Halle Berry

Academy Award winner Halle Berry is one of the most beautiful women on earth, not to mention a talented and respected actress. From her early work in films like 'Jungle Fever' to her Oscar-winning turn in 'Monster's Ball' and her role as Storm in the 'X-Men' trilogy, Berry has proven herself to be a versatile and hard-working performer.

Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 14, 1966 to an African-American father and a mother of British ancestry. She attended Bedford High School, where she was a popular and active student, participating in cheerleading, editing the school newspaper, and serving as class president and prom queen. She attended Cuyahoga Community College, and began a successful modeling career immediately after high school. The jaw-droppingly gorgeous actress was a successful beauty queen during this period, and among other honors was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up.

Her ambitions were always aimed towards acting, and Berry soon moved to Chicago where she continued modeling and began auditioning. One of her first roles was in the local cable series 'Chicago Force', and in 1989 she was cast in the short-lived 'Who's the Boss?' spin-off series 'Living Dolls'. Despite the failure of the series, Berry soon made a major breakthrough playing a drug addict in Spike Lee's 1991 drama 'Jungle Fever'. The film brought her to the attention of critics, and her career soon exploded, with starring roles in the Eddie Murphy romance 'Boomerang', the comedy 'Strictly Business', and appearances in 'The Program', 'The Last Boy Scout', 'Father Hood', and 'The Flintstones'. Critics were disappointed by the 1995 drama 'Losing Isaiah', but Berry and co-star Jessica Lange both received raves for their performances. Her first action blockbuster came with 1996's 'Executive Decision', and she impressed alongside Warren Beatty in the amusing satire 'Bulworth'.

The TV film 'Introducing Dorothy Dandridge' made Berry a critic's darling in 1999, and she earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her touching, layered portrayal of the troubled actress. After a sexy turn in the Hugh Jackman thriller 'Swordfish', Berry became the first African-American in history to win the Oscar for Best Actress, earning the coveted award for her raw performance in 2001's 'Monster's Ball'. Her tearful acceptance speech was the highlight of the show, as Berry paid homage to fellow black actresses working in Hollywood. Except for a terrific performance in the Oprah Winfrey-produced TV film 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' in 2005, most of Berry's films since 'Monster's Ball' have been unmemorable, leading many Hollywood cynics to call her Oscar win undeserved or tokenistic. Frankly speaking, such assertions are at best offensive, due not only to her hard-hitting performance in 'Monster's Ball' but also because of the undeniable difficulty for minority women to garner roles of the same quality as their white counterparts. Berry has nonetheless responded to criticism of her work with refreshing grace and humor, even picking up her Razzie Award for Worst Actress in 2004's atrocious 'Catwoman' in person.

Berry is currently on screen kicking more mutant butt in 'X-Men: The Last Stand', and 2007 will see her in the promising James Foley-directed thriller 'Perfect Stranger' and the drama 'Things We Lost in the Fire' with Benicio Del Toro.