Top 15 Amazing Facts about Halle Berry

Top 15 Amazing Facts about Halle Berry

*Originally published by Vanessa R on November 2022 and Updated by Cyndi K on January 22nd,  2024 at 11.36 pm

Halle Berry has graced the silver screen with a captivating appeal, unbridled skill, and a sense of humour during the course of her three-decade career. Berry has dealt with some unpleasant mishaps, “strange” screenplay choices (Catwoman, anyone?) and devastating personal tragedies. However, life in Hollywood is rarely easy.

This American actress has made history as the first woman of colour to ever win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, but it hasn’t always been an easy road. 

Read the 10 best amazing facts about Halle Berry.

1. Only African-American woman to have won Best Actress at the Academy Awards

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Halle Berry is still the only African-American woman to have ever won Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Berry is also just the sixth Black woman to ever be nominated in that particular category at the Oscars (after Dorothy Dandridge, Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Whoopi Goldberg, and Angela Bassett). But following her victory, a number of more Black women have received nominations for their outstanding work.

2. She changed her name a little bit

SPC James Gordon, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When Berry was a small girl, her first and middle names switched places. On August 14, 1966, she was given the name “Maria Halle”. But when Berry was five years old, she adopted her middle name as her first. It had only been a short while since her parents’ painful divorce.

3. Berry was a candidate for numerous roles that won the Oscars

Halle Berry by Jenn Deering Davis from Wikimedia Commons

Berry was a candidate for several Oscar-winning roles prior to becoming an Oscar winner. For the role of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It, her name was considered. She was unfortunate to lose the role to Angela Bassett, who would later be nominated for Best Actress for the role.

4. The actress was involved in a hit-and-run

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

Halle Berry entered a “no contest” plea in 2000 after admitting to fleeing the scene of a collision. The actress was charged with hit-and-run after it was claimed that she had driven through a red light, collided with another car, and then fled the scene of the accident. The actress was given probation, ordered to perform community service, and paid a $13,500 fine.

5. She’s won several crowns

Halle Berry by John Mathew Smith from Wikimedia Commons

Berry’s public career began in beauty pageants. Berry accumulated a number of impressive titles during the 1980s, including 1985 Miss Teen All-American and 1986 Miss Ohio USA. (Of course, she wasn’t always successful; Berry had to be content with “just” coming in second place in the 1986 Miss USA pageant.)

6. At some point she struggled to pay her bills

Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

Right after achieving success in acting and beauty pageants, modelling seems like the logical next step. Actually, it’s simpler said than done. Halle Berry had trouble paying her bills in her first few weeks as a model in New York City. Berry reflects on the fact that he was essentially homeless and had nowhere to sleep. The potential model ultimately took a snooze in the YMCA.

7. She has Type 1 diabetes

Halle Berry by John Harrison from Wikimedia Commons

Berry’s early years as a model actress in New York were hardly fairytale-like unless you count the scene in which the lovely princess passes out. Berry began to feel ill while working on one of her first projects—the short-lived ABC series Living Dolls—and went into a week-long coma. Berry found out she had Type 1 diabetes in this manner.

8. She was wrapped up in a nasty custody battle

Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

During a fight between Gabriel Aubry(second husband) and Halle Berry’s new boyfriend, actor Olivier Martinez, at Berry’s house in 2012, Berry’s custody dispute with Aubry over their daughter reached a violent conclusion. Both men were taken to the hospital, and restraining orders would later be issued against each of them.

Aubry claims that the altercation started when Martinez threatened to kill Aubry if the baby’s father did not permit Berry and her daughter to emigrate to France with Martinez.

 9. She married her first husband three months after meeting

Halle Berry by www.navy.mil from Wikimedia Commons

David Justice, a baseball player, and Berry first met on television. In February 1992, Justice first saw her future husband while she was competing in a celebrity basketball game on MTV.

She gave a reporter her phone number after finding out that Justice was a fan of Berry’s. Only a few months later, on New Year’s Day 1993, the pair were wed at midnight.

10. Berry was sued by her ex-boyfriend

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Her ex-boyfriend, dentist John Ronan, filed an $80,000 lawsuit against Berry in 1993. Ronan claimed that the Academy Award winner had failed to repay him for the debt she had taken out to launch her career.

Berry countered that the cash was a gift. As Berry was not included as a debtor in Ronan’s 1992 bankruptcy claim, the action was dismissed. Avoiding repayment is advantageous.

11. She is a Philanthropist

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

Halle Berry has been a passionate advocate of various charitable causes and she never shies away from talking about and supporting causes meant for social empowerment. She has especially always supported organizations like Jenesse Centre, an organization that supports victims of domestic violence through various means. Apart from being talented, she is kind-hearted too.

12. Berry is a fitness enthusiast

Photo by Edgar Chaparro on Unsplash

One look at Halle Berry and you have to wonder how she still got it at her age. Well, nothing comes easy in this world. Not even beauty and health. As far as keeping fit and maintaining such a body goes, Berry is well known for her dedication to fitness. She often shares workout routines and health tips on her social media platforms, thus showing that she’s consistent and doesn’t gatekeep information revolving around that.

13. She is fluent in sign language

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

You gotta wonder, is there anything Halle can’t do? Apart from being such a talented actress and model, Berry is also fluent in sign language; meaning that she can communicate with anyone, verbally and non verbally.  She admitted that she learned the language while working on the television series, “Extant.”

14. Halle Berry loves cooking

Photo by Kevin McCutcheon on Unsplash

Cooking is a skill that can seem like a chore when you hate doing it. For those who don’t like cooking, it’s always a matter of doing it because you are hungry and obviously you don’t want to starve. However, some love cooking so much and even while doing so, they usually get to be creative about it. Berry is one of those people. She has often talked about how cooking is therapeutic for her and how much she loves doing it. Very impressive!

15. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Alexander Horn, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

In the world of Hollywood, having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a huge honour and recognition that one cannot afford to take for granted. Having been in the industry for so long, it is refreshing to see that Berry’s name is among the many that have been recognized over the years. She became honoured with this amazing recognition in 2003, for her contributions to the film industry.

Halle Berry’s career has been one of admiration and resilience. Seeing how far she came without giving up is an encouragement to us all that nothing in this world is impossible.