Halle Berry
Real Name: Halle Maria Berry
Date of Birth: 14 August, 1966
Place of birth: Bedford, Ohio
Profession: Actress – Model - Spokesperson
Halle Berry came from a mixed race background. Her father, Jerome Jesse Berry was an African American hospital attendant and her mother, Judith Ann Hawkins was a Caucasian psychiatric nurse. Berry experienced a turbulent childhood when her abusive father decided to walk out on the family when she was only 4 years old. After her parents divorced, her mother raised Halle and her sister, Heidi in a suburb of Cleveland.
Berry studied at Bedford High School where she was an active cheerleader and honor society member. She was very good at every activity she pursued and she achieved her success despite facing discrimination and the negative attitude of many of her fellow students.
Beautiful Halle Berry won the title of Miss Ohio and Miss Teen All-American in 1986. She was chosen as first runner up for Miss USA in the same year. In addition, she became the first African American to represent the US in the international Miss World pageant, where she was awarded an impressive sixth place. She studied journalism to enable her pursue a career where she could work in the media or a newspaper.
In 1989, Berry’s career plans changed when she was chosen to play the role of Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls. She was then awarded the role of Vivian, a drug addict in Spike Lee’s 1991 award-winning movie Jungle Fever. This was her first film break. Berry went on to play the sultry secretary named “Rosetta Stone” in the 1994 movie The Flintstones. By this time, she had attracted a very large fan following. In 1992, Berry acted in a romantic comedy named Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. Her talent was noticed when she played a determined biracial slave in the TV adaptation of Queen: The Story of an American Family. She proved to the world that she could successfully handle any type of acting role during her successful performance as a drug addicted mother in the 1995 movie Losing Isaiah.
In 2001, Berry appeared as the wife of a murderer in the highly acclaimed film Monster’s Ball. Her performance as Leticia Musgrove earned her a National Board of Review award for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actress. Her realistic and controversial portrayal of Leticia won her the biggest achievement sought by all actors: winning an Academy Award for Best Actress. She made history again, but this time it was because of her acting talent, rather than her beauty. She became the first African American woman to earn a Best Actress Academy Award. Ironically, she also won a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her portrayal in the 2004 flop, Catwoman.
Halle Berry is currently one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. In addition to her Academy Award, she has won numerous other awards for her various roles including an Emmy Award, Golden Globe, Image Award, Black Reel Award, Women in Film Crystal Award and Blockbuster Entertainment Award. She was a very popular Bond girl in the movie Die Another Day. Berry is trying her hand at producing and her future plans include producing for movies and TV. Halle has already proven herself to be more than just another pretty face. This very talented actress is sure to excel at whatever she decides to pursue.
