Vanessa Estelle Williams (sometimes professionally credited as Vanessa A. Williams) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Maxine Joseph–Chadway in the Showtime drama series, Soul Food (2000–04), for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, and as Rhonda Blair in the first season of the Fox prime time soap opera, Melrose Place (1992–93). She is also known as Nino Brown's feisty gun moll, Keisha in the 1991 crime drama film, New Jack City and as Anne-Marie McCoy in the first and fourth of the Candyman films. Though not related, she is sometimes confused with American actress, singer, and former Miss America 1984, Vanessa L. Williams. Both women were also, coincidentally, born in New York in the same year. In addition, Vanessa A. Williams starred in the television soap opera, Soul Food, while Vanessa L. Williams starred in the original film.

Filmography

• Wild Rose — Joyce
• 2023Black Girl, Erupted — Cassandra Cole
• 2023Cruel Encounters — Corynne
• 2022Angie's Cure — Carla
• 2022Mid-Century — Beverly Gordon
• 2022Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story — Lucille
• A Luv Tale — Candice
• 2021A Rich Christmas — Aggie Maggy / Madison
• American Horror Stories — Dr. Eleanor Berger
• 2021Candyman — Anne-Marie McCoy
• 2021Welcome to the Christmas Family Reunion — Eve Christmas
• 2020Love on a Two Way Street — Gloria
• 2019I Left My Girlfriend for Regina Jones — Rebecca
• 2019One Fine Christmas — Susan
• 40 and Single — Bertha Brown
• 9-1-1 — Claudette Collins
• 2018Thriller — Mrs. Walker
• 2014Crossed the Line — Juice
• 2014Men, Money & Gold Diggers — Sandra Winslow
• The Flash — Francine West
• 2012Raising Izzie — Tonya
• 2012Sugar Mommas — Lynn
• 2009Contradictions of the Heart — Lea
• 2009Imagine That — Lori Strother
• 2008Flirting with Forty — Kristine
• The Wendy Williams Show
• 2007Ice Spiders — Dr. April Sommers
• Phineas and Ferb — Flight Attendant (voice)
• 2003Allergic to Nuts
• 2003Black Listed — J.W.
• Cold Case — Crystal Stacy (2007)
• 2002Like Mike — Pharmacist
• 2002Our America — Sandra Williams
• 2000Playing with Fire — Riana Roberts
• 2000Punks — Jennifer
• Soul Food — Maxine Chadway
• 1999Incognito — Wilhelmina Hunter
• Total Recall 2070
• Between Brothers — Rebecca
• Buddies
• Malcolm & Eddie
• 1996Mother — Donna
• The Pretender — Denise Clements
• The Steve Harvey Show — Nina
• Murder One — Lila Marquette
• Chicago Hope — Grace Carr
• 1994Drop Squad — Mali
• Living Single
• 1992Candyman — Anne-Marie McCoy
• Melrose Place — Rhonda
• 1991New Jack City — Keisha
• Law & Order — Vera
• The Word
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark
• The Cosby Show — Jade, Cheryl

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 2025Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies — Self (archive footage)
• 2004Happy to Be Nappy and Other Stories of Me — Self (voice)
• Good Day Live — Self