"Change is slow. When it's real change, it takes time." ~ Halle Berry
With her historic Oscar win for Monster's Ball, Halle Berry (1968-) celebrated "every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened." She was born Halle Maria Berry on this day in Cleveland, Ohio.
"I think it's always best to be who you are," she once said.
The beautiful actress first gained attention in 1986 as first runner–up in the Miss USA Pageant. "I spent a lot of time with a crown on my head," she recalled. In 1991, her career took off with her role as a crack addict in Spike Lee’s film Jungle Fever.
Berry followed that success with even more: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), Bulworth (1998), X-Men (2001), Swordfish (2001), and Die Another Day (2002)
"What a body," co-star John Travolta praised. No kidding... and Berry, on display, has become a fashion icon.
"I've always loved the pomp and circumstance of dressing up; the pagenatry and all of the glamour of Hollywood," said Berry whose remarkable looks come from the mix of a Caucasian mother and an African-American father.
Diagnosed with diabetes in 1989, Berry has been an advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.
"My life is not without pain and suffering," she said. "It is not without good times and bad times, without great happiness and great sadness."
