Julia Roberts BiographyActress, producer. Born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia. The youngest of three children, she grew up surrounded by creative individuals. Her parents were both actors who ran a workshop for aspiring writers and performers until their divorce in 1971. Initially Roberts wanted to become a veterinarian, but she abandoned this dream when she realized that she had "an inability to deal with science on a brainiac kind of level."After graduating high school in 1985, Roberts moved to New York City to live with her sister Lisa. Both Lisa and brother Eric were pursuing careers as actors.
In New York, Roberts also joined the family business, landing a guest appearance on the television series
Crime Story. She really caught the public's eye, however, as the wild but vulnerable Daisy in
Mystic Pizza (1988). The next year, she cemented her status as a rising star in
Steel Magnolias (1989), appearing alongside such acting legends as Shirley MacLaine and Sally Field. Roberts earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film. She was also in the spotlight for her relationships with actors Liam Neeson and Dylan McDermott.
After that, Roberts' career really took off. She played a hooker who falls in love with a client (played by Richard Gere) in the box-office hit
Pretty Woman (1990). For her convincing performance, Roberts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She followed up the role with a few career missteps i.
Dying Young (1991) received mixed reviews, as did
Hook (1991), which revisited the story of
Peter Pan. Both films also proved to be disappointments at the box office. Around this time, Roberts called off her wedding to actor Kiefer Sutherland, her co-star in 1990's
Flatliners, just days before the ceremony was set to occur.
After taking a break from film, Roberts landed another big hit with the thriller
The Pelican Brief (1993) with Denzel Washington. She then surprised fans with a quickie marriage to country singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett that same year. The union proved to be short-lived, however, with the pair divorcing after only 21 months of marriage.
Mary Reilly (1996) starred Roberts in a decidedly unglamorous role, playing a maid who works for Dr. Jekyll. Audiences were less than enthusiastic about the film. Returning to her image as America's sweetheart, Roberts dominated the box office with such romantic comedies as
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) with Dermot Mulroney and
Notting Hill (1999) with Hugh Grant. Her star appeal even helped draw audiences to the critically panned
Runaway Bride, in which Roberts again joined up with
Pretty Woman co-star Richard Gere.
In 2000, she made a dramatic breakthrough with her powerful performance in Erin Brockovich. In the film, she played the title character: a gutsy, struggling single mom. Based on a true story, Brockovich helped lead the fight against a California power company that allegedly poisoned a small town s water supply. Roberts won several awards for the project, including her first Academy Award. Her $20 million salary for the film was also a Hollywood milestone, making her first woman to receive such a hefty sum.
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts from QVC UK