Days of our Lives Star Vanessa Williams Celebrates Her Birthday

Days of our Lives’ Valerie Grant should consider hightailing it back to Salem now that her son, Eli, has woken from his coma. Her portrayer, Vanessa Williams, has a reason to celebrate too.

Happy Birthday, Vanessa Williams!

That’s because she was born on May 12, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, which means that this talented actress is turning 59 years old today! Williams began her career in 1989 with guest appearances in primetime programs such as Dream Street and Law & Order.

In 1991, she was cast in the crime film New Jack City and one year later she portrayed Anne-Marie McCoy in the horror film Candyman — a role she revisited in the same-titled sequel film released in 2020.

Williams was an original cast member in the FOX primetime serial Melrose Place though her character, Rhonda Blair, was written out after only one season. She subsequently guest starred on NYPD Blue and Living Single before being cast as a regular player in the ABC legal thriller Murder One.

In 1996, Williams had a recurring role as Dr. Grace Carr on the CBS series Chicago Hope. Four years later, she was hired to portray Maxine Chadway in the Showtime dramedy Soul Food.

Further credits include Drop Squad, Mother, Punks, Like Mike, and Imagine That (all feature films), made-for-TV movies like Sugar Momma, Raising Izzie, and One Fine Christmas as well as episodes of Between Brothers, The Pretender, Cold Case, and The Flash.

Williams has recurred on Days of our Lives as Dr. Valerie Grant since 2016. She was the fourth actress to assume the part, which had last been played by Diane Sommerfield in 1982.

Soap Hub would like to wish Vanessa Williams a very happy birthday and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.