Vanessa Williams on Rush Hour III Premiere in Hollywood

Vanessa Williams on Rush Hour III Premiere in Hollywood

 

uhhhhh, are there multiple vanessa williams in hollywood?

 

Short answer - Yes. I'll bet you were hoping for the ex-Miss America. I know I was.


Detail/Name conflict

Vanessa L. Williams of Miss America fame was initially known simply as "Vanessa Williams". However, there was an occasional confusion or conflict with a similarly-named actress Vanessa A. Williams, who first came to national notice when she appeared in the first season of Melrose Place.

Williams (VLW) first became aware of Vanessa A. Williams (VAW) in the 1980s when her New York University registrar told her that another similarly-aged girl with the same name and from the same state had applied.[7][8] When VLW appeared as Miss America in a Macy's Day Parade, VAW accidentally received her check for the appearance (which she returned).[7]

In the area of acting, the two ran into name conflict when Screen Actors Guild rules prohibited duplicate stage naming. VAW had registered the name "Vanessa Williams" first,[7] so as a compromise, VLW was occasionally credited as "Vanessa L. Williams" in acting credits. VLW says the Screen Actors Guild eventually took the issue to arbitration and decided that both actresses could use the stage name "Vanessa Williams."[8] She is credited this way in the opening credits for Ugly Betty. Both actresses starred in versions of the drama Soul Food (VLW in the film version, and VAW in its TV series adaptation).

In a 1997 interview with Playboy magazine, VLW claims VAW made a "catty remark" about her when VAW appeared in a Broadway play.[9] A year later, VLW told Canoe.ca: "She registered the name first but I made the name famous so I have more claim to it these days."[7]

 

wow, never knew that!