Halle Berry

When someone mentions Halle Berry, it's nearly impossible not to think of her status as an icon. From her gorgeous looks and poise being voted "Sexiest Woman Alive" in 2008 to her professional and talented acting in movies like the X-men series (2000-2014), there's so much more in between the lines that built this star all the way to the top.

 Halle Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio as 'Maria Halle Berry' on August 14, 1966, making her zodiac sign a Leo. Her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry when she was five years old. Halle had powerhouse energy and a dedicated work ethic from an early age. She attended Bedford High School in Oakwood, Ohio where she obtained many occupations such as cheerleader, honor student, editor of the school newspaper, and even prom queen! After graduating, she began working at a local department store and attended college at Cuyahoga Community. Berry started her entertainment career in the 80s as a model and entered various beauty pageants. She won 1st place for both Miss Teen All American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. She also was the first runner-up in Miss USA and achieved to be the first African American entrant in Miss World where she got 6th place in the same year. Even then, Halle knew that she wanted to work in the entertainment film industry.

After conquering her home state, she ventured off to New York City to pursue her acting career. As successful as HB has been in her early life, times weren't always easy. After a short time spent living in NYC, she had run out of all her funds and temporarily lived in homeless shelters like the YMCA for survival. Lucky enough, she landed a role a few months later for an ABC tv series called "Living Dolls.” But when matters didn't work out due to an unexpected lapsed coma resulting in a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, the show was canceled. When things became under control with Halle's health, she relocated to Los Angeles where bigger opportunities awaited her.

From then on, Berry was catapulted to stardom being featured in various projects, starting with her debut in Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever' (1991) alongside Wesley Snipes, whom she was dating at the time. Allegedly, Snipes was abusive with Halle and got physical, puncturing her eardrum resulting in 80% hearing loss in her left ear during the film production of the movie. She never admitted the name of the abuser but she clarified that he was a well-known actor.  In that same year, she co-starred in 'Strictly Business' and a few years later, won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Monster's Ball (2001) where she was also the first African American woman to do so.

When all is well in Hollywood and you’re having fun, you’re bound to get in a little bit of trouble. In May 2000, HB pleaded “no contest” to leaving the scene of a car accident where she was sentenced to three years probation, fined $13,500, and ordered 200 hours of community service. It’s a fast life, as they say. HB earned her respect as an established actress and graduated to lead roles such as ‘Gothika’ (2003), and ‘Catwoman’ (2004). She even became the face of Revlon, signing a contract recurring for seven-plus years. With all this success, it was prone to attract a lot of attention. Since 1993, Halle has gone through four failed marriages all with partners in the film/entertainment industry. First being with American professional baseball player, David Justice from 1993 to 1996,  R&B singer/songwriter Eric Benét from 2001-2003, French Canadian model, Gabriel Aubry with whom she had her first child (2005-2010), and Actor, Oliver Martinez who is the father of Berry’s second child (2013-2015). Nowadays, Halle resides in Malibu, California with her current partner Van Hunt. She is still working presently today in successful top-notch films like ‘John Wick 3’ (2019) and starring in lead roles with her latest film ‘Moonfall’ (2022). It is effortless to say she has been breaking milestones and is a serious contender in the entertainment industry.