Halle Maria Berry (; born August 14, 1966
[Although a 1968 birthdate is found in Britannica, NYTimes and MSN, she stated in interviews prior to August 2006 that she would turn 40 then. See: FemaleFirst, DarkHorizons, FilmMonthly, and see also CBS. Verified 2007-05-05.]) is an
Academy Award-,
Emmy Award- and
Golden Globe-winning American actress, former
fashion model, and
beauty queen. Berry has received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge[ and an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming the first and still only woman of African-American descent to have won the award for Best Actress. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and also a Revlon spokeswoman.]
Before becoming an actress, Berry entered several beauty contests, finishing runner-up in the Miss USA (1986), and winning the Miss USA World 1986 title.[ Her breakthrough feature film role was in the 1991 Jungle Fever. This led to roles in The Flintstones (1994), Bulworth (1998), X-Men (2000) and its sequels, and Die Another Day (2002). She also won a worst actress Razzie award in 2005 for Catwoman and accepted the award in person.]
