Halle Berry

Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1966) is an American actress, former fashion model and beauty queen.

Her mother, Judith Ann, is a caucasian, Ohio-born psychiatric nurse, and her father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was an African-American hospital attendant. 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 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.

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 I.

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 publics 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.

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. Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye. It was removed in a 30-minute operation.

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 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 Benet. They met in 1997 and married in early 2001 on a beach in Santa Barbara. Berry credited Benet 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, separated in 2003. After the separation, Berry stated, "I want love, and I will find it, hopefully". While married to Benet, 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.

Berry revealed on Extra that she plans to adopt children.

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.