Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America. She was named after Halle's Department Store, a local landmark. Although she is generally considered African American, she is biracial, with a white English-born mother, Judith Ann Hawkins, and a black American father, Jerome Berry. Halle's parents divorced when she was four years old and she was subsequently raised by her mother, a psychiatric-ward nurse. Halle has an older sister, Heidi.

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

Before becoming an actress, Halle entered several beauty queen contests including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All American, Miss USA, and Miss World. Her talents as an actress have often been overshadowed by her physical beauty.

In the late 1980's, Halle Berry 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."

Halle's breakthrough feature film role was in "Jungle Fever" where she played a drug addict named Vivian. Her first costarring 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." She played the superhero Storm in 2000 in the successful film, X-Men. "Gothika" was the first film that she "carried," i.e., the film focusing entirely on her.

Halle Berry won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for Monster's Ball, becoming the first African American woman to win this award. Interestingly, Berry had played Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American woman to be nominated for a best actress Academy Award, in HBO's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" in 1999. Another similarity the two women shared was being born in the same hospital.

In February 2000, Halle Berry was involved in a automobile accident when she struck another vehicle after running a red light and left the scene before the police arrived. Halle, who had sustained a head injury, later stated she had no recollection of the accident and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. She paid a fine, made restitution to the other driver, performed community services, and was placed on three years’ probation.

Having long refused to do any nude scenes, much was made of Halle's first topless scene in the film Swordfish, a thirty second scene for which she was allegedly paid an additional $500,000. Halle followed this with a more graphic nude love scene in Monster's Ball.

Halle Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage in 1992 to baseball player David Justice ended in a divorce in 1996. Her second marriage in 2001 to musician Eric Benét has resulted in a 2003 separation.

Berry had her first child on the 16th of March 2008 with French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry. They called their child Nahla Ariela Aubry.

Halle Berry has diabetes and is partially deaf.

See also Halle Berry Quotes