Halle Berry
Berry in 2009, photo by CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Maria Halle Berry
Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 14, 1966
Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – English, some German and Irish, distant Dutch
Halle Berry is an American actress and model. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Monster’s Ball (2001). She is the only black actress to have won the Best Actress Oscar. Her roles also include The Last Boy Scout, The Flinstones, Executive Decision, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, X-Men, Swordfish, Die Another Day, Gothika, Things We Lost in the Fire, The Call, Kidnap, Kings, and Bruised, among others.
Halle’s father, Jerome Jesse Berry, was African-American. Halle’s mother, Judith Ann (Hawkins), is white, of English, some German and Irish, and distant Dutch, descent. She has two children, a daughter, with her former partner, Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, and a son, with her former husband, French actor Olivier Martinez.
Of her upbringing, Halle has said:
I was raised by my white mother and every day of my life I have always been aware of the fact that I am biracial. However, growing up I was aware that even though my mother was white, I did not look or feel very white myself.
Halle’s paternal grandfather was named Robert Berry.
Halle’s paternal grandmother was Cora Lee Powell (the daughter of Adam Powell and Charity Munford/Moffett). Cora was born in Greenwood, Leflore, Mississippi. Adam was the son of Tom Powell and Easter.
Halle’s maternal grandfather was Earl Ellsworth Hawkins (the son of Eugene Allen Hawkins and Bessie C. Spaulding). Earl was born in Dover, Tuscarawas, Ohio. Eugene was the son of John William Hawkins, who was born in Vermont, and of Katherine/Catherina “Katie” Drescher, who was born in Bavaria, Germany. Bessie was the daughter of Ellsworth Warren Spaulding, who was of approximately three quarters Colonial American (English), and one quarter Irish, descent; and of Agnes L. “Aggie” Johnson, whose father was English. Through her maternal grandfather, Halle has American-born ancestors going back to the 1600s.
Halle’s maternal grandmother was Nellie Dicken (the daughter of Henry Dicken and Ada B. White). Nellie was born in Shardlow, Derbyshire, England, to a father from Chesterfield and a mother from Spondon. Henry was the son of Robert Dicken and Ann Marsden. Ada was the daughter of John White and Maria.
Sources: Genealogies of Halle Berry – http://www.wargs.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://famouskin.com
Halle’s paternal grandmother, Cora Lee Powell, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Cora Lee Powell on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Halle’s paternal grandmother, Cora Lee (Powell) Berry – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Halle Berry (focusing on her mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Halle’s mother on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
to LJ :
it’s one thing i don’t understand: If barack obama is half black half white, it means that he is black, and also white right ???
when people say that he’s the first black president, they say so because he black and white.
They could also say that barack obama is the first white (because he’s also white) man in the white house, but it’s not true lol
Saying that barack obama is not black, that’s like we say he’s not white. i think he’s both.
It’s true that the same thing occured with Tiger Woods, when media said that he ‘s the first black man to become the best golf player.
I always wondered why if they didn’t tell that he is also the first asian to do it ?? because he’s also asian right ?? I think it’s an american case, because in france, barack obama was introduced as mixed black white man, and so does tiger woods.
And trust me your experience with black ppl, i lived that too, and i’m black (i mean not bi-racial) Some black ppl were judging me because i don’t act like a “bledarde” (it’s a french term, i can’t translate it: a bledard (or bledarde for girls lol) is actually an african person who live in european countries with the african mentality).
it’s true, i don’t speak french with an african accent, but it doesn’t make me less african, because i know a lot about african culture.Your issues with black ppl in D.C. are not because of your ethnicity, it’s about culture. if you’re part black in the blood but raised by white parents, you will have a white culture unless you try to figure out by yourself the black culture.(or if your white parents taught you the black culture)
To LJ
I sorry you been treated like that.I don’t know where it is you were raised,but I think you just ran into the wrong black people.Also no obama wouldn’t have seen any different than any other black person.Now being part of and being around mixed blooded people my whole life,I can speak personally on that.
i wanted to respond the post made by “the truth” i agrree with you 100 percent about obama. i correct people CONSTANTLY when they say the first black president.
it aggitates me so much because i am a biracial person adopted by white parents and when i lived in DC, some of my black friends said: “youre not truely black because you were raised by white people”. using that logic, the same thing would apply to barrack.
i honestly think that if he was not involved in politics, most blacks would consider him “white-washed” and look down on him. im speaking from personal expirence, and im just stating my theory on the matter and personal feeling regarding it.
Lauren African-american includes people of mixed African American descent as well. The term African American or even Black in the US is inclusive. And Yes if an Asian of mixed heritage became president they woud be considered the first Asian American president. Honestly the term white is the only one which claims to be exclusive, meaning it excludes folks if black (African) descent or Asian etc.
Halle also is German, Irish and possably Russian. I not sure about Russian, becouse in EXTRACTS from the U.S. FEDERAL DECENNIAL CENSUS, written ”Russia”…and i dont understand what it mean!lol
http://www.wargs.com/other/berry.html