It was a cool March night in Hollywood in 2002, and she was just excited to have been nominated for her first Academy Award

the best actress category, for her role as a waitress who has an affair with her convicted husband’s executioner in Marc Forster’s dark drama “Monster’s Ball.”

Berry was only the seventh African American actress ever nominated.

Halle Berry made history in 2002 when she became the first black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

“Back in those days, if you didn’t win the Globe, you really didn’t get the Academy Award,” Berry told the New York Times recently.

Award in 2002 for the drama “Monster’s Ball,” a gripping tale of a grieving mother and widow.

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