MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Actresses Halle Berry

2008's Sexiest Woman Alive was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 14, 1968.

Halle Berry's introduction to show business was as a winner of the Miss Teen All-American Pageant, which led to a career in modeling.

A TV acting career soon followed including appearances in Living Dolls, and Knots Landing before her debut film role in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever in 1991.

Berry next appeared in a series of films to mixed reviews including Boomerang opposite Eddie Murphy, and Losing Isaiah with Jessica Lange. More favorable reviews came with her appearances in Warren Beatty's Bullworth and in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge for which she won a Golden Globe award.

Her role as Storm in The X-Men, however, ultimately put Berry on the map - which was soon followed by an appearance opposite John Travolta in Swordfish, a major disaster.

Then came Berry's most critically acclaimed work to date, as she appeared in Monster's Ball opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Sean Combs, for which she became the first African-American woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Berry's other notable performances have since included a hot & sexy star turn in Die Another Day as well as a reprise of her role in the encore box office hit, X2- X-Men United.

Berry's universally panned appearance in Catwoman resulted in a Worst Actress award at the the 2005 Razzie Awards following that with a critically acclaimed starring role on the small screen in ABC Television's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Berry reprised her role as Storm in X-Men 3 (opposite Hugh Jackman as Wolverine) in 2006 and the following year appeared in the thriller "Perfect Stranger," opposite Bruce Willis playing a news reporter caught up in a murder investigation.

Always the risk taker, the brunette beauty has announced that she is about to go bald for a 2010 movie plot tentatively titled "Nappily Ever After."

Off screen, the 41-year-old Berry was reportedly "beyond excited" about expecting her first baby with boyfriend, male supermodel Gabriel Aubry in 2007. The actress later gave birth to a baby girl, her first child, born in Los Angeles on March 16, 2008.

Several months later, she was named Esquire Magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive", and is next slated to star as a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder in the Hollywood drama, Frankie and Alice.

More about Halle Berry around the Web:

Halle Berry - Yahoo! Movies - A full biography, photo gallery, movie reviews, and links to related sites, messageboards and groups.

Halle Berry - Wikipedia - Complete bio covering personal details and professional career, with photos, related references and resources.

Halle-Berry.org - Huge fansite featuring a biography, the latest news, messageboard, picture galleries.

AskMen.com - Halle Berry - Why she's considered one of the hottest actresses on the planet, including photo gallery, biography, career highlights.

Halle Berry Pics - Photo galleries of hot, sexy images, photos shoots and wallpapers.

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Julianne Moore | Natalie Portman | Aishwarya Rai

Julia Roberts | Hilary Swank | Catherine Zeta-Jones