Cosandra Calloway show with Vanessa Williams

Born and raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, Vanessa Williams became a member of the New York City Opera's Children's Chorus at age 11. Vanessa then signed with a talent manager and booked her first audition, a commercial for Frito Lay. Her pattern for success clearly set, her winning streak had only just begun.

After graduating from New York's famed High School of Performing Arts she earned a Bachelor's degree in theatre and business from Marymount Manhattan College.

A member of all three actors unions, Vanessa kept busy striking a balance as a professional actress and college student. When she landed a recurring role on "The Cosby Show" (1984) as (Theo's scene partner in a school play), a high-strung student/actress named Jade Marsh, she made a friend and fan of "The Cos" Bill Cosby. So impressed with her work, "Mr. C" asked her back to play yet another role, Theo's girlfriend Cheryl Lovejoy, a sweet young thing from Barbados.