Halle Barry!
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Halle Barry Biography
Early life and career Berry's parents selected her first name from that of Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio. Halle Barry is the daughter of Judith Ann Hawkins, a Liverpudlian, and Jerome J. Berry, who is African American. Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins, was born in Ohio. Berry's parents divorced when Halle Barry was 4 years old and Halle Barry subsequently was raised by her mother, a psychiatric nurse. Her father was an orderly in the same psychiatric ward where her mother worked. Berry has an older sister, Heidi.Berry was a popular student at Bedford High School and was a cheerleader, honor society member, editor of the school newspaper, class president and prom queen. Halle Barry worked in the children's department at Higbee's Department store. Halle Barry subsequently attended Cuyahoga Community College.
Before becoming an actress, Halle Barry entered and won several beauty contests, including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All-American, Miss USA (was first runner-up in 1986 to Christy Fitchner of Texas), and Miss World 1986 (as "Miss United States World", Halle Barry placed sixth in a contest won by Trinidad & Tobago's Giselle Laronde.)
Halle Barry Hollywood career
In the late 1980s, Halle Barry 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."Berry auditioned for a role in an updated Charlie's Angels television series by producer Aaron Spelling. At the time, Spelling wanted one of the "Angels" to be an African American woman. Halle Barry did not get the role (because the project never materialized) but Halle Barry impressed Spelling with her skills, who encouraged her to continue perfecting her craft.
In 1989, Berry landed the role of brainy Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever in which Halle Barry played a drug addict named Vivian. Her first co-starring role was in the film Strictly Business. Another early role Berry played was the villain/friend in the Flintstones movie as "Sharon Stone", in a part rumored to have been intended for Sharon Stone (Berry would later co-star alongside Stone in Catwoman). In 1996, Halle Barry played the role of Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun, which was based on a true story. The year before, Berry really caught the public's attention with her portrayal as a female biracial slave in the TV adaption of Queen: The Story of an American Family, by Alex Haley.
Berry is also known by many comic book fans for her portrayal of the regal mutant Storm in the movie adaptation of the popular comic book series X-Men (2000) and its successful sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
In late 2001, Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the wife of an executed, in the film Monster's Ball. The role earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
As Bond Girl Jinx in 2002's Die Another Day Halle Barry famously re-created the scene from Dr. No, bursting from the surf - scantily clad - to be greeted by James Bond, as Ursula Andress did 40 years earlier.
In late 2003, Berry starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Charles S. Dutton, which was the first film that Halle Barry "carried," i.e., her role was the most important one in the film. Her next lead role was in the film Catwoman, for which Halle Barry was awarded a "worst actress" Razzie award in 2005, which Halle Barry actually accepted in person with a sense of humour and recognition that "to be at the top, you must experience the rock bottom".
She has recently wrapped (2006) filming the thriller Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and is next set to star in Things We Lost in the Fire with Benicio Del Toro.
Berry is also making a transition to behind the scenes work in film and television. Halle Barry is working with author Angela Nissel to executive produce an HBO comedy series based on Nissel's two memoirs, The Broke Diaries and Mixed: My Life in Black and White.
Berry has served many years as the face of Revlon cosmetics and was recently named the new face of Versace. Halle Barry is featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. Halle Barry is also one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, commanding $14 million each for Gothika and Catwoman.
Halle Barry Personal life
Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage in 1992 to pro baseball player David Justice ended in a 1996 divorce due to alleged infidelity and incompatibility. Her second marriage in 2001 to musician Eric Ben't has resulted in a 2004 separation (and 2005 divorce) allegedly due to Ben't's infidelity. Halle Barry has publicly stated that Halle Barry will never marry again, claiming that "men are more interested in my body than my brains." As of 2006, Halle Barry is currently dating Canadian model Gabriel Aubry. The couple met at a Versace photoshoot.Berry recently revealed to Extra that Halle Barry plans to adopt children. "I will adopt if it doesn't happen for me naturally", Halle Barry said. "I will definitely adopt. And I probably will adopt even if it does happen naturally".
Halle Barry Film Awards
Berry won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for Monster's Ball, becoming the first African American woman to win this award. Halle Barry won the award despite the fact that Halle Barry had won far fewer critics awards than her main competitor that year, Sissy Spacek. Berry won an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1999 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Interestingly, Dorothy Dandridge was the first African American woman to be nominated for a best actress Academy Award. Another similarity the two women shared was being born in the same hospital.Berry "won" a Razzie for her infamously poor performance in 2004's Catwoman. Halle Barry made headlines by accepting her award in person, an unusual gesture that was last performed by Tom Green in 2001. Berry accepted her award with dignity, saying, "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" but adding "I hope to God I never see these people again!" shortly afterward. At the podium, Halle Barry appeared with her Razzie in one hand, and her 2002 Oscar in the other (see e.g. BBC News).
Halle Barry Controversy
In February 2000, Halle Barry was involved in a car accident when Halle Barry struck another vehicle after running a red light and left the scene before the police arrived. Berry, who had sustained a head injury, later stated Halle Barry had no recollection of the accident and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. Halle Barry 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 her first topless scene in the film Swordfish, which was promoted by costar John Travolta on the Tonight Show. Berry said Halle Barry did the scene to boost her confidence Halle Barry needed to film the graphic sex scenes in Monster's Ball.Berry's portrayal of Storm in the X-Men films has provoked some criticism and controversy from fans of the series as well as critics. Some fans of the character of Storm refer to Berry as "HalleStorm" or "movie Storm". One of the most obvious deviations from the comics is that Berry's Storm is some four or five inches shorter than comic Storm, who is cited at 5'11" tall. (It should be noted, however, that Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, is nearly a foot taller than the comics version of his character, and this hardly ever seems to make controversy.) Furthermore, Storm is half African-American, half Kenyan; Berry is of mixed race, and her skin tone is much lighter than how Storm is usually drawn. Also, Berry's Storm has dark brown eyes, but comic Storm's eyes are blue. Further controversy would occur after Berry allegedly stated on a talk show that because of a lack of roles for black women in Hollywood, she'd been "reduced to playing a comic book character". Berry denies having said this, and co-star Sir Ian McKellen supported her, saying, "Halle's observations about the scarcity of work for black women in Hollywood have obviously been misunderstood by some of the press." Another criticism levelled was her African accent, made clear in the first film, which disappeared completely in the sequels.
In May 2006, Berry's recounting of her lifelong struggles with and views on race brought controversy: "Every day I wake up with this brown skin. I don't care how much money I have, how many movies I do, how many awards I have on my shelf. Every day, I am still aware that I am a woman of color and there is still certain discrimination that goes along with that...I wondered why I didn't look like my mother, and when Halle Barry moved us from a black neighborhood to an all-white neighborhood, I started to feel like an outcast. I thought my life would be easier and kids would accept me if I looked like her so I wanted to change myself. I've learned to realize that the best thing about me is that I don't have blond hair and blue eyes and that I do have brown skin...I do not think that we live in a color-blind society, where racism is null and void - that is pretty absurd. But I believe that it is possible that things are moving in that direction, and I believe that one day, color and race won't matter. I hope I am here to see it, but it hasn't happened yet."
Halle Barry Trivia
In 2003, Berry was named No. 1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll. In 2005, Halle Barry was No.1 on VH1's top 50 Sexiest Bodies countdown. Halle Barry was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1989. Halle Barry acquired a unilateral hearing loss (80% hearing loss in one ear) after being severely beaten by a former boyfriend. Accounts differ as to whether the abusive boyfriend was Wesley Snipes or Christopher Williams. Channel 4 reported in 2006 that Berry has 6 toes on her right foot. However, Halle Barry has since debunked that as the most unusual, and untrue, rumor circulating about her. (Interviewed on the WB11 Morning News, May 22, 2006) Dated actor Rey-Phillip Santos. Dated actor Michael Ealy, her co-star in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her measurements are listed as 36C-22-37. In a rare move, Berry accepted her Razzie for Catwoman in person, and in her acceptance speech Halle Barry said, "I want to thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this piece of shit."She had a kissing scene with Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst, in one of their music videos. She's a fan of Britney Spears. Halle Barry almost kissed Spears (referred to the 2003 MTV VMA 'kiss' performance) when they did teaser commercial for Saturday Night Live. Both of them appeared on the show later that night. Halle Berry was considered for roles in Gigli, Speed, Indecent Proposal, and What's Love Got to Do with It. Halle is the first black actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. A few years earlier, Halle Barry played the lead in a mini-series about Doroth Dandridge, who was the first black actress to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award (losing to Grace Kelly).
Halle Barry Filmography
Jungle Fever (1991)Strictly Business (1991)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Boomerang (1992)
CB4 (1993) (Cameo)
Father Hood (1993)
The Program (1993)
The Flintstones (1994)
Losing Isaiah (1995)
Executive Decision (1996)
Race the Sun (1996)
Girl 6 (1996) (Cameo)
The Rich Man's Wife (1996)
B*A*P*S (1997)
Bulworth (1998) Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1998)
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
X-Men (2000)
Welcome to Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
Swordfish (2001)
Monster's Ball (2001)
Die Another Day (2002)
X2 (2003)
Gothika (2003)
Catwoman (2004)
Robots (2005) (voice)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Upcoming:
Perfect Stranger (2007)
Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
Halle Barry TV work
Living Dolls (1989) (cancelled after 13 episodes)Knots Landing (cast member in 1991)
Queen: The Story of an American Family (1993) (miniseries)
Solomon & Sheba (1996)
The Wedding* (1997)
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (also executive producer)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005)
