Actress, model. Born August 14, 1968, in Cleveland, Ohio. The youngest daughter born to Jerome and Judith Berry, an interracial couple. Halle, and her older sister Heidi, spent the first few years of their childhood living in an inner-city neighborhood. In the early 1970s, Jerome Berry abandoned his wife and children, after which Judith moved her family to the predominantly white Cleveland suburb of Bedford.
Berry attended a nearly all-white public school, and as a result was subjected to discrimination at an early age. Her early bouts with racism greatly influenced her desire to excel. Throughout high school, the determined teen participated in a dizzying array of extracurricular activities, holding positions of newspaper editor, class president, and head cheerleader.
In February of 2000, Berry was involved in a hit-and-run accident that erupted into a tabloid scandal. After enduring a minor head injury, she claimed that she did not remember leaving the scene. As a result of her actions, she was put on probation and fined $13,500. The driver of the other vehicle recently filed a civil suit against Berry, and both are currently awaiting a court hearing.

For a short time, Berry was involved in a stormy relationship with Jungle Fever costar Wesley Snipes before she married Atlanta Braves outfielder David Justice, in 1993. Three years later, Berry filed for a divorce, which was finalized in 1997. After the divorce, Berry became secretly engaged to Eric Benét, a jazz musician, in August of 1999. The couple married in February 2001, and announced their separation two years later. Berry officially filed for divorce in April 2004.