Julia Roberts

Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, Roberts is known for her leading roles in films of several genres, from romantic comedies and dramas to thrillers and action films. Many of her films have earned over $100 million at the worldwide box office, and six have ranked among the highest-grossing films of their respective years. Her top-billing films have collectively brought in box office receipts of over $3.8 billion globally. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.Following an early breakthrough with appearances in Mystic Pizza (1988) and Steel Magnolias (1989), Roberts established herself as a leading actress when she headlined the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. She went on to star in numerous successful films, including Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Hook (1991), The Pelican Brief (1993), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Erin Brockovich (2000), Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Valentine's Day (2010), Eat Pray Love (2010), August: Osage County (2013), and Wonder (2017). She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the HBO television film The Normal Heart (2014) and had her first regular television role in the first season of the Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller series Homecoming (2018).Roberts was the world's highest-paid actress throughout the majority of the 1990s as well as the first half of the 2000s. Her fee for Pretty Woman (1990) was $300,000; while she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2020, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $250 million. People magazine has named her the most beautiful woman in the world a record five times.

Roberts was born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, to Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts. She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent. Her father was a Baptist, her mother a Catholic, and she was raised Catholic. Her older brother Eric Roberts (born 1956), from whom she was estranged for several years until 2004, older sister Lisa Roberts Gillan (born 1965), and niece Emma Roberts, are also actors. She also had a younger half-sister named Nancy Motes.Roberts's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing in theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, off Juniper Street in Midtown. They ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia, while they were expecting Julia. The children of Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. attended the school; Walter Roberts served as acting coach for their daughter, Yolanda. As a thank-you for his service, Mrs. King paid Mrs. Roberts's hospital bill when Julia was born.Her parents married in 1955. Her mother filed for divorce in 1971; the divorce was finalized in early 1972. From 1972, Roberts lived in Smyrna, Georgia, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School. In 1972, her mother married Michael Motes, who was abusive and often unemployed; Roberts despised him. The couple had a daughter, Nancy, who died at 37 on February 9, 2014, of an apparent drug overdose. The marriage ended in 1983, with Betty Lou divorcing Motes on cruelty grounds; she had stated that marrying him was the biggest mistake of her life. Roberts's own father died of cancer when she was ten.Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She also played the clarinet in her school band. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she attended Georgia State University but did not graduate. She later headed to New York City to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.