5. Vanessa Williams
Known for her roles in “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives,” Vanessa Williams caught the attention of the public when she became the first black woman to be crowned Miss America. She was also the first winner to give up her title. The controversy behind her decrowning put Williams in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. But it would set her up nicely for a career comeback as a singer and, later, as an actor.