We have written for you the intriguing life of Julia Roberts, who did not think of becoming an actress when she was a child, but is now remembered and attracted everyone's attention with her roles in the movies she plays.
Her full name is Julia Fiona Roberts, she was born on October 28, 1967 in Atlanta Georgia. She was born to her mother, Betty Lou Bredemus, a church secretary, and her father, Walter Grady Roberts, a vacuum cleaner salesman. Roberts has English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German and Swedish roots. Roberts has 2 older siblings named Eriz and Lisa and 1 younger half-sister named Nancy.
Her parents divorced in 1972 when Roberts was four years old. Wanting to become a veterinarian as a child, Roberts played the clarinet in the school orchestra. At the age of 17, she attended Georgia State University after graduating from Campbell High, but she didn't graduate. Then she went to New York with the desire to become an actress.
She made her television debut in the February 1987 episode of "Crime Story" with Dennis Farina in the first season. Thus, she made her debut on the big screen by appearing in the series. She appeared in the comedy-drama movie "Satisfaction" (1988) with Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman. She then appeared in a small role opposite her brother Eric Masterson in "Blood Red" (1987). In 1988, she starred in the independent romantic comedy "Mystic Pizza", in which she portrayed a Portuguese-American teenage girl. The film was noted by moviegoers as Roberts' first critical success.
She starred alongside Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine and Daryl Hannah in the comedy-drama film "Steel Magnolias" (1989), the film adaptation of Robert Harling's 1987 play of the same name. The film was both a critical and commercial success. Roberts earned both her first Academy Award nomination and her first Golden Globe Award for her performance.
Accelerating her career, Roberts starred alongside Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman" in 1990, garnering attention from audiences around the world. She earned a second Oscar nomination and a second Golden Globe Award, this time for her performance. The movie had the highest ticket sales ever for a romantic comedy in the US. The red dress she wore in the movie was considered one of the most famous dresses in cinema.
Her next film was the supernatural thriller "Flatliners"(1990), directed by Joel Schumacher with Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon. The film made a profit at the box office while receiving mixed reviews. In 1991, she appeared in the thriller "Sleeping with the Enemy" and in Steven Spielberg's fantasy film "Hook." She then appeared in the romantic drama film "Dying Young" (1991) with director Joel Schumacher. All three films were successful.
Roberts, in early 1993, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?" she was on the cover of People magazine. Later, she co-starred with Denzel Washington in the legal thriller "The Pelican Brief" (1993), directed by John Grisham. The film was a commercial success with a healthy worldwide gross. None of Roberts' later films was well received by critics and did not do well at the box office.
In the late 1990s, she enjoyed renewed success with romantic-comedy films. She starred opposite Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett in "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), directed by PJ Hogan. The movie has been considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time. The movie was a successful box office success worldwide. Roberts' next film was starring with Mel Gibson in the political thriller "Conspiracy Theory" (1997), directed by Richard Donner. Roberts' performance was well received, and the film nevertheless earned a substantial box office receipt.
In 1998, Roberts co-starred with Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris in the comedy-drama film "Stepmom." Reviews about the movie were mixed and positive. The following year, she paired up with Hugh Grant in the movie "Notting Hill" (1999). The film recorded the biggest British hit in the history of cinema, with a worldwide success of close to $363 million. The movie was also well received by the critics. Later, she starred in "Runaway Bride" (1999) with Richard Gere and Garry Marshall. The film was another financial success, grossing worldwide despite mixed reviews. Roberts guest-starred in the Season 9 episode of the television series Law & Order, "Empire," and her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Her next success came when she took on the role of environmental activist Erin Brockovich in "Erin Brockovich" (2000). Additionally, she became the first actress to be paid $20 million for a movie. The film was a huge worldwide hit, earning Roberts the Academy Award for Best Actress. In the same year, she also managed to become the first actress to be included in The Hollywood Reporter magazine's list of the 50 most influential women in show business since 1992.
In 2001, she appeared in the black comedy adventure crime film "The Mexican"(2001) which gave him the chance to work with Brad Pitt. The film earned $66.8 million in North America. She starred in the romantic comedy film "America's Sweethearts" (2001), directed by Joe Roth, with Billy Crystal, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Critics criticized the film despite its famous cast. Her final film, released in 2001, featured "Ocean's Eleven" as part of a cast that included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. The film was a critical and box office success, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year with its worldwide gross.
Roberts received a record $25 million for a role in Mike Newell's drama movie "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003). The film received largely moderate results, both by critics and at the box office. In 2004, she played Cate Blanchett as the American photographer, with Natalie Portman, Jude Law, and Clive Owen in Mike Nichols' film "Closer." Later, she reprized the role of Tess Ocean in "Ocean's Twelve" (2004). The movie was another huge success at the box office, grossing $363 million worldwide. Roberts was featured on The Hollywood Reporter's list of the 10 highest-paid actresses each year from 2002 to 2005.
On April 19, 2006, she played alongside Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd in the remake of Richard Greenberg's play "Three Days of Rain". Although the game was a commercial success and grossed nearly $1 million in sales in its first week, she faced criticism with her performance. She then starred in "Charlie Wilson's War" with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film received critical acclaim and earned Roberts her sixth Golden Globe nomination.
Roberts appeared opposite Clive Owen in the comic book thriller "Duplicity" (2009). Despite mixed reviews and moderate box office success, the film was praised for her performance. She received her seventh Golden Globe nomination for her role in the movie.
In 2010, Roberts starred in the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day" and the romantic drama film "Eat Pray Love." She had her highest breakout at the box office with the movie "Eat Pray Love", the most billed role of Roberts. She also starred opposite Tom Hanks in the romantic comedy movie "Larry Crowne"(2011). The film was received poorly by both critics and audiences. Then, "Mirror Mirror" (2012), an adaptation of Snow White's fairy tale, appeared in front of the audience. The movie was a healthy worldwide box office success.
In 2013, she appeared in the black comedy drama film "August: Osage County" alongside Meryl Streep and Ewan McGregor. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award, and Academy Award for her performance. This was Roberts' fourth Academy Award nomination. Roberts was critically acclaimed for her appearance in Larry Kramer's AIDS-era play "The Normal Heart" in 2014. Additionally, her role earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Roberts took part in the spring-summer campaign of the Givenchy brand in 2015. She then starred in the remake of the thriller "Secret in Their Eyes" (2015) with Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Unlike the original film, this version received negative reviews. Her next film was Jodie Foster's thriller "Money Monster"(2016), in which she starred alongside George Clooney and Jack O'Connell.
She played the mother of a boy with syndrome in the drama film "Wonder"(2017), directed by Stephen Chbosky. The film became one of Roberts' most watched films, grossing $305.9 million worldwide. The following year, she appeared in the drama film "Ben Is Back"(2018), directed by Peter Hedges. Roberts' first regular television appearance came when she appeared in the first season of the psychological thriller series "Homecoming." The series received critical acclaim. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her performance.
Roberts reunited with George Clooney in the romantic comedy "Ticket to Paradise," released October 21, 2022. She also played Martha Mitchell in the political thriller television series "Gaslit" written by Leon Neyfakh. Roberts will also appear alongside Ethan Hawke in the upcoming movie "Leave the World Behind." Higher Ground Productions is producing the film.
Personal life
In a 2023 episode of Found Your Roots, Roberts learned that her last name was actually Mitchell, not Roberts. She is also the distant cousin of actor Edward Norton. She is also the aunt of Emma Roberts, who is famous for her TV series Unfabulous.
During Roberts' time, she had romantic relationships with Jason Patric, Liam Neeson, Kiefer Sutherland, Dylan McDermott, and Matthew Perry. She was briefly engaged to Kiefer Sutherland, but they broke up three days before their planned wedding. Roberts married country singer Lyle Lovett on June 25, 1993. The couple separated in March 1995 and later divorced. She dated actor Benjamin Bratt from 1998 to 2001.
Roberts and cameraman Daniel Moder met on the set of The Mexican in 2000. At the time, Moder was married to Vera Steimberg and Roberts was in a relationship with Benjamin Bratt. Following Moder's divorce, she and Roberts were married on July 4, 2002, at their ranch in New Mexico. The couple has three children. They are twins, a girl and a boy born in November 2004, and a second boy born in June 2007.
Roberts is the richest actor in Hollywood with a fortune of 140 million dollars. She also expressed that he is a big fan of Roberts, who starred in a music video for Dave Matthews Band's "Dreamgirl" in 2005. One of her hobbies is knitting. Roberts has contributed to UNICEF as well as many charities. In 2013 she became part of a Gucci brand's campaign called "Chime for Change", which aims to promote women's empowerment.