Halle+Berry

=__Halle Berry - An Unlikely Character__= The year was 1966. Lyndon B. Johnson was the President. The Boston Celtics defeated the LA Lakers in the NBA Championship. The first episode of Star Trek aired on NBC. The Sound Of Music won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Elizabeth Taylor won an Oscar for Best Actress in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? And on August 14, 1966, the future of Hollywood was born. Halle Maria Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Jerome and Judith Berry. If being born into a biracial family wasn't hard enough, Halle was also born into an abusive family. Her father Jerome was an alcholic who physically abused her mother and older sister Heidi, and ultimately abandonded the family. After her father abandonded her and her family, Halle's mother moved them to a white suburb in Cleveland where Halle attended a predominately white school. Because of her mixed race, Halle was a victim of racism and discrimination at an early age. Despite racial setbacks, Halle still found a way to excel in high school. She got involved in everything from the school newspaper to cheerleading as well as becoming Class President.

Halle Berry made her transition into the public eye as a "pageant girl" when she won various titles in the 1980s. Beginning with Miss Teen Ohio then Miss Teen All-American and making it all the way to Miss USA as the runner up. She was also the first African American to enter the Miss World competition, where she got 6th place. Although modeling seemed to be a promising career for Berrry, she had her heart set on other things. For a small period she attended Cleveland 's Cuyahoga Community College and studied broadcast journalism, but ultimatley wanted a career in entertainment. A woman who started out as just a pretty face, wanted to take on a role that would challenge her inner emotions, acting. She decided to finance her acting studies by modeling, and moved to New York to find work.

Fast forward almost 20 years, and Halle Berry's career is still going strong. Halle's track record includes movies //X-Men, Gothika// and //Catwoman.// However, two of her best roles are most likely @Dorothy Dandridge in //Introducing Dorothy Dandridge// and Leticia Mustgrove in //Monster's Ball//. Her role in //Monster's Ball// earned her the title of the first African-American to ever recieve an Oscar for Best Actress. She also recieved the 2,333rd Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
 * LITTLE KNOWN** **FACT: Halle Berry was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes** in 1989 after collapsing during the filming of the set of //Living Dolls,// a TV series about four models with different personalities, living together. Berry played Emily Franklin. After two failed TV roles, Halle got her big break in @Spike Lee's movie //Jungle Fever,// where she played Samuel L. Jackson's drug addicted girlfriend.

After being married twice, once to MLB player David Justice and once to musician Eric Benet, Halle has a new man in her life and a new title: mommy. Canadian model Gabriel Aubry and Halle Berry welcomed their daughter Nahla into the world in 2008. Not only was she pregnant at 41, but she also commented that she wanted to "stay pregnant forever", because it made her skin glow.

Halle Berry is a perfect example of how setting your own goals and walking your own path will lead to success. Through critiscm, heartache and heartbreak, Halle Berry found a way to prosper. Her career flourished and her beauty continued to shine through no matter what. From the very beginning she rose above her racial differences and proved that she was more than just "a pretty face". She didn't let her title as a model differ her from becoming one of the most known actresses of our time. She's taken on a variety of roles, and there are plenty more to come.