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Home , Harvest for the World, NAACP Image Awards, Oh How the Years Go By, Running Back to You, Save the Best for Last, The Sweetest Days

VANESSA WILLIAMS (BIOGRAPHY)

BACKGROUND

Throughout her performing career, has maintained a reputation as one of the most respected and multi- faceted entertainers in the world, amassing accomplishments and accolades, one after another. She has conquered the musical charts, Broadway, music videos, television and motion pictures. She has sold over four million worldwide and her skills as an actress on stage, in film and on television have earned praise from the most seasoned of critics. Performing – and music in particular – has always played an important role in Vanessa’s life. Born in Millwood, New York, Vanessa and her younger brother Christopher’s early years were spent surrounded by music. Her mother, Helen, and beloved late father, Milton Williams were both music teachers who recognized her musical gifts early on and encouraged her to pursue her love of the arts. When she was young, Vanessa acted, danced, played piano and French horn in her high school orchestra, concert band and marching band and she sang in the concert choir and chorus. Her early interest in performing led to a passion for musical theatre, which began in school and continued as she went on to star in numerous community theatre productions. Vanessa won an NFAA Scholarship was a finalist for a Presidential Scholarship in acting in 1981 and chose to continue her education at , where she majored in musical theatre. While at college in 1983, Vanessa was sought after by local talent scouts who invited her to participate in the Miss Greater Syracuse Pageant. Three months later, Vanessa won the 1983 title and the $30,000 scholarship that accompanied it. The controversy that followed only left Vanessa stronger and more empowered in her commitment to a career in the world of entertainment.

MUSIC

In 1987, Mercury/Wing executive Ed Eckstine signed Vanessa to his label, after noticing her singing back-up vocals on a George Clinton single, “Do Fries Go With That Shake,” which marked her professional debut. The next year, her first , “The Right Stuff,” made an immediate impact on the pop and R&B charts with four hits: “Dreamin’,” “Darling I,” “He’s Got the Look” and a title track that became a dance/pop/R&B smash. Her debut went gold and she earned her first three Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.

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In 1991, her multi-million selling follow-up, “The Comfort Zone,” took Vanessa to new heights. The album featured a tougher, stronger feel and produced such hits as the sizzling title track, “,” a remake of ’ “” and “Just For Tonight.” However, it was the unforgettable “” that earned her the true respect of the recording industry and captivated audiences around the world. The single knocked ’s “Remember the Time” out of the #1 spot, remaining at the top of the pop, R&B and adult contemporary charts for five straight weeks. Internationally, “Save the Best For Last” topped the charts around the world. Throughout Vanessa’s musical career, her music videos have also played an integral part in capturing her sheer visual beauty and her gift for genuine expressive interpretation on camera. Her second #1 hit, “Love Is” – a single from the soundtrack for the hit television series “Beverly Hills, 90210” with labelmate Brian McKnight – kept the chart momentum going. As her resume diversified with roles in film, television and on stage, Vanessa’s recording career continued to flourish. Her third album, “ – released in 1994 – proved to be a true showcase for the scope of her musical talents. Vanessa co-produced seven tracks on the best-selling platinum album with and worked with super-producers and Keith Thomas. This album allowed her, as Rolling Stone noted, to “boldly lay claim to a more acoustic aesthetic that allows the natural beauty of her voice to shine.” The album expanded Vanessa’s musical vocabulary, delving into , rock, folk and soul and producing such hits as the title track and the pop/R&B-flavored “Betcha Never.” With “The Sweetest Days,” Rolling Stone went on to say, “Williams continues to conquer new territory and re-define her artistic identity, with splendid results.” “The Sweetest Days” went platinum and yielded multiple Grammy Award nominations, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “,” Best R&B Song for Babyface (“You Can’t Run”) and Babyface won Producer of the Year, in part for his work on her tracks “Betcha Never” and “You Can’t Run.” These nominations attest to Vanessa’s continued popularity and credibility -- she was nominated for either Best R&B and/or Best Pop Female Vocal for each of her first three albums. She was nominated for yet another Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her hit single “,” the theme song from the blockbuster Disney animated feature “Pocahontas.” The single spent six weeks in the Top 5 of the Pop Hot 100 charts, propelling the soundtrack to multi-platinum status. “Colors of the Wind” went on to win an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award for Best Song in a Motion Picture. In 1996, Vanessa recorded her first solo Christmas album – the critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated “Star Bright” – and headlined her own all-star Christmas special, “Vanessa Williams and Friends: Christmas in New York,” which aired on ABC with such guests as Rosie O’Donnell, Luther Vandross, Babyface, Shania Twain and , among others. Vanessa’s fourth pop album, “Next,” on which she served as executive producer, featured tracks created by such stellar and producers as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, Barry Eastmond and Vanessa’s longtime collaborator, Keith Thomas. On “Next,” Vanessa moved effortlessly between the funky “Happiness,” to the sultry hip-hop of “Surrender” to the breezy “Who Were You Thinkin’ About” to compelling, heartfelt ballads like “Oh, How the Years Go By” that have become her musical trademark.

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Following the release of “Vanessa Williams Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years,” Vanessa appeared with Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo and Charlotte Church on the 2001 holiday release, “Our Favorite Things.” Her second holiday album, “Silver and Gold,” brought Vanessa to Broadway once again, with a limit concert engagement at the famed Palace Theatre in December. Her most recent release, “Everlasting Love,” a romantic collection of her favorite love songs from the 1970’s, featured sultry renditions of some of the 70’s most celebrated love songs including the Regina Bell classic “,” as well as hits originally recorded by some of the biggest selling artists of the era from , Ohio Players and the Isley Brothers to Melissa Manchester and Stevie Wonder, including such classic tracks as “,” “,” “Show And Tell,” and “” among others. Other highlights from the album include the George Benson duet “With You I’m Born Again,” and “I’ll Be Good To You,” featuring James D-Train Williams. Having devoted much of her early professional life to balancing career and motherhood, Vanessa performed her first-ever concert tour in 1997, co-headlining with Luther Vandross in 25 cities across the country and continuing with a solo tour throughout the U.S., Japan and Southeast Asia. Vanessa has also been highlighted on such special recordings as producer/composer David Foster’s Christmas album, the end-title song for the Paramount feature “Almost an Angel,” and she provided the singing and speaking voice of Beauty in “Beauty and the Beast,” an installment of HBO’s animated “Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child.” Her musical accomplishments also include “Ain’t Nuthin’ but a She Thing,” a special all-female concept record which features Vanessa and Me’Shell N’dege O’cello on the track “Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly.” Funds from the album were donated to The Shirley Divers Foundation for Women, which in turn is distributing monies to various charities dedicated to women’s health concerns and related issues. She can also be heard on “People,” an album celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations and she recorded material from the legendary musical “West Side Story” for an album featuring classical diva . Vanessa also contributed the song “Snowflakes” to “For Our Children Too!,” a collection of children’s recordings to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. She has plans to return to the studio in 2008 to record a new album for .

THEATRE

It was June, 1994, when Vanessa achieved a long-cherished goal...her starring debut on Broadway. She took the theatrical commuity by storm in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” replacing Chita Rivera in the dual role of Aurora -- the movie goddess who inhabits the fantasies of a prisoner -- and the angel of death Spider Woman in the hit musical based on the Oscar- winning film of the same name. Vanessa was credited with boosting ticket sales for the Tony Award-winning production and her performance won critics over, with reviews that ranged from “an irresistibly alluring temptress” to ’ rave: “Whenever she’s on stage, the temperature in the shoots up about 20 degrees.” Newsweek proclaimed: “Even when she becomes the lethal Spider Woman, any sensible fly would want to scuttle to the center of her web and cuddle up.”

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Her initial three-month commitment turned into a nine-month run in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (which ended in March, 1995) and firmly established Vanessa as a well-rounded, multi-talented triple-threat, dazzling audiences nightly with her acting, singing and dancing. Legendary director Harold Prince said of Vanessa: “She is strong, clear-eyed and smart, with not an ounce of phoniness. She’s a director’s dream and is capable of great diversity.” Her performance in the musical was so brilliant that a second cast album was recorded with Vanessa singing the starring role – the first time a new cast album has been recorded for the same production. The new Broadway cast album of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” starring Vanessa Williams was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Show Album. In 2002, Vanessa starred in the Tony Award-winning revival of and James Lapine’s “,” garnering rave reviews and sold-out houses in Los Angeles before she and the cast took the show to Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre. The proclaimed: “A masterpiece…‘Into the Woods’ emerges in triumph. Vanessa Williams’ performance is something to see. No offense to the other women who have played this role, but the transformation from crone to glamour-puss has never been as stark as it is with the preternaturally gorgeous Williams…If anyone can embody the flash and pride of this scene, it’s Williams.” When the show opened on Broadway in May, 2002, Daily Variety heralded her return to the Broadhurst Theatre: “On the subject of bewitching, let us praise Vanessa Williams, the most wickedly appealing witch it’s possible to imagine. When she’s transformed from gnarled crone into – well, Vanessa Williams! – toward the end of the first act, it’s as if all the men in the audience have been granted the wish they’ve been fervently wishing since the curtain went up.” She earned her first Tony Award nomination, for Best Actress in a Musical, one of the show’s 10 nominations. She took a brief break from the production to headline a limited special engagement of the classic, “Carmen Jones,” at the Kennedy Center, playing to sold-out houses and achieving glowing notices. Previously, Vanessa captivated theatre-goers off-Broadway in “One Man Band” and in the Los Angeles production of Ron Milner’s “Checkmates.” However, her real dream is to originate a role on Broadway, which she plans to do in the not-too- distant future. Vanessa also starred in the Encore! Series staged concert production of “St. Louis Woman,” which was also released as a cast recording.

TELEVISION (SERIES, MOVIES & MINISERIES)

Vanessa expanded her acting resume playing a variety of diverse roles on television, including a depression-era domestic in the CBS-TV movie “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” appearing in Productions’ “The Boy Who Loved Christmas” and turning in a vivid portrayal of record executive in the ABC mini-series “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” which won her an NAACP Image Award. She commanded rave reviews for her brilliant performance in producer Robert Halmi’s ABC-TV revival of the famous Broadway musical “Bye, Bye Birdie.” Critical praise for her was unanimous, with L.A. Times critic Howard Rosenberg lauding Vanessa as “so stunning and such a commanding, human hot-button as Rosie -- to say nothing of her dynamic voice -- that when she’s on camera the TV picture seems to tilt her way.” The movie also starred Jason Alexander and Tyne Daly.

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Vanessa also starred with Brooke Shields in “Nothing Lasts Forever,” a dramatic four-hour mini-series for CBS-TV, based on the best-selling Sydney Sheldon novel of the same name. She shot the NBC mini-series, “The Odyssey,” on location in Turkey, co-starring as the sea nymph Calypso opposite Armand Assante, Isabella Rossellini and Greta Scacchi. Based on Homer’s epic tale, produced by Robert Halmi and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, “The Odyssey” aired on NBC in May, 1997, garnering positive reviews, impressive ratings, Emmy nominations and an Image Award nomination for Vanessa. Vanessa made her debut as an executive produce and starred in “The Courage to Love,” a Lifetime original movie about the life of Henriette Delille, a free woman of color in pre-Civil War New Orleans who battled politics and racism and ultimately established one of the first religious orders for women of color. She appeared on CBS’ “L.A. Doctors” and producer Robert Halmi’s Emmy-nominated all-star version of the TNT Original Movie, “Don Quixote” with John Lithgow, Bob Hoskins and Isabella Rossellini, which was shot in Spain. In December, 2000, Vanessa starred as “Ebony Scrooge” in the VH1 Original Movie, “A Diva’s Christmas Carol,” which was the highest rated movie ever for VH1, their second highest rated telecast overall of in 2000 and their fourth highest rated telecast of all time. She was also seen in the Showtime Original Movie, “Keep the Faith, Baby,” inspired by the life of Adam Clayton Powell. She appeared on one of the final episodes of the FOX series, “Ally McBeal” and appeared on the series “Boomtown” and “South Beach.” Her role as the deliciously wicked on ABC’s critically-acclaimed hit series, “” has taken her career to even new heights and further establishing her as a pop culture icon. Vanessa, her co-stars and the show have won or been nominated for numerous individual and ensemble awards, including the Emmy, SAG Award, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Awards.

TELEVISION (SPECIALS & HOSTING)

In addition to launching and hosting the popular, long-running “Soul of VH-1” weekly video series for VH-1, her credits also include such special television events as her memorable portrayal of Josephine Baker in the Emmy Award-winning “Motown Returns to the Apollo,” The Disney Channel’s “Presidential Inaugural Celebration for Youth” and the 1995 broadcast, “Some Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II”. She has hosting such specials as “The Essence Awards,” “The American Black Achievement Awards,” “Carnegie Hall Presents the Jazz Masters,” “The ” and the 2000 special, “It’s Black Entertainment.” In 1998, Vanessa co-hosted the “29th NAACP Image Awards” with , as well as NBC’s “International DanceSport II.” She also hosted PBS’ signature Black History Month celebration, “I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African- American Arts.” The same year, she had the opportunity to perform twice with , joining the famed tenor, Celine Dion, , Stevie Wonder and the Spice Girls on “Pavarotti and Friends,” taped on location in Modena, Italy and again on NBC’s “.”

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FILM

Vanessa’s debut starring role in a feature film opposite in Warner Bros.’ action thriller, “Eraser,” elevated her into the category of sought-after leading ladies of the silver screen. In the 1996 summer blockbuster, which grossed over $100 million worldwide, Vanessa played a woman with a terrifying and powerful secret that she must hide with the help of an elite federal marshal (Schwarzenegger) who guarantees the safety of valuable witnesses by erasing their identities. “Eraser” was directed by Chuck Russell (“The Mask”) and Vanessa recorded “Where Do We Go From Here?,” the end-title theme for the film. Prior to the release of “Eraser,” Vanessa was cast opposite in MGM-UA’s “Hoodlum,” a crime drama set in 1930’s Harlem. In “Hoodlum,” Vanessa played Francine Hughes, a nurse in Harlem who ministers to the poor and embraces the creed of hard work and self-determination for her people. Despite the fact that she is morally opposed to the street life of, she falls in love with a charismatic ex-con gangster (Fishburne). The film, directed by Bill Duke and also starring Tim Roth and Andy Garcia, was released in 1997. Vanessa won the NAACP Image Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress for her starring role in the 20th Century Fox 1997 release, “Soul Food,” with and Vivica A. Fox. Written and directed by George Tillman, Jr. and produced by Tracey Edmonds and executive producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, the dramatic comedy “Soul Food” was a box-office success, winning the Image Award for Best Motion Picture, telling the story of a tight-knit but often embattled family of three sisters and their families. Next, she starred in Columbia Pictures’ romantic dance-musical “Dance With Me,” directed by Randa Haines (“Children of a Lesser God”). Drawing on her lifetime passion for and training in dance, Vanessa played Ruby, a former international ballroom title holder, barely getting by as an instructor in a struggling dance studio when a handsome stranger ignites Ruby’s stalled life and breathes life into the studio. The film co-starred , and Joan Plowright. She played the role of The Queen of Trash in the family film, “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland” appeared in “Light It Up.” She was seen opposite Samuel L. Jackson in John Singleton’s feature film, “Shaft,” for which she was nominated for another Image Award. Vanessa made her film debut in 1986 opposite Sam Jones in “Under the Gun” and she appeared in the films “The Pick-Up Artist” (produced by Warren Beatty), “Another You” (with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder) and “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” (with Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson). She co-starred in “Johnson Family Vacation,” with and , released by Fox Searchlight. Vanessa recently starred in the independent features, “My Brother” and “And Then Came Love.”

SPECIAL APPEARANCES

In 1996, Vanessa reached a personal and professional pinnacle, when asked to perform the National Anthem on NBC’s Super Bowl XXX telecast. Vanessa’s powerful, elegant performance was seen by an estimated 138.1 million people in 170 countries and the telecast was one of the most watched television events in history. The same year, Vanessa made her first appearance on the telecast, where she performed the Oscar-winning “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas.”

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AWARDS & HONORS

An internationally-renowned recording artist and an established actress, Vanessa’s accomplishments extend well beyond performing. She has received three NAACP Image Awards, a total of 11 Grammy Award nominations, numerous New York Music Awards and she has been chosen as one of Glamour’s “Women of the Year,” People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” and Harper’s Bazaar’s “America’s 10 Most Beautiful Women,” among many other awards and honors. In 1996, Vanessa received the coveted Career Achievement Award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. In 2007, she realized yet another dream, with a star on the for her accomplishments as a performer.

HUMANITARIAN & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Vanessa’s charitable contributions are many and varied, embracing and supporting such issues as education, homelessness, abuse, women’s issues, AIDS and anything having to do with children. Specifically, she is actively involved with such organizations as Green Chimneys, a working farm in Westchester County that provides educational and residential programs to help troubled inner-city adolescents; The Open Door, which provides walk-in medical care for homeless families; The Cottage School for displaced young women and she is a Board Member of Chappaqua School Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. She has been a Board Member of Special Olympics International since 1999.

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2/08 CONTACT: Brad Cafarelli/Laura Bass BRAGMAN NYMAN CAFARELLI (BNC) (310) 854-4800 (310) 854-4848 (F) [email protected] [email protected]