|
|
Berry was born
in Cleveland, Ohio. She was named after Halle's
Department Store, a local landmark. Although she
is generally considered African American, she
is biracial, with a white English-born mother,
halle maria berryJudith Ann Hawkins, and a black
American father, Jerome Berry. Berry's parents
divorced when she was four years old and she was
subsequently raised by her mother, a psychiatric-ward
nurse. She has an older sister, Heidi.
Berry was a popular student at her high school and was a cheerleader,
honor society member, editor of the school newspaper,
class president, and prom queen. She subsequently
attended Cuyahoga Community College. |
Before becoming
an actress, she entered several beauty contests
including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All American,
Miss USA, and Miss World.
In the late 1980s, she 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 a black
woman. She did not get the role (because the project
never materialized) but she impressed Spelling
with her skills. He encouraged her to continue
perfecting her craft.
In 1989, Berry landed the role of brainy Emily Franklin in the short-lived
ABC television series called Living Dolls (which
was a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). Her breakthrough
feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever
where she played a drug addict named Vivian. Her
first co-starring role was in the film Strictly
Business. Another one of her early roles was in
a supporting capacity in the Flintstones movie
where she played "Sharon Stone." The
year before, Berry really caught the public's
attention with her portrayal as a female slave
in the TV adaption of Alex Haley's Queen. |
