The actress who started her career with her beauty contests: Who is Halle Berry?

Her full name is Halle Maria Berry, she was born on August 14, 1966, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was born to Judith Ann, whose mother was an English immigrant from Liverpool, and to Jerome Jesse Berry, whose father was African-American. Berry's mother was a psychiatric nurse and her father worked in the psychiatric ward and later as a bus driver. Her mother and her father divorced when she was four years old. Berry and her older sister, Heidi Berry-Henderson, were raised by their mother.

Berry was a successful and well-liked student at school. Growing up in Oakwood, Ohio, Berry graduated from Bedford High as an honor student, school newspaper editor, cheerleader, and homecoming prom queen. After working in the children's section of Higbee's for a while, Berry later attended Cuyahoga Community College.

Berry, who participated in various beauty pageants in the 1980s, was named runner-up to Miss Ohio, Miss Teen All American and Miss USA. She was the runner-up in Miss USA 1986. She became the first African-American Miss World in 1986 to finish sixth and receive the Giselle Laronde Miss World title.

Berry's film debut was a small role in the romantic drama film "Jungle Fever" (1991), in which Spike Lee plays Vivian, a drug addict. That same year, Berry got her first lead role in "Strictly Business". In 1992, Berry appeared in the romantic comedy "Boomerang". In 1993, she managed to attract attention by appearing in the TV adaptation of 'Queen: The Story of an American Family', based on the book by Alex Haley.

Berry took on a more serious role in Losing "Isaiah" (1995), starring alongside Jessica Lange. She then starred in "Race the Sun" (1996) and "Executive Decision" (1996). Berry, who served as 'Revlon' spokesperson for seven years from 1996, renewed her contract in 2004.

Appeared with Natalie Deselle Reid in the 1997 comedy movie "B * A * P * S" she. In 1998, Berry appeared in "Bulworth" and the same year in the biopic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." In the 1999 HBO biographical drama "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," she was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award. She played the American woman, and Berry's performance in the film was crowned with many awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Berry's cartoon "X-Men"(2000) and its sequels "X2"(2003), "X-Men: The Last Stand"(2006) and "X-Men: Days of Future Past"(2014) He appeared in the film adaptation of the novel series. In 2001, Berry appeared in the movie "Swordfish", in which she had her first topless scene. In the same year, she played a role in the romantic drama movie "Monster's Ball"(2001). Her performance won the Screen Actors Guild Award and won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 2002 Academy Awards, making her the first African-American woman. The outfit she wore at the ceremony was chosen as the most popular outfit of the last 75 years.

In 2002, she appeared in the blockbuster "Die Another Day" as Bond girl Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson. She was injured when debris from a smoke bomb caught her eye during filming. She was removed in a short operation. In the psychological thriller "Gothika" in November 2003, Robert Downey, Jr. co-starred with. The film was a healthy success, grossing $60 million at the box office. In the same year, she was named number 1 in FHM magazine's '100 Sexiest Women in the World' poll. Berry was ranked #1 on People magazine's list of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 2003.

Berry played the lead role in the superhero movie "Catwoman" (2004). The movie was considered by critics as one of the worst movies ever made. She was awarded the Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the movie. Her next film was the ABC television drama "They Were Watching God" (2005), produced by Oprah Winfrey. She earned her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the movie she.

In the thriller "Perfect Stranger" (2007), Berry co-starred with Bruce Willis. The film grossed modestly worldwide and received moderate reviews from critics. Her next 2007 project was the drama "Things We Lost in the Fire" in which she co-starred with Benicio del Toro. The film and its performance received positive reviews. In April 2007, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard for her contribution to the film industry. And by the end of the decade, she had become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. She was selected in Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" poll in October 2008.

She also played the lead role in the independent drama movie "Frankie and Alice" (2010). Berry's performance was praised while the film received mixed reviews. Berry was nominated for a Best Actress Award and a Golden Globe Award by the African-American Society of Film Critics. She later appeared in Garry Marshall's romantic comedy "New Year's Eve" (2011) as part of a large cast that included Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Biel, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sofía Vergara. The film was critically acclaimed and grossed worldwide.

In 2012, Berry appeared with Olivier Martinez in the thriller "Dark Tide" and with Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent in the epic science fiction film "Cloud Atlas" (2012). The movie "Cloud Atlas" received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences. She achieved great success with her performance, appearing in the psychological crime thriller "The Call" (2013). Berry said she is proud to be a part of such an empowering film for women.

In 2014, Berry was signed to serve as the lead and co-executive producer on the science fiction drama television series "Extant," in which she played the role of Molly Woods, an astronaut. The series ran for two seasons until 2015 and received largely positive reviews. Also in 2014, she founded a new production company, '606 Films', with her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

"Kidnap," a kidnapping thriller that Berry shot in 2014, was released in 2017. The film grossed moderately and received mixed reviews. She then starred in the action comedy sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" (2017) as part of a cast of Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore and Elton John. The film grossed hugely worldwide, although it received mixed critically.

Together with Daniel Craig, she starred in Deniz Gamze Ergüven's drama film "Kings" (2017). The film was part of an overall lukewarm reception. She starred as an assassin in "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellm", released by Lionsgate on May 17, 2019. As of February 2019, she became executive producer of the BET television series "Boomerang". Berry made her directorial debut with "Bruised"( 2020) The movie was released on Netflix in November 2021. Berry received positive reviews for her performance. 

Personal life

Berry dated dentist John Ronan from March 1989 to October 1991. Later, she first saw baseball player David Justice playing in a televised baseball game in February 1992. The couple married shortly after midnight on January 1, 1993 and divorced on June 20, 1997. Berry married singer-songwriter Eric Benét on January 24, 2001, after two years of dating. Announcing their separation in October 2003, the couple divorced in January 2005. 

In November 2005, Berry began a relationship with French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, whom she met. In March 2008, the couple's daughter was born. On April 30, 2010, Berry and Aubry announced the end of their relationship. After their separation, in January 2011, Berry and Aubry got involved in a widely publicized custody battle. This war came to a head with the inclusion of French actor Olivier Martinez, whom Berry started dating in 2010. After all these complicated and difficult events, on November 29, 2012, Berry's lawyer announced that Berry and Aubry had reached a friendly custody agreement in court.

Berry and Martinez got engaged in March 2012 and married in France on July 13, 2013. The couple had a son named Berry in October 2013. In 2015, the couple decided to end their two year marriage. Berry started a relationship with American musician Van Hunt in 2020.

In addition to yoga and meditation, Berry is also interested in fitness and weight lifting. She was ranked #35 on Men's Health magazine's "100 Hottest Women of All Time" list. She also appeared at #23 on Empire's '100 Sexiest Movie Stars' list in 2009. In 2008, at age 42, she was named "Sexiest Black Woman" in Access Hollywood's "TV One Access" poll.