Vanessa Williams

Join the Callywood Nation with Vanessa Williams, who most of you will recognize from “The Cosby Show” as Theo’s girlfriend Cheryl Lovejoy.

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.