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Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an American actress who has appeared in several television series such as Melrose Place and the Showtime cable television series Soul Food. In 1996, she was featured in the television series Murder One. In 1988, she appeared in the music video for "Parents Just Don't Understand" sung by rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Williams was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. While not related, she is sometimes confused with singer-actress Vanessa L. Williams, who starred in the original film version of Soul Food. She had her DNA... MORE

Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an American actress who has appeared in several television series such as Melrose Place and the Showtime cable television series Soul Food. In 1996, she was featured in the television series Murder One. In 1988, she appeared in the music video for "Parents Just Don't Understand" sung by rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Williams was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. While not related, she is sometimes confused with singer-actress Vanessa L. Williams, who starred in the original film version of Soul Food. She had her DNA tested and discovered that she descended from the Tikar and Bamileke ethnic groups from Cameroon. In 1993, Williams met Andre Wiseman. The couple began dating and then got married in Stuyvesant, New York. In 2007, Wiseman and Williams filed for divorce. Williams married her former Melrose Place costar John Marshall Jones in 2007. The couple has three children; daughter Andrea Wiseman (from Williams's marriage to Andre Wiseman), son John Marshall Jones, Jr., and another son William Jones. LESS