page_title: Vanessa Williams
section_title: Honors and awards
hierarchical_section_title: Vanessa Williams / Honors and awards
caption_attribution_description: English: Vanessa Williams at a ceremony for Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
context_page_description: Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She initially gained recognition as the first woman of African-American descent to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984 in 1983. However, a scandal arose the following year when, a few weeks prior to the end of her reign, Williams learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing now "iconic" unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. Amid growing media controversy and scrutiny, Williams resigned as Miss America in July 1984 and was replaced by first runner-up Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles. Thirty-two years later, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell offered her a public apology for the events of 1984.
  Williams rebounded from the scandal with a successful career as a singer and actress. In 1988, she released her debut studio album The Right Stuff, whose title single saw moderate success before "Dreamin'" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States in 1989.
context_section_description: Williams is the recipient of many awards and nominations including Grammy nominations for hits such as "The Right Stuff", "Save the Best for Last", and "Colors of the Wind". In addition, she has earned multiple Emmy nominations, a Tony Award nomination, seven NAACP Image Awards, and four Satellite Awards.
  She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 19, 2007.
  In December 2017 Vanessa L. Williams participated at COAF  Gala fundraising event, delivering a special performance of her Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning song “Colors of the Wind” and paid tribute to Patricia Field, with whom she worked on the set of the TV series Ugly Betty.
caption: Williams in 2012
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