Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an American actress who has appeared in numerous television series. She is best known for her roles as Anne-Marie McCoy in the 1992 horror film Candyman and Rhonda Blair in the first season of the television soap opera, Melrose Place. In 1995, she was also a series regular in the television series Murder One. 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 (TV series), while Vanessa L. Williams starred in the original film Soul Food (film).