Cynda Williams

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. She was also in One False Move (1992) as well as the Tales of the City Channel 4/PBS miniseries. While most well known for her involvement in the movie industry, 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 #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.

Williams has been married three times and has one child. Her first marriage was to actor Billy Bob Thornton from 1990 until 1992. A year after divorcing Thornton, Williams married actor Arthur Louis Fuller in 1993 before divorcing in 1998. Williams has been married to former college football star and television producer, Roderick Plummer since July 2001. Together, Williams and Plummer have a daughter Sophia Plummer.

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

Cynthia Ann Williams (born May 17, 1966), known professionally as Cynda Williams is an American actress, singer–songwriter, playwright, author, artistic mentor and activist.