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| Born As |
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Vanessa Lynn Williams |
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| Nick Name |
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Van, Ness, V |
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| Sex |
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Female |
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| Height |
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5' 6" |
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| Nationality |
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US - United States of America |
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| Date of Birth |
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March 18, 1963 |
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| Place of Birth |
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Tarrytown, NY |
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| Address 1 |
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50 Old Farm Road |
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Chappaqua |
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New York, NY 10524 |
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USA |
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| Address 2 |
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c/o ICM Artists |
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8942 Wilshire Blvd. |
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Beverly Hills, CA 90211 |
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USA |
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Biography |
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Vanessa Lynn Williams was born March 18, 1963 to teacher parents in New York City, Vanessa and her brother grew up in suburban New York. Vanessa sang and danced in school productions and signed her high school yearbook with a promise to "see you on Broadway." After winning a performing scholarship to Syracuse University, she left school and tried to make it in New York show business. She began entering beauty contests in 1984, winning Miss New York and then becoming the first African-American Miss America. She resigned early in her reign on July 23, 1984, however, when it was discovered that she had posed nude for the magazine Penthouse. She landed a recording contract and released several hit albums, including "The Comfort Zone" and "The Sweetest Days". After performing in television roles and music videos, she began appearing in films like Another You (1991) and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991).
Vanessa scored her first big hit film with the thriller Eraser (1996) co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger and followed it up with Soul Food (1997) and the remake of Shaft (2000). She continues to alternate between recording, the stage, films and television. In 1996, she received the Soul Train: Lady of Soul Lena Horne Lifetime Career Achievement Award for Outstanding work in the field of entertainment. She is the mother of four children. Three of her children are from her first marriage to her then-manager Ramon Hervey. The marriage ended in 1997. She again married in 1999 to NBA basketball star Rick Fox. They have one daughter. Rick Fox filed for divorce on August 11, 2004. The divorce is not final as yet. For 2005, Vanessa is releasing her eighth studio album Everlasting Love, a collection of her favorite '70s songs.
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