vanessa lynn williams (born march 18, 1963), known professionally as vanessa l. williams or vanessa williams, is an american singer, actress, producer and former fashion model. in 1983, she became the first african-american woman crowned miss america, but a scandal occurred when "penthouse" bought and published nude photographs of her. she left her title early and was succeeded by the first runner-up, suzette charles of new jersey. williams earned multiple grammy, emmy, and tony award nominations.