Halle Berry
First African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1966) is an American actress who began her career as a model and beauty contestant, winning Miss Ohio USA in 1986 and placing as first runner-up in Miss USA 1986 and sixth in Miss World 1986. She gained critical acclaim for her performance in the romantic drama Monster's Ball (2001), for which she became the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
- born
- August 14, 1966
- field
- Actress, producer, model
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Academy Award for Best Actress for Monster's Ball; Storm in X-Men film series; Bond girl Jinx in Die Another Day
Lore & Background
Berry has also produced several projects, including Lackawanna Blues (2005), Frankie & Alice (2010), and the CBS series Extant (2014–2015). In 2014, she launched the production company 606 Films. She has been a Revlon spokesmodel since 1996. Berry was married to baseball player David Justice, singer-songwriter Eric Benét, and actor Olivier Martinez. She has two children: one with former partner Gabriel Aubry and one with Martinez.
Reader's Guide
Halle Berry's significance lies in her historic Academy Award win for Best Actress for Monster's Ball, making her the first African-American woman to receive that honor. Her career spans a wide range of genres, from superhero films like X-Men to Bond films like Die Another Day, and she has taken on producing roles to bring stories like Introducing Dorothy Dandridge to screen. Berry's early life, marked by witnessing domestic violence and overcoming financial hardship, informed her resilience. Her legacy includes breaking racial barriers in Hollywood and using her platform to advocate for women of color in the industry. While some later films received mixed reception, her impact as a trailblazer remains central to her historical importance.
Did You Know?
- Berry was the first African-American to represent the United States at the Miss World pageant in 1986.
- She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as a struggling widow in Monster's Ball (2001).
- Berry's parents selected her middle name from Halle's Department Store, a local landmark in Cleveland.
- She briefly lived in a homeless shelter after moving to New York City in 1989 to pursue acting.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being. It's about loving yourself in your most unlovable moments." — Halle Berry "Suzanne Condie Lambert (October 9, 2008) "'Esquire' crowns Berry the sexiest woman alive", The Arizona Republic, p. E6." — Halle Berry "When I held that statuette, I felt as if I had won a triumph not just for myself, but for every other woman who'd struggled to overcome the same sort of background." — Halle Berry "On winning an Academy Award — reported in Barbara Davies (August 10, 2008) "Lost and Found", Sunday Telegraph Magazine, p. 18." — Halle Berry
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