famouspeoplesept2005

Halle Maria Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 14, 1966. She is
considered African American but is actually bi-racial. Her mother is
white, her father black. Her parents divorced when she was a child and
she was raised by her mother. She has an older sister, Heidi.

Before becoming an actress, Halle entered several beauty pageants,
including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All American, Miss USA, and Miss
World.

Halle has not let type 1 diabetes slow her down. Although she rarely
speaks of her diabetes, or her hearing loss, she is an advocate for
diabetics everywhere. She is a spokesperson for Diabetes Aware, in
conjunction with NovoNordisk Pharmaceutical Company.

Halle’s acting career took off in 1989 when she got a role playing “Emily
Franklin” in the TV series “Living Dolls.” Just as her career started taking
off, she collapsed on the set of “Dolls.” She was found to be in a diabetic
coma. In spite of being diagnosed with Type 1, insulin- dependent
diabetes, Halle continued to pursue her acting career. She improved her
health through diet, exercise, meditation, and low-stress activities. She is
actually thankful that she has diabetes, convinced she would not be an
Oscar winning actress without it. She says, “My teacher told me at the
age of 10 when I grew up, I was going to be given a gift. Diabetes turned
out to be it. It gave me the strength and toughness I needed for my life.”

Halley’s filmography includes:

* 2004 Catwoman
* 2003 Gothika
* 2003 X2: X-Men United
* 2002 Die Another Day
* 2001 Swordfish
* 2001 Monster’s Ball
* 2000 X-Men
* 1989 Living Dolls

Halle won an Oscar for Best Actress in 2002 for Monster’s Ball. She was
the first African American woman ever to win this.

Halle is currently single, having divorced second husband Eric Benet in
2003. She has no children but is still close to her stepdaughter from her
marriage to Benet.

Halle has two Maltese dogs: Miss Polly and Little Willie.