FAMOUS & NOT-SO FAMOUS BEAUTY PAGEANT TITLEST

Oprah Winfrey Before becoming an Emmy Award-winning television talk show host, Oprah Winfrey won the 1971 Miss Fire Prevention and Miss Black Tennessee titles. When asked what she would do with a million dollars, Winfrey delighted the judges when she blurted out, "I'd be a spending fool!" She competed in the Miss Black America Pageant, but failed to make the finals. Vanessa Williams Vanessa WilliamsThe first African-American woman ever to win the Miss America Pageant, Williams won both the swimsuit and talent competitions at the national contest. Sadly, she was asked to resign when Penthouse magazine published sexually-explicit photos she had posed for earlier. Despite initially appearing to be ruined by scandal, she rebounded and achieved fame as a recording artist (The Right Stuff), film star (Under The Gun, Eraser), and Broadway star (Kiss of the Spider Woman). Diane Sawyer Diane SawyerChosen as America's Junior Miss in 1962, Diane used her pageant scholarship money to attend Wellesley College, worked as a weathergirl, then press aide to Richard Nixon during his presidency and after his Watergate resignation. In 1981 she was named co-anchor of the CBS Morning News. Initially dismissed by some critics as an unqualified beauty queen, Sawyer earned high marks and was hired as a Sixty Minutes correspondent, co-anchor of Day One, Turning Point, and, finally, ABC's PrimeTime Live. Sawyer ranks as one of the highest paid newswomen in television history. Halle Berry Berry, whose pageant titles include Miss Teen All American, Miss Ohio-USA, first runner-up to Miss USA 1986, and 4th runner-up to Miss World 1986, won the coveted role of Queen in the Alex Hailey mini-series,Queen, on the TV series Knots Landing and Living Dolls, and starred in the movies Jungle Fever and The Flintstones. Sharon Stone Screen queen Sharon Stone, of Basic Instinct fame, honed her instincts for performing in small town pageants where she won the titles Saegertown's Spring Festival Queen and 1976 Miss Crawford County. When a Miss Pennsylvania Pageant judge suggested she try modeling, she contracted with the Eileen Ford Agency and her career was launched. Stone eventually switched to acting, starring in Basic Instinct, Sliver, and Intersection, and rapidly becoming one of the highest paid actresses in film history. Michelle Yeoh Americans know her as Pierce Brosnan's sidekick, Chinese secret agent Wai Lin, in the James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies. But the former Miss Malaysia (1983) is known throughout Asia as a kung-fu queen who has starred in nine movies including the mega-hit, Police Story III: Supercop. And, yes, she performs her own dangerous stunts. Raquel Welch Once considered one of the world's sexiest women, movie queen Raquel Welch only placed second in the Miss Southern California Pageant. Her film credits include the memorable role of prehistoric babe in One Million B.C. Imelda Marcos Before reigning as First Lady of the Philippines by the side of Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Romualdez reigned as Miss Manilla 1953. Jhayaleta Jukleta Kundirana Once considered one of the world's exotic beauties, Jhaya was crowned Ms Asia Pacific 1995 and won 1st runner up and Ms Congeniality in the 1997 Ms Universe Pageant. When asked asked what would be the first thing she would do if President Clinton woould visit her house tonight - she tartly answered without batting an eyelash - - "I will quickly brush my teeth". She got a standing ovation for that witty remark.