Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is a pop and R&B singer who began her career as the first black Miss America. She resigned early in her reign on July 23, 1984, however, when it was discovered that she had posed nude for photographs that were published in the magazine Penthouse. She managed to rise above that scandal and become a respected and popular singer, and eventually actress, with appearances in films like Eraser, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
