Halle Berry

Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1968; some sources say 1966) is an Academy Award-winning actress and model.

Biography

Early life and career

Halle Berry was named after Halle's Department Store, a local landmark in Cleveland, Ohio. She is bi-racial; born to Judith Ann Hawkins, a white mother of English descent, and an African-American father, Jerome J. Berry. Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins, was born in Ohio. Berry's parents divorced when she was 4 years old and she subsequently was raised by her mother, a psychiatric-ward nurse. She also has an older sister, Heidi.

Related Topics:
Cleveland, Ohio - Bi-racial - English - African-American - Derbyshire - England - Ohio

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Berry was a popular student at her high school and was a cheerleader, honor society member, editor of the school newspaper, class president and prom queen. She subsequently attended Cuyahoga Community College.

Related Topics:
High school - Cheerleader - Honor society - Newspaper - Class president - Prom queen - Cuyahoga Community College

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Before becoming an actress, she entered several beauty contests, including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All American, Miss USA and Miss World.

Related Topics:
Beauty contest - Miss USA - Miss World

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Hollywood career

In the late 1980s, she went to Chicago 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."

Related Topics:
Chicago - Modeling - Television series - Cable

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Berry auditioned for a role in an updated Charlie's Angels television series by producer Aaron Spelling. At the time, Spelling wanted one of the "Angels" to be a African American woman. She did not get the role (because the project never materialized) but she impressed Spelling with her skills. Encouraging her to continue perfecting her craft.

Related Topics:
Charlie's Angels - Aaron Spelling - African American

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In 1989, Berry landed the role of brainy Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (which was a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever where she played a drug addict named Vivian. Her first co-starring role was in the film Strictly Business. Another one of her early roles was in a supporting capacity in the Flintstones movie where she played "Sharon Stone." The year before, Berry really caught the public's attention with her portrayal as a female slave in the TV adaption of '.

Related Topics:
1989 - Living Dolls - Who's the Boss? - Feature film - Spike Lee - Jungle Fever - Drug addict - Strictly Business - Flintstones

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Berry is also known by most comic book fans for her portrayal of Storm in the movie adaptation of the successful comic book X-Men (2000) and its successful sequel ' (2003). Berry will reprise her role again in the third installment X-Men 3 scheduled for a May 2006 release. In late 2003 Berry starred in the thriller Gothika, which was the first film that she "carried," i.e., her role was the most important one in the film.

Related Topics:
X-Men - X-Men 3 - Gothika

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Marriages

Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage in 1992 to baseball player David Justice ended in a 1996 divorce. Her second marriage in 2001 to musician Eric Benét has resulted in a 2003 separation (and 2005 divorce) reportedly due to Benét's infidelity. She has said that she will never marry again. She has never had children herself, but is close to her step-daughter India from her marriage to Benét. Berry does have two Maltese dogs: Miss Polly and Little Willie.

Related Topics:
1992 - Baseball - David Justice - 1996 - 2001 - Eric Benét - 2003 - 2005 - Divorce - Infidelity - Maltese

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