From Monster's Ball to X-Men, Revisit 2021 PCAs Icon Halle Berry's Best Roles

By Jake Thompson Nov 20, 2021 2:00 PMTags
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Watch: Halle Berry to Receive 2021 People's Icon Award: A No-Brainer!

Halle Berry is a superhero on and off the silver screen.

The Oscar-winning superstar is being honored with the People's Icon Award at the 2021 People's Choice Awards, E! announced Friday, Nov. 19. The actress, producer, mother of two and so much more is being recognized for all she's done after dazzling us for nearly four decades in the industry.

While Berry's impressive list of accomplishments sees no end in sight, we're taking a look back at one of our favorite parts of her career: her best and most iconic film roles! Movies like Monster's Ball, X-Men, Swordfish and Die Another Day have stood the test of time, keeping us discussing her monumental work for years after.

We're revisiting every unforgettable role Berry has given us over her long career. Scroll through the gallery below to see all of Berry's greatest roles over the years, from superhero action flicks to critically acclaimed dramas.

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2021 People's Choice Awards: Movie Actor Nominees

You don't want to miss Cardi B presenting Berry with the People's Icon Award when the 2021 People's Choice Awards ceremony airs on Tuesday, Dec. 7 on E! and NBC.

Monster’s Ball

Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball. She plays a struggling working-class single mother who loses her son and then begins a relationship with a man (Billy Bob Thorton) who turns out to be the corrections officer that executed her husband.

X-Men

Halle Berry embodied comic book fan-favorite Ororo Munroe (Storm) in 2000's X-Men. Berry's performance as the weather-wielding mutant was electrifying and inspired a legion of superhero franchises today.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) could not have asked a favor from a fiercer "old friend" than Sofia (Halle Berry) in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In the third installment of the action-packed series, Berry goes on the run with Wick from a legion of assassins after a bounty is placed for his murder.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas has been regarded as an underrated masterpiece from The Matrix's Wachowski sisters. Halle Berry astonishingly portrayed six storylines as Jocasta Ayrs. "This is so poignant for an actor and someone like me, to be able to shed my skin…to do something that I would have never been able to do. If it were not for this kind of project, I still wouldn't have don't that," Halle made in a statement to Screen Rant.

Die Another Day

Being a Bond girl is nothing short of iconic. Halle Berry's character Jinx in Die Another Day recreated the shot of Ursula Andress emerging from the ocean in a bikini from Dr. No. Can we also say that she basically invented the color coral?

Boomerang

Dubbed one of "the greatest romantic comedies of all time," Halle Berry is featured in an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Murphy, Eartha Kitt, Grace Jones and Martin Lawrence in Boomerang. Angela (Berry) finds herself in a love triangle that audiences adore because its real portrayal of human relationships and emotions. Berry is currently producing a TV adaption of the movie with Lena Waithe for BET.

B.A.P.S

Halle Berry portrays Georgian waitress Nisi in this 1997 American female buddy comedy also starring Natalie Desselle (Mickey) and Martin Landau. Nisi and Mickey's dream job—a hybrid soul-food diner and hair salon—seems achievable when the iconic duo decide to fly to Los Angeles to audition for a music video, in hopes of raising the funds they need to make their dreams their reality. 

Swordfish

Halle Berry plays Ginger Knowles, a street-smart firecracker in Swordfish's 2001 action thriller. Her character convinces Stanley (Hugh Jackman), a cyber-hacker, to work for Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) by cracking a secure government server. You can guess what happens next: full on mayhem ensues.

Catwoman

Patience Phillips (Halle Berry) is a timid and shy artist working as a graphic designer for Hedare Beauty—a globally renowned cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. Phillips finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy when she stumbles upon her employer's dark secrets that'll change her life forever. This superhero film also stars Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt and Frances Conroy, and has gone on to inspire a new wave of fans (hello, Saweetie!)

Introducing Dorothy Dandrige

Based on a true story, this film chronicles the life of Dorothy Dandridge, the first black woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. Halle Berry plays the titular role in this 1999 TV film that follows her rise in Hollywood, facing racism, harsh managers and complicated film directors. 

Gothika

The 2003 horror thriller Gothika follows psychiatrist Miranda Grey (Halle Berry), who's life is derailed after she nearly hits a girl with her car one night. To her shock, she wakes up in her own mental hospital under the aid of an untrustworthy peer, played by Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr.

Perfect Stranger

In this 2007 neo-noir psychological thriller—that teams up Halle Berry and Bruce Willis for the first time ever in a project—follows Ro (Berry), a reporter who does some investigating when a childhood friend turns up murdered. Her search leads her to Harrison Hill (Willis), a high-powered advertising executive, but not before long, she's trapped in a cyber web of deceit.

Things We Lost in the Fire

After her husband's violent death, Aubrey Burke (Halle Berry) is left to raise her two children alone. With grief nearly consuming her, Burke tracks down her husband's childhood friend Jerry (Benecio Del Toro) and offers him to move in. Jerry—a drug addict—and Burke form a new kind of dependency on one another in this 2007 drama about unlikely relationships that grow out of trauma.

The Call

Jordan Turner (Halle Berry), a seasoned operator for an emergency call-center, throws in the towel when a young woman's frantic report ends in tragedy in The Call. Berry's character leaves the front lines, venturing into teaching the ropes of the high-stakes job instead. But when she receives a call from a kidnapped teen (Abigail Breslin), she takes control like never before in this serial thriller that'll keep you on your toes until the film's chaotic climax.

Jungle Fever

Halle Berry began her onscreen career in the irreverent—and drug heavy—film Jungle Fever directed by Spike Lee. Berry portrayed crack addict Vivian in this 1991 movie that explores racism, addiction and an interracial affair that hurts family and friends, also starring Wesley Snipes.

Watch the 2024 People’s Choice Awards anytime on Peacock or online.