Eric Benét
Who was the spouse of Halle Berry from 2001 to 2005?
Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry ; August 14 , 1966 ) is an American actress . She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests , finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Miss World 1986 . Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy Boomerang ( 1992 ) , alongside Eddie Murphy , which led to roles in films , such as the family comedy The Flintstones ( 1994 ) , the political comedy-drama Bulworth ( 1998 ) and the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge ( 1999 ) , for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award . Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama film Monsters Ball ( 2001 ) , becoming the first and only woman of color to have won the award . She took on high-profile roles for much of the 2000s , such as Storm in X-Men ( 2000 ) and its sequels X2 ( 2003 ) and ( 2006 ) ; Bond girl Jinx in Die Another Day ( 2002 ) ; and in the thriller Gothika ( 2003 ) . In the 2010s , she featured in the science-fiction film Cloud Atlas ( 2012 ) , the crime thriller The Call ( 2013 ) and the action films ( 2014 ) , ( 2017 ) and ( 2019 ) . Berry was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s , and has been involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed . Berry is also a Revlon spokesmodel . She was formerly married to baseball player David Justice , singer-songwriter Eric Benét , and actor Olivier Martinez . She has a child each with Martinez and model Gabriel Aubry . Early life . Berry was born Maria Halle Berry ; her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry at age five . Her parents selected her middle name from Halles Department Store , which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland , Ohio . Her mother , Judith Ann ( née Hawkins ) , is white and was born in Liverpool , England . Judith Ann worked as a psychiatric nurse . Her father , Jerome Jesse Berry , was an African American hospital attendant in the psychiatric ward where her mother worked ; he later became a bus driver . Berrys parents divorced when she was four years old ; she and her older sister , Heidi Berry-Henderson , were raised exclusively by their mother . Berry has said in published reports that she has been estranged from her father since her childhood , noting in 1992 , I havent heard from him since [ he left ] . Maybe hes not alive . Her father was very abusive to her mother . Berry has recalled witnessing her mother being beaten daily , kicked down stairs and hit in the head with a wine bottle . Berry grew up in Oakwood , Ohio and graduated from Bedford High School where she was a cheerleader , honor student , editor of the school newspaper and prom queen . She worked in the childrens department at Higbees Department store . She then studied at Cuyahoga Community College . In the 1980s , she entered several beauty contests , winning Miss Teen All American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986 . She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas . In the Miss USA 1986 pageant interview competition , she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media . Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges . She was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986 , where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobagos Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World . According to the Current Biography Yearbook , Berry ...pursued a modeling career in New York.. . Berrys first weeks in New York were less than auspicious : She slept in a homeless shelter and then in a YMCA . Career . Early career . In 1989 , Berry moved to New York City to pursue her acting ambitions . During her early time there , she ran out of money and had to live briefly in a homeless shelter . Her situation improved by the end of that year , and she was cast in the role of model Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls , which was shot in New York and was a spin-off of the hit series Whos the Boss? . During the taping of Living Dolls , she lapsed into a coma and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes . After the cancellation of Living Dolls , she moved to Los Angeles . 1990s . Berrys film debut was in a small role for Spike Lees Jungle Fever ( 1991 ) , in which she played Vivian , a drug addict . That same year , Berry had her first co-starring role in Strictly Business . In 1992 , Berry portrayed a career woman who falls for the lead character played by Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Boomerang . The following year , she caught the publics attention as a headstrong biracial slave in the TV adaptation of , based on the book by Alex Haley . Berry was in the live-action Flintstones movie playing the part of Sharon Stone , a sultry secretary who attempts to seduce Fred Flintstone . Berry tackled a more serious role , playing a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in Losing Isaiah ( 1995 ) , starring opposite Jessica Lange . She portrayed Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun ( 1996 ) , which was based on a true story , shot in Australia , and co-starred alongside Kurt Russell in Executive Decision . Beginning in 1996 , she was a Revlon spokeswoman for seven years and renewed her contract in 2004 . She starred alongside Natalie Deselle Reid in the 1997 comedy film B*A*P*S . In 1998 , Berry received praise for her role in Bulworth as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives a politician ( Warren Beatty ) a new lease on life . The same year , she played the singer Zola Taylor , one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon , in the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love . In the 1999 HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge , she portrayed the first African American woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress , and it was to Berry a heart-felt project that she introduced , co-produced and fought intensely for it to come through . Berrys performance was recognized with several awards , including a Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award . 2000s . Berry portrayed the mutant superhero Storm in the film adaptation of the comic book series X-Men ( 2000 ) and its sequels , X2 ( 2003 ) , ( 2006 ) and ( 2014 ) . In 2001 , Berry appeared in the film Swordfish , which featured her first topless scene . At first , she was opposed to a sunbathing scene in the film in which she would appear topless , but Berry eventually agreed . Some people attributed her change of heart to a substantial increase in the amount Warner Bros . offered her ; she was reportedly paid an additional $500,000 for the short scene . Berry denied these stories , telling one interviewer that they amused her and made for great publicity for the movie . After turning down numerous roles that required nudity , she said she decided to make Swordfish because her then-husband , Eric Benét , supported her and encouraged her to take risks . Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove , the troubled wife of an executed murderer ( Sean Combs ) , in the 2001 feature film Monsters Ball . Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress ; in an interesting coincidence she became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress ( earlier in her career , she portrayed Dorothy Dandridge , the first African American to be nominated for Best Actress , and who was born at the same hospital as Berry , in Cleveland , Ohio ) . The NAACP issued the statement : Congratulations to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington for giving us hope and making us proud . If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color then it is a good thing . This role generated controversy . Her graphic nude love scene with a racist character played by co-star Billy Bob Thornton was the subject of much media chatter and discussion among African Americans . Many in the African-American community were critical of Berry for taking the part . Berry responded : I dont really see a reason to ever go that far again . That was a unique movie . That scene was special and pivotal and needed to be there , and it would be a really special script that would require something like that again . Berry asked for a higher fee for Revlon advertisements after winning the Oscar . Ron Perelman , the cosmetics firms chief , congratulated her , saying how happy he was that she modeled for his company . She replied , Of course , youll have to pay me more . Perelman stalked off in a rage . In accepting her award , she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity . She said , This moment is so much bigger than me . This is for every nameless , faceless woman of color who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened . As Bond girl Giacinta Jinx Johnson in the 2002 blockbuster Die Another Day , Berry recreated a scene from Dr . No , emerging from the surf to be greeted by James Bond as Ursula Andress had 40 years earlier . Lindy Hemming , costume designer on Die Another Day , had insisted that Berry wear a bikini and knife as a homage . Berry has said of the scene : Its splashy , exciting , sexy , provocative and it will keep me still out there after winning an Oscar . The bikini scene was shot in Cadiz ; the location was reportedly cold and windy , and footage has been released of Berry wrapped in thick towels in between takes to try to stay warm . According to an ITV news poll , Jinx was voted the fourth toughest girl on screen of all time . Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye . It was removed in a 30-minute operation . After Berry won the Academy Award , rewrites were commissioned to give her more screentime for X2 . She starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Robert Downey , Jr . in November 2003 , during which she broke her arm in a scene with Downey , who twisted her arm too hard . Production was halted for eight weeks . It was a moderate hit at the United States box office , taking in $60 million ; it earned another $80 million abroad . Berry appeared in the nu metal band Limp Bizkits music video for Behind Blue Eyes for the motion picture soundtrack for the film . The same year , she was named #1 in FHMs 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll . Berry starred as the title role in the film Catwoman , for which she received US$12.5 million . An over-US$100 million movie ; it grossed only US$17 million on its first weekend , and is widely regarded by critics as one of the worst films ever made . She was awarded the Worst Actress Razzie Award for her performance ; she appeared at the ceremony to accept the award in person ( while holding her Oscar from Monsters Ball ) with a sense of humor , considering it an experience of the rock bottom in order to be at the top . Holding the Academy Award in one hand and the Razzie in the other she said , I never in my life thought that I would be up here , winning a Razzie ! Its not like I ever aspired to be here , but thank you . When I was a kid , my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser , then theres no way you could be a good winner . Her next film appearance was in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC television movie Their Eyes Were Watching God ( 2005 ) , an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurstons novel , with Berry portraying a free-spirited woman whose unconventional sexual mores upset her 1920s contemporaries in a small community . She received her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role . Also in 2005 , she served as an executive producer in Lackawanna Blues , and landed her voice for the character of Cappy , one of the many mechanical beings in the animated feature Robots . In the thriller Perfect Stranger ( 2007 ) , Berry starred with Bruce Willis , playing a reporter who goes undercover to uncover the killer of her childhood friend . The film grossed a modest US$73 million worldwide , and received lukewarm reviews from critics , who felt that despite the presence of Berry and Willis , it is too convoluted to work , and features a twist ending thats irritating and superfluous . Her next 2007 film release was the drama Things We Lost in the Fire , co-starring Benicio del Toro , where she took on the role of a recent widow befriending the troubled friend of her late husband . The film was the first time in which she worked with a female director , Danish Susanne Bier , giving her a new feeling of thinking the same way , which she appreciated . While the film made US$8.6 million in its global theatrical run , it garnered positive reviews from writers ; The Austin Chronicle found the film to be an impeccably constructed and perfectly paced drama of domestic and internal volatility and felt that Berry is brilliant here , as good as shes ever been . In April 2007 , Berry was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to the film industry , and by the end of the decade , she established herself as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood , earning an estimated $10 million per film . 2010s . In the independent drama Frankie and Alice ( 2010 ) , Berry played the leading role of a young multiracial American woman with dissociative identity disorder struggling against her alter personality to retain her true self . The film received a limited theatrical release , to a mixed critical response . The Hollywood Reporter nevertheless described the film as a well-wrought psychological drama that delves into the dark side of one womans psyche and found Berry to be spellbinding in it . She earned the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama . She next made part of a large ensemble cast in Garry Marshalls romantic comedy New Years Eve ( 2011 ) , with Michelle Pfeiffer , Jessica Biel , Robert De Niro , Josh Duhamel , Zac Efron , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Sofía Vergara , among many others . In the film , she took on the supporting role of a nurse befriending a man in the final stages ( De Niro ) . While the film was panned by critics , it made US$142 million worldwide . In 2012 , Berry starred as an expert diver tutor alongside then-husband Olivier Martinez in the little-seen thriller Dark Tide , and led an ensemble cast opposite Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent in The Wachowskiss epic science fiction film Cloud Atlas ( 2012 ) , with each of the actors playing six different characters across a period of five centuries . Budgeted at US$128.8 million , Cloud Atlas made US$130.4 million worldwide , and garnered polarized reactions from both critics and audiences . Berry appeared in a segment of the independent anthology comedy Movie 43 ( 2013 ) , which the Chicago Sun-Times called the Citizen Kane of awful . Berry found greater success with her next performance , as a 9-1-1 operator receiving a call from a girl kidnapped by a serial killer , in the crime thriller The Call ( 2013 ) . Berry was drawn to the idea of being a part of a movie that was so empowering for women . We dont often get to play roles like this , where ordinary people become heroic and do something extraordinary . Manohla Dargis of The New York Times found the film to be an effectively creepy thriller , while reviewer Dwight Brown felt that the script gives Berry a blue-collar character she can make accessible , vulnerable and gutsy [ ... ] . The Call was a sleeper hit , grossing US$68.6 million around the globe . In 2014 , Berry signed on to star and serve as a co-executive producer in CBS drama series Extant , where she took on the role of Molly Woods , an astronaut who struggles to reconnect with her husband and android son after spending 13 months in space . The show ran for two seasons until 2015 , receiving largely positive reviews from critics . USA Today remarked : She [ Halle Berry ] brings a dignity and gravity to Molly , a projected intelligence that allows you to buy her as an astronaut and to see what has happened to her as frightening rather than ridiculous . Berrys all in , and you float along . Also in 2014 , Berry launched a new production company , 606 Films , with producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas . It is named after the Anti-Paparazzi Bill , SB 606 , that the actress pushed for and which was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in the fall of 2013 . The new company emerged as part of a deal for Berry to work in Extant . In the stand-up comedy concert film ( 2016 ) , Berry appeared as herself , opposide Kevin Hart , attending a poker game event that goes horribly wrong . Kidnap , an abduction thriller Berry filmed in 2014 , was released in 2017 . In the film , she starred as a diner waitress tailing a vehicle when her son is kidnapped by its occupants . Kidnap grossed US$34 million and garnered mixed reviews from writers , who felt that it strays into poorly scripted exploitation too often to take advantage of its pulpy premise — or the still-impressive talents of [ Berry ] . She next played an agent employed by a secret American spy organisation in the action comedy sequel ( 2017 ) , as part of an ensemble cast , consisting of Colin Firth , Taron Egerton , Mark Strong , Julianne Moore , and Elton John . While critical response towards the film was mixed , it made US$414 million worldwide . Alongside Daniel Craig , Berry starred as a working-class mother during the 1992 Los Angeles riots in Deniz Gamze Ergüvens drama Kings ( 2017 ) . The film found a limited theatrical release following its initial screening at the Toronto International Film Festival , and as part of an overall lukewarm reception , Variety noted : It should be said that Berry has given some of the best and worst performances of the past quarter-century , but this is perhaps the only one that swings to both extremes in the same movie . She played Sofia , an assassin , in the film , which was released on May 17 , 2019 by Lionsgate . In 2017 , she provided uncredited vocals to the song , Calling All My Lovelies by Bruno Mars from his third studio album , 24K Magic . Berry competed against James Corden in the first rap battle on the first episode of TBSs Drop the Mic , originally aired on October 24 , 2017 . She is , as of February 2019 , executive producer of the BET television series Boomerang , based on the film in which she starred . The series premiered February 12 , 2019 . Berry made her directorial debut with the feature Bruised in which she plays a disgraced MMA fighter named Jackie Justice , who reconnects with her estranged son . Filming began in 2019 with shooting in Atlantic City and Newark . The films world premiere was held at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12 , 2020 . Even Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film . In the media . Activism . Along with Pierce Brosnan , Cindy Crawford , Jane Seymour , Dick Van Dyke , Téa Leoni , and Daryl Hannah , Berry successfully fought in 2006 against the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Malibu . Berry said , I care about the air we breathe , I care about the marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean . In May 2007 , Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the facility . Hasty Pudding Theatricals gave her its 2006 Woman of The Year award . Berry took part in a nearly 2,000-house cell-phone bank campaign for Barack Obama in February 2008 . In April 2013 , she appeared in a video clip for Guccis Chime for Change campaign that aims to raise funds and awareness of womens issues in terms of education , health , and justice . In August 2013 , Berry testified alongside Jennifer Garner before the California State Assemblys Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would protect celebrities children from harassment by photographers . The bill passed in September . Image . Berry was ranked No . 1 on People 50 Most Beautiful People in the World list in 2003 after making the top ten seven times and appeared No . 1 on FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World the same year . She was named Esquire magazines Sexiest Woman Alive in October 2008 , about which she stated : I dont know exactly what it means , but being 42 and having just had a baby , I think Ill take it . Mens Health ranked her at No . 35 on their 100 Hottest Women of All-Time list . In 2009 , she was voted #23 on Empires 100 Sexiest Film Stars . The same year , rapper Hurricane Chris released a song entitled Halle Berry ( Shes Fine ) , extolling Berrys beauty and sex appeal . At the age of 42 ( in 2008 ) , she was named the Sexiest Black Woman by Access Hollywoods TV One Access survey . Born to an African-American father and a white mother , Berry has stated that her biracial background was painful and confusing when she was a young woman , and she made the decision early on to identify as a black woman because she knew that was how she would be perceived . Personal life . Berry dated Chicago dentist John Ronan from March 1989 to October 1991 . In November 1993 , Ronan sued Berry for $80,000 in what he claimed were unpaid loans to help launch her career . Berry contended that the money was a gift , and a judge dismissed the case because Ronan did not list Berry as a debtor when he filed for bankruptcy in 1992 . According to Berry , a beating from a former abusive boyfriend during the filming of The Last Boy Scout in 1991 punctured her eardrum and caused her to lose eighty percent of her hearing in her left ear . Berry has never named the abuser , but has said that he is someone well known in Hollywood . In 2004 , former boyfriend Christopher Williams accused Wesley Snipes of being responsible for the incident , saying Im so tired of people thinking Im the guy [ who did it ] . Wesley Snipes busted her eardrum , not me . Berry first saw baseball player David Justice on TV playing in an MTV celebrity baseball game in February 1992 . When a reporter from Justices hometown of Cincinnati told her that Justice was a fan , Berry gave her phone number to the reporter to give to Justice . Berry married Justice shortly after midnight on January 1 , 1993 . Following their separation in February 1996 , Berry stated publicly that she was so depressed that she considered taking her own life . Berry and Justice were officially divorced on June 24 , 1997 . In May 2000 , Berry pleaded no contest to charges of leaving the scene of a car accident and was sentenced to three years’ probation , fined $13,500 and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service . Berry married her second husband , singer-songwriter Eric Benét , on January 24 , 2001 , following a two-year courtship . Benét underwent treatment for sex addiction in 2002 , and by early October 2003 they had separated , with the divorce finalized on January 3 , 2005 . In November 2005 , Berry began dating French Canadian model Gabriel Aubry , whom she met at a Versace photoshoot . Berry gave birth to their daughter in March 2008 . On April 30 , 2010 , Berry and Aubry announced their relationship had ended some months earlier . In January 2011 , Berry and Aubry became involved in a highly publicized custody battle , centered primarily on Berrys desire to move with their daughter from Los Angeles , where Berry and Aubry resided , to France , the home of French actor Olivier Martinez , whom Berry had started dating in 2010 after they met while filming Dark Tide in South Africa . Aubry objected to the move on the grounds that it would interfere with their joint custody arrangement . In November 2012 , a judge denied Berrys request to move the couples daughter to France in light of Aubrys objections . Less than two weeks later , on November 22 , 2012 , Aubry and Martinez were both treated at a hospital for injuries after engaging in a physical altercation at Berrys residence . Martinez performed a citizens arrest on Aubry , and because it was considered a domestic violence incident , was granted a temporary emergency protective order preventing Aubry from coming within 100 yards of Berry , Martinez , and the child with whom he shares custody with Berry , until November 29 , 2012 . In turn , Aubry obtained a temporary restraining order against Martinez on November 26 , 2012 , asserting that the fight began when Martinez threatened to kill Aubry if he did not allow the couple to move to France . Leaked court documents included photos showing significant injuries to Aubrys face , which were widely displayed in the media . On November 29 , 2012 , Berrys lawyer announced that Berry and Aubry had reached an amicable custody agreement in court . In June 2014 , a Superior Court ruling called for Berry to pay Aubry $16,000 a month in child support ( around 200k/year ) as well as a retroactive payment of $115,000 and a sum of $300,000 for Aubrys attorney fees . Berry and Martinez confirmed their engagement in March 2012 , and married in France on July 13 , 2013 . In October 2013 , Berry gave birth to their son . In 2015 , after two years of marriage , the couple announced they were divorcing . The divorce was reported to have been finalized in December 2016 , however , as of November 2020 , the case is ongoing .