Who were Halle Berry’s parents? Actress recalls identity struggles as biracial woman after being raised by white mother

Halle Berry appeared on an episode of the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast on February 16, where she discussed her childhood identity confusion.

Berry was raised as a biracial woman raised by a white mother, Judith Ann Hawkins and a black father, Jerome Jesse Berry. Her mother was a Caucasian psychiatric nurse of English and German descent.

Her father, who was absent from her life, worked as an attendant at an American-African hospital. He had also been a bus driver for Bluebird Travel Lines. They divorced when she was four years old.

The Academy Award-winning actress detailed her identity issues in the past and said:

“I felt very confused about my identity growing up. Even though we lived in an all-Black neighborhood, I still wanted to be like my mother. If my mother's white and I'm Black, what does that mean? Who am I? Am I really Black?..”

Continue reading for more information.

All about Halle Berry’s parents as she opens up about her identity confusion

Halle Berry’s latest discussion on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast reignited interest in her biracial upbringing and estranged parents, Jerome Jesse Berry and Judith Ann Hawkins.

She was born as Halle Maria Berry in August 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio. She also had an elder sister, Heidi. According to Biography, Berry’s father abandoned her mother in the early 1970s, after which she moved with her children to Cleveland’s inner city.

Berry attended an all-white public school and was subjected to racial discrimination at an early age. Horrified at the unexpected behavior at the school, her mother moved her and her sister out of the neighbourhood.

Halle Berry told People magazine in an interview that because she had a white mother and a black father, they got called "Oreos" and other names at school. She said:

“We were the brunt of a lot of jokes. So, I think my need to please and my desire to achieve was because I was constantly trying to prove that I was as good as the other white students. I felt very ‘less than,’ and I thought, ‘If I can beat them at everything, then I can be as good as them.'”

Halle Berry's relationship with her late father was troubled and largely absent during her childhood. She has openly discussed in interviews about his abusive nature towards her mother and sister.

In June 2019, Halley Berry shared a poignant Instagram post remembering her dad on the occasion of Father’s Day. She wrote in the caption how they shared a strained relationship, which was largely due to his alcohol addiction. Sharing a throwback picture of him, the actress wrote in the caption:

“On this Father’s Day my heart is full...full of love for my DADDY! This is one of only 2 pictures I have of him, and it has become family gold!”

She continued:

“While I didn’t have much of a relationship with him while he was here, as he was alcohol addicted and that addiction robbed us of the relationship we were meant to have, I now understand how much he loved me and how vital he was and is to my life! I miss you today daddy and wherever you are, I know you’re smiling down on me because I feel your love!”

Trending

He reportedly passed away at a nursing home where he was being treated for Parkinson’s disease. He was 68.

Halle Berry’s mother is believed to be alive. She has been seen with her at public events earlier. The mother-daughter duo attended the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in April 2007.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback