Cindy Ann Williams is an American actress. She is credited as Cynda Williams.

Early life and education

Williams was born Cindy Ann Williams^[1] in Chicago, Illinois to Charles, a police officer^[2] and Beverly, a medical lab technician.^[2] She was raised in the Pullman neighborhood on the city's south side. She spent parts of her early childhood in Indiana, where she sang in her grandfather's church.^[2] Williams attended Bennett Elementary School^[3] before she moved with her mother to Muncie, Indiana, as a teenager. While in Indiana, Williams attended Northside High School; graduating in 1984.^[1] After high school, Williams attended Ball State University, studying theater and was crowned Ms. Ball State in 1987. She graduated in 1989.^[2]

Career

In 1989, Williams changed her first name to "Cynda" to avoid conflicts with Laverne & Shirley actress Cindy Williams, who was also listed by the same name with the Screen Actors Guild. Williams has acted in films on both television and in the cinema. Her first appearance in a feature film was in Spike Lee's 1990 Mo' Better Blues. "In the Midwest, I was told by casting directors that I wasn’t the right type because I didn’t look black enough, and I didn’t look white," says Williams. "But everything changed when I moved to New York, because my look could cross different lines."^[4] She was also in One False Move (1992) as well as the Tales of the City Channel 4/PBS miniseries.

Williams had a brief stint in the music industry in 1990 with her appearance on the soundtrack to Mo' Better Blues, on the song "Harlem Blues". The single was popular, reaching No. 9 on the R&B charts on November 17, 1990. With the success of the single, Williams had been lined up with Sony to produce her own album. While she was trained in a variety of genres, jazz became pressed on her after the success of "Harlem Blues". The album was shelved following internal disagreements at Sony.

Personal life

Williams was married to actor Billy Bob Thornton, from 1990 to 1992.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Television

Award nominations