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Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1966) is an American actress, former fashion model and beauty queen. Berry has received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming the first and still only woman of African-American descent to have won the award for Best Actress. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and also a Revlon spokeswoman. She is attempting to expand into the production side of Hollywood. A former teenage beauty queen, Halle Berry traded a successful modeling career for acting in the late 1980s. After high school, this youngest daughter of a black father and white mother, entered the Miss Teen Ohio Pageant and won, representing the state at the Miss Teen All-American Pageant. An overachiever since she was a child, Berry attempted to add another crown as Miss Ohio in the Miss USA competition but placed as first runner-up. After finishing in the top five at the Miss World pageant, she moved into modeling, working first in the Chicago area and later in NYC. By 1989, Berry had begun the transition to performing when she was appropriately cast as a teenage model in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Living Dolls.” Guest work in other comedy series followed before she was able to convince Spike Lee she could handle the demanding role of a crack addict in his "Jungle Fever" (1991). Before becoming an actress, Berry entered several beauty contests, finishing runner-up in Miss USA (1986), and winning the Miss USA World 1986 title. (Under pageant rules in effect at that time, the first runner-up at Miss USA automatically competed at Miss World.) Her breakthrough feature film role was in the 1991 Jungle Fever. This led to roles in The Flintstones (1994), Bulworth (1998), X-Men (2000) and its sequels, and Die Another Day. She also won a worst actress Razzie award in 2005 for Catwoman, and accepted the award in person. Divorced from baseball player David Justice and musician Eric Benét, Berry has been dating French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry since November 2005. She and Aubry welcomed their first child, a girl named Nahla Ariela Aubry, on March 16, 2008. Delivering a harrowing performance in that film, Berry proved she was more than just a beauty. Finding roles that challenged her abilities, however, proved more daunting. She was cast as a femme fatale in "Strictly Business" and Damon Wayans' stripper girlfriend in "The Last Boy Scout" (both 1991) before portraying a career woman who falls for Eddie Murphy in "Boomerang" (1992) and a headstrong post-Civil War woman in the titular role of "Queen,” a CBS miniseries, based on the book by Alex Haley. Berry then landed the role of a sultry secretary in the live-action "The Flintstones" (1994), winning the part after Sharon Stone rejected it. As a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in "Losing Isaiah" (1995), the actress showed she could handle more serious fare, holding her own opposite powerhouse co-star Jessica Lange. Her hard-as-nails flight attendant was one of the few high points of the otherwise run-of-the-mill "Executive Decision" (1996), and she once again broke racial barriers as the spouse who finds herself framed for murder in "The Rich Man's Wife" (also 1996). Berry looked lovely but seemed miscast in the lead of the TV miniseries "The Wedding" (ABC, 1998), set in the upper middle class black milieu of Martha's Vineyard in the 1950s. She fared better as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives an older politician (Warren Beatty) a new lease on life in "Bulworth" and as the singer Zola Taylor, one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon, in the unfortunately overlooked biopic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" (both 1998). Berry's parents selected her first name from Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother, Judith Ann (née Hawkins), is a white, Liverpool, England-born psychiatric nurse, and her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African-American hospital attendant. Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins (an American), was born in Ohio. Berry's parents divorced when she was four years old and she was subsequently raised by her mother, a psychiatric nurse. Her father was an orderly in the same psychiatric ward where her mother worked and later became a bus driver. Berry has said in published reports that she was estranged from her father since her childhood. Berry studied at Bedford High School, and worked in the children's department at Higbee's Department store. She subsequently attended the Cuyahoga Community College. In the 1980s, she entered several beauty contests, winning Miss Teen All-American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. Other entries included Miss USA (first runner-up in 1986 to Christy Fichtner of Texas, the second of the Texas Aces), and sixth place in Miss World 1986 (the winner being Trinidad and Tobago's Giselle Laronde). In the Miss USA 1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges. In 1989, during the taping of the short-lived television series Living Dolls, Berry lapsed into a coma and was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 1. In the late 1980s, Berry went to Illinois to pursue a modeling career as well as acting. One of her first acting projects was a television series for local cable by Gordon Lake Productions called Chicago Force. In 1989, Berry landed the role of Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). In 1992, Berry was cast as the love interest in the video for R. Kelly's seminal single, "Honey Love". Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, in which she played a drug addict named Vivian. Her first co-starring role was in the 1991 film Strictly Business. In 1992, Berry portrayed a career woman who falls for Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Boomerang. That same year, she caught the public's attention as a headstrong biracial slave in the TV adaptation of Queen: The Story of an American Family, based on the book by Alex Haley. Berry also played the sultry secretary who seduced Fred Flintstone in the live-action Flintstones movie as "Sharon Stone". Playing a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in Losing Isaiah (1995), Berry tackled a more serious role, starring opposite co-star Jessica Lange. She portrayed Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun (1996), which was based on a true story, and co-starred along side Kurt Russell in Executive Decision. From 1996 onwards, she was a Revlon spokeswoman for seven years and renewed her contract in 2004. In 1998, Berry received praise for her role in Bulworth as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives a politician (Warren Beatty) a new lease on life. The same year, she played the singer Zola Taylor, one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon, in the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love. In the 1999 HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, she portrayed the first black woman to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. In 1999, Berry was able to realize her life-long dream of portraying the singer-actress who broke racial barriers by becoming the first black woman to nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award in the HBO biopic "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” Although both Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston had expressed a desire to play Dandridge in a film biography, Berry got there first, not only delivering a career-enhancing performance that netted her several awards, including an Emmy, but also serving as one of the producers of the project as well. The following year, she took sci-fi fans by "Storm" playing a beautiful mutant in Bryan Singer's big-screen version of the Marvel comic "X-Men.” Her success was overshadowed a bit when she was involved in a car accident and left the scene to go to the hospital for treatment, leading to stories in the tabloid media. The actress pleaded no contest and settled a civil lawsuit out of court. Berry's performance was recognized with several awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Berry portrayed the mutant superhero Storm in the film adaptation of the comic book series X-Men (2000) and its sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). In 2001, Berry appeared in the film Swordfish, which featured her first on-screen nude scene. at first, she refused to be filmed topless in a sunbathing scene. But she changed her mind when Warner Brothers raised her fee substantially. the brief flash of her breasts added $500,000 to her fee. After turning down numerous roles that required nudity, she said she decided to make Swordfish because her husband Benet supported her and encouraged her to take risks. In 2001, Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the wife of an executed murderer, in the film Monster's Ball. Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild prizes, and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Berry made history by becoming the first African-American woman to receive a Best Actress Academy Award. the NAACP issued the statement "Congratulations to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington for giving us hope and making us proud. If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color then it is a good thing." Her role also generated controversy. Berry's love scene with a racist character was the subject of much media chatter and discussion among African-Americans. she told "I don't really see a reason to ever go that far again. That was a unique movie. That scene was special and pivotal and needed to be there, and it would be a really special script that would require something like that again." In 2001, Berry was reduced to being nothing more than decorative in the unspectacular thriller "Swordfish,” a fact made all the more clear when she appeared topless for the first time in her career. The gratuitous scene did little for the film's plot, but it generated copy (including unfounded rumors that she got a $500,000 bonus to do the scene) and helped keep her in the spotlight. Later that same year, she delivered a brutally honest and moving performance as a struggling waitress coping with a husband on death row and an overweight child in "Monster's Ball". Downplaying her looks and tearing into a rare dramatic role that challenged her, Berry won critical plaudits for her work, which included a three-minute-long love scene with co-star Billy Bob Thornton. Her performance generated buzz, yielded some prizes from groups like the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild. That year she made history by becoming the first black woman ever to earn a Best Actress Academy Award. Berry asked for a higher fee for Revlon advertisements after winning Academy Award. Ron Perleman, the cosmetics firms chief congratulated her, saying how happy he was that she modelled for his company. she replied: "Of course, you'll have to pay me more." Perleman stalked off with rage. Her win at the Academy Awards led to two famous "Oscar moments." In accepting her award, she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity. she said "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened." One year later, when presenting the Best Actor award, winner Adrien Brody ran on stage and, instead of giving her the standard peck on the cheek, planted a long kiss on Berry. As Bond girl Jinx in the 2002 blockbuster Die Another Day, Berry famously recreated a scene from Dr. No, bursting from the surf to be greeted by James Bond, as Ursula Andress had 40 years earlier. Lindy Hemming insisted that She wear a bikini and knife as a homage. Berry has said of the scene: "It's splashy", "exciting", "sexy", "provocative" and "it will keep me still out there after winning an Oscar." Berry said her role is "fashion-forward modern and the next step in the evolution of women in the Bond movies." The bikini scene was shot in Cadiz, the location was reportedly cold and windy, and footage has been released of Berry wrapped in thick towels in between takes to avoid catching a chill. According to a ITV news poll Jinx was voted the fourth toughest girl on screen of all time. Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye. It was removed in a 30-minute operation. Enjoying her newfound prominence in the industry, Berry accepted the role of Jinx in the 20th James Bond feature, "Die Another Day" (2002) opposite Pierce Brosnan's Agent 007. As the first A-list, Oscar-winning Bond girl in a generation, Berry was trumpeted in the role from the moment she began filming to the day the movie was released; she even gamely paid homage to the series' roots by appearing in a tangerine bikini reminiscent of Ursula Andress' in "Dr. No." And while Berry's performance was not necessarily Oscar-bait, she did display a strong chemistry with Brosnan as his equal in both espionage and in bed, and a spunk that inspired MGM to make plans to launch a spin-off film starring her character. After completing that role, she segued to "X2" (2003), the sequel to "X-Men" in which she reprised her role as Storm, a part which was expanded somewhat to suit her award-winning status. Nevertheless, rumors of friction between her and director Bryan Singer circulated and Berry did not participate in the massive press push for the blockbuster, putting her role in future sequels in question. Later that year she starred in the horror thriller "Gothika" (2003), playing Miranda Gray, a doctor in a mental institute who becomes incarcerated in her own hospital after seemingly becoming possessed and murdering her husband. Berry provided a convincing and relatable presence in the stylish and atmospheric but otherwise clichéd and implausible film. In late 2003, she starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Robert Downey Jr. she broke her arm. Downey was supposed to grab her arm and twist but twisted too hard. Production was halted for eight weeks. Berry also appears in the Limp Bizkit music video for "Behind Blue Eyes" for the motion picture soundtrack for the movie Gothika. The same year, she was named #1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll. in 2004 Berry was voted fourth of Empire magazine's 100 sexiest film stars of all time poll. Her next lead role was in the film Catwoman. a $135 million movie, it grossed $17 million on its first weekend. She was awarded a "worst actress" Razzie award in 2005. She accepted the award in person with a sense of humor, considering it an experience of the "rock bottom" in order to be "at the top". Only one other winner has ever turned up to collect the award, Tom Green in 2002. Holding the Academy Award in one hand and the Razzie in the other she said, "I never in my life thought that I would be here, winning a Razzie. It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you. When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner". The Fund for Animals praised Berry's compassion towards cats and for squelching rumors that she was keeping a Bengal tiger from the sets of Catwoman as a "pet." Berry next appeared in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005), an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, in which Berry portrayed Janie Crawford, a free-spirited woman whose unconventional sexual mores upset her 1920s contemporaries in her small community. Meanwhile, she voiced the character of Cappy, one of the many mechanical beings in the animated feature Robots (2005). Surprisingly Berry's next genuinely impressive performance was for television when she appeared in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC telepic "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (2005), an adaptation of the popular Zora Neale Hurston novel in which Berry played Janie Crawford, a iconoclastic, free-spirited woman whose unconventional mores regarding relationships upset her 1920s contemporaries in her small community. Meanwhile, she lent her voice to Cappy one of the many mechanical beings to inhabit the animated feature, “Robots” (2005). She next revived Storm for the third installment of the series, “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), directed by Brett Ratner. This time, the mutants face a peculiar choice after a cure for mutations is found: retain their uniqueness and remain isolated from society or give up their strange powers and become human. Berry next starred in the slick crime thriller “Perfect Stranger” (2007), playing an investigative reporter who poses as a temp at an advertising agency in order to unravel the murder of a friend connected to a powerful ad executive (Bruce Willis). In 2006, Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford and Daryl Hannah successfully fought the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Malibu. Berry said "I care about the air we breathe, I care about the marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean." Hasty Pudding Theatricals gave her the Woman of The Year award. She starred in the thriller Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and wrapped shooting on Things We Lost in the Fire with Benicio del Toro. Dean Winkelspecht said "she isn´t as impressive as she was in Monster´s Ball." She is set to star in Class Act, based on the real life story of a teacher whose students helped her run for political office, and Tulia, which will reunite her with Monster's Ball costar Billy Bob Thornton. Berry is making the transition to working on the production side of film and television. She is working with author Angela Nissel to executive-produce a comedy series based on Nissel's two memoirs, The Broke Diaries and Mixed: My Life in Black and White. Berry has served many years as the face of Revlon cosmetics and also served as the face of Versace. She is featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. Berry is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, earning $14 million each for Gothika and Catwoman. In July 2007, she topped In Touch magazine's list of the world's most fabulous 40-something celebrities. On April 3, 2007, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to the film industry. Coty Inc. fragrance company, signed Berry to market her debut fragrance on 14 Mar 2008. Berry was delighted. For years I have created my own personal scent by mixing fragrances at home. I am passionate about this project as I have always wanted hands-on experience in creating a fragrance that is a true representation of me." She was paid $3-5 million with a royalty of about 5 percent. Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage, in 1992 to former baseball player David Justice, ended in divorce in 1996. Justice played with the Atlanta Braves and experienced a measure of fame as the team rose to prominence in the early 1990s. The couple found it difficult to maintain their relationship while he was playing baseball and she was filming elsewhere. Berry has stated publicly that she was so disappointed after her breakup with Justice that she considered taking her own life. But she could not bear the thought of her mother finding her body. Berry's second marriage was to musician Eric Benét. They met in 1997 and married in early 2001 on a beach in Santa Barbara. Berry credited Benét with support after she was involved in a February 2000 car accident. She suffered a concussion and left the scene of the accident before the police arrived, resulting in a misdemeanor charge. The incident became fodder for comedians. Berry stated she felt "really good about the resolution"; she pled no contest, paid a fine and was placed on three years' probation. The couple, however, separated in 2003. After the separation, Berry stated, "I want love, and I will find it, hopefully". While married to Benét, Berry adopted his daughter, India. The divorce was finalized in January 2005. She was not entertaining thoughts of suicide as she had after splitting with Justice: "I would never, ever, ever think of doing that again." In November 2005, Berry began dating French-Canadian supermodel Gabriel Aubry, ten years her junior. The couple met at a Versace photoshoot. After six months with Aubry, she stated in an interview, "I'm really happy in my personal life, which is a novelty to me. You know, I'm not the girl that has the best relationships". Berry revealed on Extra that she plans to adopt children. "I will adopt if it doesn't happen for me naturally", she said. "I will definitely adopt. And I probably will adopt even if it does happen naturally". Later she stated, "I never want to be married again. I guess you could say I have bad taste in men. But I no longer feel the need to be someone's wife. I don't feel like I need to be validated by being in a marriage". Berry insists the couple's life is already complete without the need for a marriage and feels "more married than ever before." Berry said that it was her experience playing a mother in "Things We Lost In The Fire" that opened her mind to the possibility of motherhood. After initially denying rumors, she confirmed in September 2007 that she was three months pregnant. Berry hired security guards after receiving racist threats to her unborn baby from a stalker saying her child will be "cut into hundreds of pieces." She stated "Gabriel is a wonderful person and I am just happy I’ve found someone really special to have a baby with." She has stated that she hopes to have a second child right away. Berry gave birth to a girl named Nahla Ariela Aubry on March 16, 2008 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. |
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