Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American R&B/pop/theatrical, singer, and actress. In 1983, Williams made history when she became the first woman of known African descent to be crowned Miss America. Her regime as Miss America came to an early and abrupt end when she resigned her title in scandal. However, she has since gone on to a successful entertainment career. Williams secured a record deal, and released her debut album, The Right Stuff. The first single, "Dreamin'", was a chart success, and the album reached gold status and earned her three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.

In addition to "Dreamin'", her most notable chart successes have included the songs "Running Back To You", "Love Is", "The Sweetest Days", "Colors of the Wind", "The Comfort Zone", "Just For Tonight" and "Oh How The Years Go By". Williams' biggest hit to date is "Save the Best For Last", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks from March 21 to April 18, 1992. In total, Williams has sold six million records and received fifteen Grammy Award nominations.

In 2005, Williams released her eighth studio album, Everlasting Love, a collection of covers of her favorite 1970s songs.

Vanessa made her comeback in 2007 in the US hitserie ' Ugly Betty ' in the amazing role of Wilemina Slater.