Vanessa Williams is the name of three contemporaneous singers and/or actresses who are sometimes confused:
Vanessa Lynn Williams or Vanessa L. Williams: African American R&B/pop singer and actress, born 1963, the first Black Miss America (later resigned), and the star of Eraser, Shaft, and the 1997 film version of Soul Food
Vanessa A. Williams: African American actress, born 1963, a star on Melrose Place and the 2000 television series version of Soul Food
Vanessa R. Williams: African American gospel singer, born 1960, began recording in the 2000s
