Halle Berry

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Birthday:

14 August 1966, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Birth Name:

Maria Halle Berry

Height:

165 cm

Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was African-American, and worked as a hospital attendant. Her mother, Judith Ann (Hawkins), who is Caucasian, has English and German ancestry, and is a retired psychiatric nurse. Halle has an older sister named Heidi Berry. Halle first came into the spotlight at seventeen years when she won the Miss Teen All-American Pageant, representing the state of Ohio in 1985 and, a year later in 1986, when she was the first runner-up in the Miss U.S.A. Pageant. After participating in the pageant, Halle became a model. It eventually led to her first weekly TV series, 1989's Living Dolls (1989), where she soon gained a reputation for her on-set tenacity, preferring to "live" her roles and remaining in character even when the cameras stopped rolling. It paid off though when she reportedly refused to bathe for several days before starting work on her role as a crack addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever (1991) because the role provided her big screen breakthrough. The following year, she was cast as Eddie Murphy's love interest in Boomerang (1992), one of the few times that Murphy was evenly matched on screen. In 1994, Berry gained a youthful following for her performance as sexy secretary "Sharon Stone" in The Flintstones (1994). She next had a highly publicized costarring role with Jessica Lange in the adoption drama Losing Isaiah (1995). Though the movie received mixed reviews, Berry didn't let that slow her down, and continued down her path to super-stardom. In 1998, she received critical success when she starred as a street smart young woman who takes up with a struggling politician in Warren Beatty's Bulworth (1998). The following year, she won even greater acclaim for her role as actress Dorothy Dandridge in made-for-cable's Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series. In 2000, she received box office success in X-Men (2000) in which she played "Storm", a mutant who has the ability to control the weather. Show less «

On Dorothy Dandridge: ...You have to find a way to be sad on every day, in every scene, in every moment. And always try to hide the sadness....Show more »

On Dorothy Dandridge: ...You have to find a way to be sad on every day, in every scene, in every moment. And always try to hide the sadness. And (then) you'll get the essence of who she was. Show less «

During her Oscar acceptance speech: This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll...Show more »

During her Oscar acceptance speech: This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett Smith, Angela Bassett, Vivica A. Fox... and it's for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance, because the door tonight has been opened. Show less «

On choosing both serious and popcorn-movie roles: There's art and there's commerce. You have to find a way to mesh the two. It's important t...Show more »

On choosing both serious and popcorn-movie roles: There's art and there's commerce. You have to find a way to mesh the two. It's important to do the little movies just for the love of the art. But it's those big movies that take you around the world and make you globally famous. Show less «

I'll never get married again, and I always hate to say never to anything, but I will never marry again.

I was black growing up in an all-white neighborhood, so I felt like I just didn't fit in. Like I wasn't as good as everybody else, or as sma...Show more »

I was black growing up in an all-white neighborhood, so I felt like I just didn't fit in. Like I wasn't as good as everybody else, or as smart, or whatever. Show less «

Blackness is a state of mind and I identify with the black community. Mainly, because I realized, early on, when I walk into a room, people ...Show more »

Blackness is a state of mind and I identify with the black community. Mainly, because I realized, early on, when I walk into a room, people see a black woman, they don't see a white women. So out of that reason alone, I identify more with the black community. Show less «

I spent a lot of time with a crown on my head.

The worst thing a man can ever do is kiss me on the first date.

I don't see a white woman. I see a black woman, even though my mother is white [her father Jerome is black]. Knowing that has made my life e...Show more »

I don't see a white woman. I see a black woman, even though my mother is white [her father Jerome is black]. Knowing that has made my life easier, I think. Show less «

I want to be the next Spike Lee. I want to help other black folks to get into Hollywood and be successful in Hollywood.

What is my real purpose here? I've looked at what I do. I make believe and make movies. I entertain people and get paid for it. Sometimes it...Show more »

What is my real purpose here? I've looked at what I do. I make believe and make movies. I entertain people and get paid for it. Sometimes it seems like such a shallow existence. How insignificant in the scheme of life. Show less «

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. And I hope to God...Show more »

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. And I hope to God I never see these people again. - on accepting her Razzie Award for Worst Actress. Show less «

I never wanted to be a model. My modeling career was nothing but a stepping stone to my acting career and that's all I ever saw it as. A poi...Show more »

I never wanted to be a model. My modeling career was nothing but a stepping stone to my acting career and that's all I ever saw it as. A pointless rock in the river that has to be stepped on in order to get to the meaningful oasis of acting. Show less «

I guess you could say I have bad taste in men. But I no longer feel the need to be someone's wife.

(On receiving a film festival award while pregnant) I am three times the girl I used to be. This is the second red carpet where I didn't hav...Show more »

(On receiving a film festival award while pregnant) I am three times the girl I used to be. This is the second red carpet where I didn't have to think about sucking in my stomach - because I can't! Show less «

You think you know what love is - until you have a child and discover that unconditional mother love.

I once was stupid enough to say, in a previous relationship, "I'm going to be with this person forever", and realised, as I grew, that I don...Show more »

I once was stupid enough to say, in a previous relationship, "I'm going to be with this person forever", and realised, as I grew, that I don't know if forever is possible. Show less «

Humor is always part of the best hours in life.

When you have children, you get to see things all over again. So I've never laughed as hard, I've never done more silly things. And I go to ...Show more »

When you have children, you get to see things all over again. So I've never laughed as hard, I've never done more silly things. And I go to great lengths to make my daughter laugh. Show less «

[on the difference between wants and needs] I don't think nudity is ever necessary.

[on her evolving style and archiving her clothes] My style has evolved in a nice way, but everyone has bad moments. Someone just showed me a...Show more »

[on her evolving style and archiving her clothes] My style has evolved in a nice way, but everyone has bad moments. Someone just showed me a photo from the '80s in which I was wearing a polka-dot and flower-print suit with puffy sleeves. At the time I thought I was stylin'! But no. Show less «

[on what she's learned through the growth of her career and aging] Throughout my career I have been talked out of things I wanted to do, and...Show more »

[on what she's learned through the growth of her career and aging] Throughout my career I have been talked out of things I wanted to do, and when I look back I think, I should have followed my instincts. I relied on others to guide me because I thought they knew better. But as I've gotten older, I've learned to trust myself. Show less «

[on having short hair] I think I am at my best when my hair is short. It's easier to take care of and more of who I am. Women are conditione...Show more »

[on having short hair] I think I am at my best when my hair is short. It's easier to take care of and more of who I am. Women are conditioned to think we need long hair. I see that happening with my daughter. She is so in love with her hair right now. She says, "Look, Mommy - it's so long!". As women, we think it defines us, and we learn that at a young age. Show less «

[on her fashion advice for anyone] Don't be a slave to trends. People who are never develop their own style. I have friends who are tragic -...Show more »

[on her fashion advice for anyone] Don't be a slave to trends. People who are never develop their own style. I have friends who are tragic - always trying to wear the latest thing, and it doesn't always look good on them. I mean, that may be good on Kate Moss on the runway, but honey, you can't pull it off. Show less «

I'm a hopeless romantic - and I won't stop until I get it right!

I'm embracing the fact that with each new year comes a new line on my face, and that just makes me more of who I'm evolving into.

[on modeling for her lingerie line at 50 years old] The big FIVE OH has taught me to be FEARLESS! I'm about to launch a lingerie line at 50....Show more »

[on modeling for her lingerie line at 50 years old] The big FIVE OH has taught me to be FEARLESS! I'm about to launch a lingerie line at 50. Here's what I know for sure...it's never too early or too late to do what EVER makes you happy. Show less «