Biography
An American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, and actress. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal involving nude photographs caused her to relinquish her title early. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations. Williams released her debut album The Right Stuff in 1988, which spawned the hits "The Right Stuff," a #1 on Hot Dance Songs, and "Dreamin...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field
2024
as Self
Enter the colorful world of Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated Patricia Field, the costume designer behind Sex and the City, Emily in Paris, Ugly Betty, an...

The Little Pageant That Could
2024
as Self (archive footage)
A documentary that chronicles the journey of L.A.’s “Best in Drag Show” to support the Alliance for Housing and Healing. The event, which started as a...

Tripped Up
2023
as Patricia Chamberlain
Aspiring chef Lizzy sets off with her three best friends in tow to compete in the prestigious Saucy Food Festival. What begins as a calculated career ...

Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best
2023
as Self
Enjoy a revue of milestone Broadway shows and songs from 1973 to 2023 hosted by two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster. Features performances by And...

Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
2023
as Narrator (voice)
Raised in the small all-Black Florida town of Eatonville, Zora Neale Hurston studied at Howard University before arriving in New York in 1925. She wou...

Show of Titles
2021
as "Dear World" Performer
An evening of celebrated stars performing the titles songs from Broadway’s best.

Bad Hair
2021
as Zora
In 1989, an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career ma...

Vanessa Williams: Live From the West Side
2020
Join us for a livestream concert series featuring singer and actress Vanessa Williams. Streamed live from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios, the show...

There She Is
2020
The film examines the "who" and "why" of women and girls in beauty pageants, emphasizing the #MeToo era. It examines the good (pageants for the disabl...

Singleholic
2020
as Jackie Chisolm
Story of a woman who wakes up on the morning of her 35th birthday and decides she wants to settle down and get married, so she goes on a series of hil...

Miss Virginia
2019
as Sally Rae
A struggling inner-city mother sacrifices everything to give her son a good education. Unwilling to allow her son to stay in a dangerous school, she l...

Batman: Hush
2019
as Amanda Waller (voice)
A mysterious new villain known only as Hush uses a gallery of villains to destroy Batman's crime-fighting career as well as Bruce Wayne's personal lif...

The Legend of Hallowaiian
2018
as Fire Goddess (voice)
After releasing a mythical monster upon the islands, a group of three young friends must use local legends to restore peace to their home.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
2018
as Amanda Waller (voice)
It’s batter up at Belle Reve and that can only mean that Amanda Waller, the penitentiary’s cold and calculating warden, has a mission that only the da...

The Man from Earth: Holocene
2017
as Carolyn
14,000-year-old "Man from Earth" John Oldman, now teaching in northern California, realizes that not only is he finally starting to age, but four stud...

Not Black Enough
2017
as Self
A deep look at the class warfare and the contradictions that African-Americans face within their own community when many of them are ostracized becaus...

VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night
2016
as Self
VH1’s beloved Divas franchise made its return after a four-year hiatus with a holiday spin. The Unsilent Night special, airing on December 5, 2016, br...

The Secret She Kept
2016
as Beverly
Based on ReShonda Tate Billingsley's novel of the same name, The Secret She Kept, a successful magazine executive marries a driven lawyer, who's on th...

Show Boat
2015
as Julie LaVerne
The landmark musical brought vividly to life by the New York Philharmonic, with an all-star cast led by Vanessa Williams, Julian Ovenden, Lauren Worsh...

The Trip to Bountiful
2014
as Jessie Mae Watts
Carrie Watts begrudgingly lives with her busy, overprotective son, Ludie and pretentious daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae. No longer able to drive and forb...

He's Way More Famous Than You
2013
as Vanessa Williams
When once-up-and-coming indie film starlet Halley Feiffer loses her boyfriend, her agent and her career in one fell swoop she finally realizes that so...

Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor
2013
as Janice
Judith has known her husband Brice since they were children, but now their marriage is growing stale. Having just completed her graduate work in psych...

A Mother's Love
2011
as Rochelle Richardson
Regina Reynolds is a strong black woman in the truest sense -- but her taste for the good life doesn't necessarily include her husband, Marcus, or her...

Hannah Montana: The Movie
2009
as Vita
When Miley Stewart (aka pop-star Hannah Montana) gets too caught up in the superstar celebrity lifestyle, her dad decides it's time for a total change...

And Then Came Love
2007
as Julie
Successful New York journalist and single mom Julie Davidson's six-year old son Jake is acting up, so she finds his sperm-donor father Paul Cooper, wh...
Rehearsing a Dream
2006
as Self
Support for the arts in America may be dwindling, but talent in our high schools isn't. Every year a group of the country's most gifted 17-year-old pe...

My Brother
2006
as L'Tisha Morton
"My Brother" is an inner city story of two impoverished boys, Isaiah and James. James is developmentally disabled. Their mother, L'Tisha, finds hersel...

Gift for the Living
2005
as Narrator
Inspired by the O. Henry short story "Gift of the Magi", Gift for the Living is a story about a grandmother and her granddaughter who, without the oth...

Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards
2005
as Witch (segment "Into the Woods") (archive footage)
Broadway royalty and Tony-winners Tommy Tune, Carol Channing, Robert Goulet, and Harvey Fierstein are your hosts for this third compilation of great m...

Christmas in Washington
2004
Directed by Michael Stevens. With Michael McDonald, Phil McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Ruben Studdard.

The 7th Annual Soul Train Christmas Starfest
2004
as Self
An extremely unique celebration of Christmas for the young and hip and the young at heart.

Johnson Family Vacation
2004
as Dorothy Johnson
Nate Johnson, a Los Angeles man estranged from his wife and three children, decides to reconnect with his family by taking them with him on a road tri...

Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song?
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Come one, come all for Sesame Street's 35th anniversary musical gathering! Is there one song the whole world can sing together? Find out when Super Gr...

101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment
2003
From Disturbing Discoveries to Astonishing Arressts, and Tragic Endings. In this tv-special, E! countdowns the greatest moments in the entertainment i...

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
2003
When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors wer...

Keep the Faith, Baby
2002
as Hazel Scott
Harry J. Lennix stars as trailblazing and controversial African-American congressman and Civil Rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who started ou...

It's Black Entertainment
2002
as Self - Host
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Willi...

Santa, Baby!
2001
as Alicia (voice)
Songwriter Noel is struggling to write a hit song, and so he takes his frustrations out on his family. His daughter Dakota is granted one wih for doin...

WW3
2001
as M.J. Blake (as Vanessa L. Williams)
Terrorists release a deadly biological-warfare virus in the United States.

A Diva's Christmas Carol
2000
as Ebony Scrooge
In this remake of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol", a cold-hearted superstar singer gets a reality check when she meets three Christmas sp...
Christmas is Coming: Rob Mathes & Very Special Friends
2000
as Herself
An extraordinary program of holiday music featuring special guest appearances and musical contributions by Vanessa Williams, Michael McDonald, David S...
Afrocentricity
2000
as Self
On the surface, this collection of shorts by up-and-coming African American filmmakers arrived at a perfect time. The cutting-edge products of the New...

Shaft
2000
as Carmen Vasquez
New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail...

Don Quixote
2000
as Dulcinea / Aldonza
Adapted from the work of Miguel de Cervantes, this is the story of a hidalgo, fanatic for chivalry novels, who loses his sanity and believing to be a ...

The Courage to Love
2000
as Mother Henriette Delille
In 19th century New Orleans, creole Henriette must choose between love and devotion to the church. Neither choice is going to be easy, as there is gre...

The Courage to Love
2000
Executive Producer
In 19th century New Orleans, creole Henriette must choose between love and devotion to the church. Neither choice is going to be easy, as there is gre...
Shaft: Still the Man
2000
as Self

Light It Up
1999
as Audrey McDonald
On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, cla...

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
1999
as Queen of Trash
Elmo loves his fuzzy, well-worn blue blanket more than anything in the whole world. However, when Elmo's blanket gets sucked through a colorful, swirl...

Futuresport
1999
as Alexandra 'Alex' Torres
In the not too distant future, a new deadly sport is the only way to stop a war that will kill millions. Fix is the creator of the sport, but the spot...

Dance with Me
1998
as Ruby Sinclair
Young Cuban Rafael just buried his mother, and comes to Houston to meet his father John for the first time. The difficult part is that John doesn't kn...

Pavarotti & Friends - For the Children of Liberia
1998
as Self
The Pavarotti & Friends for the Children of Liberia was held on June 9, 1998, in support of the War Child charity, specifically to benefit the orphans...

Soul Food
1997
as Teri
Traditional Sunday dinners at Mama Joe's (Irma P. Hall) turn sour when sisters Teri (Vanessa L. Williams), Bird (Nia Long) and Maxine (Vivica A. Fox) ...

Hoodlum
1997
as Francine Hughes
In 1934, the second most lucrative business in New York City was running 'the numbers'. When Madam Queen—the powerful woman who runs the scam in Harle...

Eraser
1996
as Lee Cullen
A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involving high-tech weapons.

Bye Bye Birdie
1995
as Rose Alvarez
In 1995, ABC presented a telemovie version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie produced by RHI Entertainment. It starred Seinfeld's Jason Alexande...

Nothing Lasts Forever
1995
as Dr. Kathy 'Kat' Hunter
Story of the personal lives and careers of three female doctors, from different backgrounds and walks of life, who work at a San Francisco county hosp...

Some Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II
1995
as Self
In commemoration of the 100th birthday of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, performers present classic Hammerstein songs.

Score with Chicks
1994
47 minute comedic parody with Professor N. Likeflynn (Martin Keegan) offers dating advice on how to score with hot chicks and older women. Consists sh...

Stompin' at the Savoy
1992
as Pauline
As the Harlem Renaissance flourishes in jazzy New York City, Pauline, Esther and Alice struggle to survive. By day, they toil at dreary jobs, dreaming...

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
1991
as Lulu Daniels
It's the lawless future, and renegade biker Harley Davidson and his surly cowboy buddy, Marlboro, learn that a corrupt bank is about to foreclose on t...

Another You
1991
as Gloria
George has been in a mental hospital for 3 years and is finally ready to go out into the real world again. Eddie Dash, a dedicated con-man, is suppose...

The Kid Who Loved Christmas
1990
as Lynette Parks
In this sentimental holiday tale, a young boy is taken away from his loving, adoptive household when his new mom is killed in an auto accident and his...

Seriously... Phil Collins
1990
as Rachel - TV Executive
4 TV Executives attempt to make a television special to promote ...But Seriously. Mostly made of sketches this film includes a rap version of Don't Lo...

Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer
1990
as Terri Knight
Perry Mason defends the husband of a famous rock singer who was found being killed after having had a tremendous discussion with her husband and her m...

Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal
1989
as Valentine Hayward
A high-priced call girl who has been secretly videotaping her rich clients is shot to death. An investigation of her murder ensues, bringing those inv...

Under the Gun
1988
as Samantha Richards
A St. Louis cop, Mike Braxton (Sam Jones), receives an urgent call for help from his brother Tony (Nick Cassavetes), a small time thief in Los Angeles...

The Pick-up Artist
1987
as Rae, Girl with Dog
A womanizer meets his match when he falls for the daughter of a gambling addict who is in debt to the mob.