and consistently high-profile black women in the entertainment industry. As a singer Williams found major success on both the pop and R&B charts, as well as on Broadway, where she won a Tony for her role as the witch in INTO THE WOODS. Her acting career has also been extremely successful, and as of 2006 she had a lead role on the award-winning television series UGLY BETTY.

• pop
• r&b/soul