Julia Roberts

This article is about the American actress. For other people with the same name, see Julia Roberts (disambiguation). For the American country music singer, see Julie Roberts. For the British jazz, rock and house music singer, see Juliet Roberts. Julia Roberts , Roberts at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Jesus Henry Christ Born Julia Fiona Roberts, (1967-10-28) October 28, 1967 (age 45), Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Occupation Actress Years active 1987-present Spouse(s) Lyle Lovett (1993-1995), Daniel Moder (2002-present) Children 3 Family Eric Roberts (brother), Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister), Emma Roberts (niece) Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. After receiving Golden Globe Awards and Academy Award nominations for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Pretty Woman, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). Her films The Pelican Brief (1993), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Mystic Pizza (1988), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Valentine's Day (2010), Eat Pray Love (2010), and Mirror Mirror (2012) have collectively brought box office receipts of over $2.6 billion, making her one of the most successful actresses in terms of box office receipts. Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping The Hollywood Reporter's annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2005 to 2006. Her fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was $300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25 million for her role in Mona Lisa Smile (2003). As of 2010, Roberts's net worth was estimated to be $140 million. Roberts has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2011, she was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health. In 2001, Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in the United States. Early life and family edit: Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts. She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent. Her father was a Baptist and her mother a Roman Catholic, and she was raised as the latter. Her older brother, Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece, Emma Roberts, are also actors. Roberts' parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Roberts, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school; Yolanda Denise King worked closely with Walter Roberts as her acting coach. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Roberts' mother gave birth to her. Roberts' mother filed for divorce in 1971 with the divorce being finalized early in 1972. Roberts lived in Smyrna, in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School. Her mother married Michael Motes and had a daughter, Nancy Motes, in 1976. Roberts' father died of cancer when she was ten. Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She played clarinet in the band in school. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes. Career edit: 1987-1989 edit: Roberts made her first big screen appearance in the film Satisfaction (1988), released on February 12, 1988, alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman, as a band member looking for a summer gig. She had previously performed a small role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (she has two words of dialogue), filmed in 1987 and released in 1989. Her first television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series Crime Story with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on February 13, 1987. Her first critical success with moviegoers was her performance in the independent film Mystic Pizza in 1988; that same year, she had a role in the fourth season finale of Miami Vice. In 1989, she was featured in Steel Magnolias, as a young bride with diabetes, and received both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award win (Motion Picture Best Supporting Actress) for her performance. 1990-2000 edit: Roberts became known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story, Pretty Woman, in 1990. Roberts won the role after Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Karen Allen, and Daryl Hannah (her co-star in Steel Magnolias) all turned it down. The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress, and second Golden Globe Award win, as Motion Picture Best Actress (Musical or Comedy). Her next box office success was the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, playing a battered wife who escapes her abusive husband, played by Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. She played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991, and also played a nurse in the 1991 film, Dying Young. This work was followed by a two-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?" She was offered the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), but turned it down. Roberts co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name. In 1996, she appeared in season 2 of Friends (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6-8, 1996. She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time, and an audience member said about their on-screen kiss, "Julia looked at Matt and said 'I'm glad we rehearsed this over the weekend'." She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in While You Were Sleeping (1995), but also turned it down. Roberts co-starred with Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996). Over the next few years, she starred in Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996), followed by My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997. In 1998, she appeared on Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. She was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love (1998), but turned it down. She starred with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999). That same year she also starred in Runaway Bride, her second film with Richard Gere. Roberts was a guest star on the Law & Order television series episode "Empire" with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend). She earned an nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Also in 1999 she starred in the critically panned film Stepmom (1998) alongside Susan Sarandon. 2001-2005 edit: In 2001 Roberts received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, who helped wage a successful lawsuit against energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric. While presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington the following year she made a gaffe, saying she was glad that Tom Conti wasn't there. She meant the conductor, Bill Conti, who had tried to hasten the conclusion of her Oscar speech the previous year, but instead named the Scottish actor. Roberts first film following Erin Brockovich was the romantic comedy America's Sweethearts along with Billy Crystal, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Directed by Joe Roth, the Hollywood farce centers on a supercouple, Gwen and Eddie, who separate when she dumps him for another man. Roberts portrayed Gwen's once-overweight sister and assistant who has been secretly in love with Eddie (Cusack) for years. Reviews for the film were generally unfavorable; critics' felt that despite its famous cast, the movie lacked "sympathetic characters" and was "only funny in spurts." A commercial success, it grossed over $138 million worldwide however. Later in 2001 she starred in Gore Verbinski's road gangster comedy, The Mexican, giving her a chance to work with long-time friend, Brad Pitt. The film's script was originally intended to be filmed as an independent production without major motion picture stars, but Roberts and Pitt, who had for some time been looking for a project they could do together, learned about it and decided to sign on. Though advertised as a typical romantic comedy star vehicle, the film does not focus solely on the Pitt/Roberts relationship and the two shared relatively little screen time together. Ultimately, The Mexican earned $66.8 million at the U.S. box office. In fall 2001, Roberts teamed with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for Ocean's Eleven (2001), a comedy-crime caper film and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name, featuring an ensemble cast also including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. Roberts played the ex-wife of leader Danny Ocean (Clooney), originally played by Angie Dickinson, who is flirting with a casino owner, played by Andy Garcia. In preparation for her role, Roberts studied Dickinson's performance by watching the original film at least seven times in order to get her part right. A success with critics and at the box office alike, Ocean's Eleven became the fifth highest-grossing film of he year with a total of $450 million worldwide. In 2003, Roberts was cast in Mike Newell's drama film Mona Lisa Smile, also starring Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Julia Stiles. Roberts received a record $25 million for her portrayal of a forward-thinking art history professor at Wellesley College in 1953, who teaches conservative students to question their traditional societal roles -- the highest ever earned by an actress then. The film garnered largely lukewarm reviews by critics who found it "predictable and safe". In 2004, Roberts replaced Cate Blanchet in Mike Nichols's Closer, a romantic drama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. Also starring Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen, Closer explores the relationships of a quartet of lovers tangled in a web of love, lust, sex and betrayal. Also in 2004, the actress reprised the role of Tess Ocean in Soderbergh's crime comedy sequel Ocean's Twelve. Less favored than Eleven, the film became another major success at the box offices with a gross of $363 million worldwide, mostly from its international run. Unlike all the male cast members, Roberts did not appear in her role as Tess Ocean in the series' third and final installment Ocean's Thirteen (2007) due to script issues. In 2005, she was featured in the music video for the hit single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band; it was her first music video appearance. 2006-present edit: Roberts had two films released in 2006, The Ant Bully and Charlotte's Web. Both films were animated features for which she provided voice acting. Her next film was Charlie Wilson's War (2007), with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols and based on the book by former CBS journalist George Crile; it was released on December 21, 2007. Fireflies in the Garden (2008), also starring Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe, was released at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2008 and was subsequently shown in European cinemas; it did not get a North American release until 2011. Roberts made her Broadway debut on April 19, 2006 as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play Three Days of Rain opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly US$1 million dollars in ticket sales during its first week and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, her performance drew criticism. Ben Brantley of The New York Times described Roberts as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) and only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays." Brantley also criticized the production of "Greenberg's slender, elegant play," writing that "it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello." Writing in The New York Post, Clive Barnes declared, "Hated the play. To be sadly honest, even hated her. At least I liked the rain--even if three days of it can seem an eternity." Three Days of Rain received two Tony Award nominations in stagecraft categories. In 2009, Lancôme announced that Roberts would become their global ambassador for their company. Roberts starred with Clive Owen in the comedy-thriller Duplicity for which she received her seventh Golden Globe nomination. In 2010, she appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day, with Cooper, and starred in the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love. Eat Pray Love had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since America's Sweethearts. Later in the year, she signed a five-year extension with Lancôme for GB£32 million (US$50 million). In 2011, she co-starred as Mercedes Tainot opposite Tom Hanks who directed and played the title role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne. The movie has received generally bad reviews with only 35% of the 175 Rotten Tomatoes reviews giving it high ratings, although Roberts's comedic performance was praised. Roberts appeared in the 2012 Tarsem Singh adaptation of Snow White, called Mirror Mirror, playing the Evil Queen. American Girl films edit: Roberts has brought to life some of the books from American Girl as films, serving as executive producer alongside her sister Lisa. The company's product lines and services are focused on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history, embodied as dolls and featured in narratives including books and movies. Roberts has produced four movies. Personal life edit: Relationships and marriages edit: Roberts has reportedly had romantic relationships with actors Jason Patric, Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, and Matthew Perry. She was briefly engaged to actor Kiefer Sutherland; they broke up three days before their scheduled wedding on 11 June 1991. On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana. They separated in March 1995 and subsequently divorced. From 1998 to 2001, Roberts dated actor Benjamin Bratt. Roberts and her present husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, met on the set of her film The Mexican in 2000, while she was still dating Bratt. At the time, Moder was married to Vera Steimberg. He filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalized, he and Roberts wed on July 4, 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico. Together, they have three children: twins Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder (b. 2004) and Henry Daniel Moder (b. 2007). Beliefs edit: Roberts disclosed in a 2010 interview for Elle magazine that she believes in and practices Hinduism. Roberts is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). A picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew Roberts to Hinduism. Charities edit: Roberts has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organizations. On May 10, 1995, Roberts arrived in Port-au-Prince, as she said, "to educate myself". The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said. UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time. In 2000, Roberts narrated Silent Angels, a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, which was shot in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York. The documentary was designed to help raise public awareness about the disease. In July 2006, Earth Biofuels announced Roberts as a spokeswoman for the company and as chair of the company's newly formed Advisory Board promoting the use of renewable fuels. She also supports Gucci's "Chime For Change" campaign that aims to spread female empowerment. Filmography edit: Film Year Title Role Notes 1987 Firehouse Babs Uncredited 1988 Mystic Pizza Daisy Arujo 1988 Satisfaction Daryle Also known as Girls of Summer 1989 Blood Red Maria Collogero 1989 Steel Magnolias Shelby Eatenton Latcherie 1990 Pretty Woman Vivian Ward 1990 Flatliners Rachel Mannus 1991 Hook Tinkerbell 1991 Dying Young Hilary O'Neil 1991 Sleeping with the Enemy Sara Waters/Laura Burney 1992 Player, TheThe Player Cameo 1993 The Pelican Brief Darby Shaw 1994 Prêt-à-Porter Anne Eisenhower Also known as Ready to Wear 1994 I Love Trouble Sabrina Peterson 1995 Something to Talk About Grace King Bichon 1996 Everyone Says I Love You Von Sidell 1996 Michael Collins Kitty Kiernan 1996 Mary Reilly Mary Reilly 1997 Conspiracy Theory Alice Sutton 1997 My Best Friend's Wedding Julianne Potter 1998 Stepmom Isabel Kelly 1999 Runaway Bride Maggie Carpenter 1999 Notting Hill Anna Scott 2000 Erin Brockovich Erin Brockovich 2001 Ocean's Eleven Tess Ocean 2001 America's Sweethearts Kathleen "Kiki" Harrison 2001 Mexican, TheThe Mexican Samantha Barzel 2002 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Patricia Watson 2002 Grand Champion Jolene 2002 Full Frontal Catherine/Francesca 2003 Mona Lisa Smile Katherine Ann Watson 2004 Ocean's Twelve Tess Ocean 2004 Closer Anna Cameron 2006 Charlotte's Web Charlotte the Spider (voice) 2006 Beslan: Three Days In September Narrator 2006 Ant Bully, TheThe Ant Bully Hova (voice) 2007 Charlie Wilson's War Joanne Herring 2008 Fireflies in the Garden Lisa Waechter 2009 Duplicity Claire Stenwick 2010 Valentine's Day Kate 2010 Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert 2011 Love, Wedding, Marriage Ava's Therapist (voice) 2011 Larry Crowne Mercedes Tainot 2012 Mirror, Mirror Queen Clementianna 2013 August: Osage County Barbara Fordham Television Year Title Role Notes 1987 Crime Story Tracy 1 episode: "The Survivor" 1988 Miami Vice Polly Wheeler 1 episode: "Mirror Image" 1988 Baja Oklahoma Candy Hutchins TV movie 1996 Friends Susie Moss 1 episode: "The One After the Superbowl: Part 2" 1999 Law & Order Katrina Ludlow 1 episode: "Empire" 2003 Freedom: A History of Us Virginia Eyewitness 2 episodes 2010 Hope For Haiti Now Herself Telethon for Haiti earthquake relief 2011 Extraordinary Moms Narrator TV documentary Awards and nominations edit: Main article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Julia_Roberts

Source: Wikipedia

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