10 Fun Facts About Vanessa Williams

A former pageant queen, Williams competed in the Miss Syracuse University beauty pageant when a campus musical she was in got canceled. In 1983, Williams was crowned Miss New York, and then went on to become the first African-American Miss America in 1984. However, after nude photos from her days of working as an assistant to a makeup artist surfaced without her consent, Williams Miss America title was put in jeopardy. Williams eventually resigned from her title due to public pressure.

Williams first hit song was her single "Save the Best for Last." It sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for five consecutive weeks in 1992.

She was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress In a Musical at the 2002 Tony Awards for her star role in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods.

Williams landed the role of Wilhelmina Slater on the show "Ugly Betty" after actress Charlotte Ross dropped out to star in an ABC sitcom pilot. Big bummer for Rossthe pilot wasnt picked up and Ugly Betty became extremely successful. In 2008 and 2009, Williams was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role.

Well, you win some and you lose some. Williams turned down the lead role in the movie "Monsters Ball" once she saw the full-frontal nudity in the script. Halle Berry got the part instead and won an Oscar for it.

In 2007, Williams helped launch the Bring Pets Home Microchipping Initiative at the Animal Haven Shelter in NYC. Her Yorkshire Terrier, Enzo, had disappeared from her fenced-in yard earlier that year. Enzo was eventually found in another state by a veterinarian who scanned the pups microchip ID. Williams advocates that all pets be tagged to help lost animals be returned safely home to their owners.

Williams enjoys pastimes like cooking, figure skating and horseback riding.

Williams has admitted to using Botox! She told Barbara Walters in a 2008 interview, Its a miracle drug, no cutting, nothing, and I love it. But I also want to act, so I don't do it to freeze my face.

Williamslives in Chappaqua, New York, a suburb of New York City. While she is not currently married, she has been married twice in the past. She has three children with her former husband Ramon Hervey, and a daughter with her more recent ex, NBA star Rick Fox.