2006

Halle Berry

August 14

The Big 4-0

Turning 40 doesn't worry Berry. Not only does the actress start dating a hot younger man – Canadian model Gabriel Aubry – she's still appearing in Revlon ads and looking better than ever. Her beauty advice? "Wear what you feel good in. Then, when you wear it, your personality will shine far greater," she tells PEOPLE.

2007

Halle Berry

April 03

A Teary-Eyed Star

Berry receives the 2,333rd star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre in L.A. "I am so emotional...as soon as I saw the crowds of people and friends here, I started to cry," the Oscar-winning actress tells the AP. Her star coincides with the release of her new film Perfect Stranger, a cat-and-mouse thriller Perfect Stranger also starring Bruce Willis.

Halle Berry

September 04

Berry Pregnant

The 41-year-old announces she is three months pregnant with Aubry's child to Access Hollywood: "Gabriel and I are beyond excited and I've waited a long time for this moment in my life."

2008

Halle Berry

February

Halle Wants to 'Stay Pregnant Forever'

With her baby bump on full display, Berry appears on the cover of In Style. "My skin is aglow from all the hormones," she says. "I want to stay pregnant forever." The 41-year-old actress adds, "I may only do this one time, so I want this moment to be as big as it can be. I want the biggest bang I can imagine."

Halle Berry

March 16

Halle Welcomes Nahla

After a long struggle to get pregnant–she endured almost three dozen negative pregnancy tests–Berry and her boyfriend, model Gabriel Aubry, 32, welcome a baby girl, Nahla Ariela Aubry. Of motherhood, Berry says, "I think it is the most important thing we do as women."

Halle Berry

November

Halle's One Hot Mama

Berry, who gave birth to daughter Nahla in March, is named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive. "Being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it," the actress says before quipping, "I've been in the business for more than twenty years, and you decide now, at this particular time, that I'm the sexiest woman alive?...you couldn't go with the Bond-girl year? You didn't like the orange bikini?"

Photo Credits

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): BEImages; Jim Smeal/BEImages; Flynet

Edited by Janet Mock