Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams had a rough time in 1983 when Vanessa Williams became the first African-American woman in history to be crowned Miss America. And it got a lot worse for Vanessa Williams in 1984, when Vanessa Williams was forced to resign the title after Penthouse magazine published nude photos of her in what was then deemed several extremely compromising positions.

It has been a mess ever since, with one often confused with the other for a huge number of reasons, including both being beautiful and hailing from New York. Their differences are in the details: Vanessa Williams was born in Brooklyn and now stars in the series version of "Soul Food" (Wed., 10-11 p.m., SHOWTIME) as Maxine; the other Vanessa Williams was reared in Millwood and starred in the feature film version of "Soul Food" (1997) as Teri. Ironically, the two Vanessa Williamses have auditioned for the same projects and share several mutual friends, but have never met.

Over the years, the entertainment industry`s trade unions have tried to make a clear distinction between the two professionally, to little or no effect. The Brooklyn-born singer/actress claims she got to the guilds first and the right to call herself Vanessa Williams, though some trade organizations list her as Vanessa (I) Williams. The former beauty queen-turned-singer/actress has been encouraged to call herself Vanessa L. Williams or is listed in the membership rolls as Vanessa (II) Williams, but prefers to call herself plain old Vanessa Williams.

Vanessa (I) Williams, called Williams from this point forward, lives in Los Angeles with her husband/personal manager Andre Wiseman and 3-year-old son, Omar. Vanessa (II) Williams, no longer referred to in this story, makes her home in New York with her L.A. Lakers basketball player/husband Rick Fox and her four children.

Williams, whose Maxine role in the series was played by Vivica Fox in the motion picture version, was pregnant when the "Soul Food" movie went into production and never had a chance to audition for any part.

"But I loved the film and the character," says the thirtysomething performer. "I pleasantly was surprised when they turned it into a TV show and auditioned for the part like everybody else."

Maxine, in Williams` mind, is basically Big Mama-in-training.

"The series starts five months after Big Mama`s death and Maxine is the glue who holds the family together," she explains.

"With a husband and three children, she is the nurturing one. She bickers with her sisters on a daily basis but, when it matters, they watch each other`s backs. They`re always down for each other."

The earthy actress drew considerable inspiration for her character from her grandmother, Johnnie Mae Mungen, who raised her in Brooklyn`s Bedford-Stuyvesant section from the age of 10 - after her mother, Verdell Williams, passed away.

"I called her Nana, because at that young age I wanted to make a distinction between her and my mother," she says softly. "I didn`t want my mom in heaven to think I was somehow replacing her with my grandmother. It was a child`s logic, but in essence I had two mothers."

Nana was Williams` "great, wonderful gift" in life who showered her with love and attention.

"She was the matriarchal backbone in our family and in my journals I remember writing about how grateful I was to my mom for having a mom to nurture me like she did. Nana was a musician who immediately became my biggest supporter in building a career as a singer and an actress.

"Whenever I was disappointed about not getting a particular job that I really wanted, she would be there saying, `Vanessa, whatever is for you will be yours. Trust in God. Whatever is your destiny, no one else can take - whether they have the same last name or anything else,`" says Williams, laughing.

"This was during the time of the Miss America contest and I was a struggling actress in New York. Whenever I auditioned under my own name, people would think it was a joke."

Though long estranged from her biological father during her formative years, Williams has long since reconciled with him.

"I`ve had a fine relationship with him since becoming an adult - the result of therapy, healing, opening and resolving," she says. "He still lives in New York with my brothers and is very much in the picture. But most of my immediate family in New York revolves around my mom`s brothers. We`re only separated because I live in L.A. with my husband and child."

Backed every step of the way by Nana, Williams took her first step toward a professional showbiz career at the age of 12 by joining the New York City Opera Children`s Chorus. Still a teen-ager and a student at the famed High School for the Performing Arts, she made her professional television debut with a recurring role as Jade Marsh on "The Cosby Show" in 1982. She returned a while later as Cheryl Lovejoy, Theo`s love interest.

"`The Cosby Show` was the hottest thing going in New York, as well as nationally, and I thought it would open doors and people would start sending me scripts," she recalls. "It didn`t happen; it was back to the same old grind."

After nearly a decade in off-Broadway and off-off Broadway productions, Williams made her 1991 Broadway debut in "Sarafina!" - the same year she made a splash in the feature film "New Jack City." Finally hot, she gave Hollywood a shot the following year and kept the momentum going with a featured part in the cult Gothic horror film "Candyman" and promptly landed the plum part of Rhonda Blair during the first season of "Melrose Place" (1992).

"I was finally living my dream - making a living solely as an actress and receiving a certain amount of recognition," she says. "Suddenly I was working steadily, including a regular role as Lila on `Murder One` (1995-96) and a recurring role on `Chicago Hope.`"

Also hyping an upcoming independent film called "Punks," co-starring Rockman Dunbar as her boyfriend (who portrays her husband in the "Soul Food" series), Williams` plate is full.

"At home, I`m having a ball with my family and friends," she says, "But I`m also laying the foundation for a serious musical career as an R&B, hip-up and `folk soul` singer-songwriter. I`ve got a band, we`re showcasing in L.A. and talking to record labels."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Eirik Knutzen