Halle Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez claims X-Men star choked their son; who is the actor once hailed as 'French Brad Pitt' and won France's equivalent of Oscar?

While Halle Berry may have once made history as the first Black woman to bag an Oscar in the Best Actress category, her ex-husband, Olivier Martinez, certainly doesn’t think the X-Men star deserves an award for being a mother anytime soon. According to a report by PEOPLE, the French star accused Berry of physically abusing their 12-year-old son, Maceo. Martinez claimed that on September 26, the Monster’s Ball star jumped on their son, put her hands around his neck, and attempted to choke him. When he filed a temporary restraining order, Martinez revealed his son had called him to pick him up, saying he had been physically attacked by his mother and it was not the first time.

Accusations Of Physical Abuse

Allegedly, during a spat with her son, the actress had tried to choke him, saying, “Who is dominant now? Who is dominant?”

Martinez claimed Berry had minimised the alleged incidents, suggesting that she characterised them as playful behaviour or harmless joking. He also pointed to Berry’s background in mixed martial arts, alleging that she would place their son, Maceo, in chokeholds during their interactions and encourage him to signal when he wanted her to stop.


As per a Page Six report, the actress allegedly caused emotional distress to the boy by making racially charged statements. In 2023, she told him his father was a “white b—h trying to rob a Black woman” due to a child support battle.

Martinez said he had concerns about her mental health and alcohol abuse.

Berry, who also has an 18-year-old daughter, Nahla, with former partner Gabriel Aubry, and Martinez completed their divorce proceedings, pertaining to custody and child support, in 2023 after finalising the divorce in 2016.

Under the terms of their settlement, the former couple retained joint legal custody of their son. Berry was required to provide Martinez with $8,000 each month in child support, along with an additional payment equivalent to 4.3% of any annual income exceeding $2 million.

The actress was further responsible for covering Maceo’s private education expenses, including school fees, uniforms, educational supplies and extracurricular activities. She also agreed to reimburse Martinez for eligible expenses he had covered during the 2023–24 academic year.

Berry and Martinez first initiated divorce proceedings in October 2015, following approximately two years of marriage.

Martinez has been granted a temporary restraining order. On Oct 1, a Los Angeles County judge granted him and Maceo a temporary restraining order against the actress. The court order also revised Berry’s visitation schedule with Maceo, restricting their time together to Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., along with Saturdays and Sundays during the same 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. window.

Who Is Olivier Martinez?

Olivier Martinez is a well-known actor in France. He became a household name after appearing in critically acclaimed films such as Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil (1993), The Horseman on the Roof (1995), and The Chambermaid on the Titanic. He bagged a César Award (the French equivalent of the Oscars) for Most Promising Actor in 1994 for Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil.

Martinez also gained global recognition for the Johnny Depp-starrer Before Night Falls, the erotic thriller Unfaithful, the psychological thriller starring Angelina Jolie, Taking Lives, etc.

At his peak in the mid-90s, he was considered a heartthrob and was termed the “French Brad Pitt".

He and Berry met in 2010 on the set of the action thriller Dark Tide. They married in an intimate ceremony in France in 2013. They called off their marriage in 2015 and finalised the divorce a year later.