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Julia Roberts - Biography

The actress shot to fame after starring in the 1990 rom-com, Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts attends the screening of "Armageddon Time" during the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2022 in Cannes, France
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
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Julia Roberts is an American actress, who has won many accolades for her starring film roles. She is one of Hollywood's brightest stars, having starred in films that have collectively grossed over $3.9 billion globally.

Julia Roberts' early life

Julia Fiona Roberts was born in Smyrna, Georgia on October 28, 1967, into a family of performers. Her parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, were playwrights who met while performing in theatrical productions for the United States Armed Forces. Her older brother, Eric Roberts, sister Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece Emma Roberts, are also actors.

Julia Roberts' acting career

Julia emerged as everyone’s favourite pretty woman aged 21. With two Oscar nominations to her name (a supporting nod for the 1989 tearjerker Steel Magnolias and a leading lady bid for Pretty Woman), she shot to stardom and landed roles in films such as the supernatural thriller Flatliners,  and Steven Spielberg's fantasy film, Hook.

In 1991 she removed herself from the limelight, surfacing briefly in Robert Altman’s 1992 film The Prayer, and emerged focused and triumphant with the 1993 blockbuster The Pelican Brief. 

Julia also enjoyed huge success in the romantic comedy genre in the 90s', starring in films such as My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill. 

In 2000, Julia won the ultimate accolade when she received the Oscar award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the unstoppable legal secretary Erin Brockovich in the eponymously named title. In 2014, she received another Oscar nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actress’, for her role in August: Osage County.

Since the 2000s, the actress has starred in numerous Hollywood films, including Eat Pray Love, Larry Crowne, Money Monster, and Ticket to Paradise

Julia Roberts' personal life

After grabbing the public’s attention in 1988’s Mystic Pizza, Julia’s relationships became a source of media frenzy. In 1993, Julia married country singer Lyle Lovett, but the pair divorced in June of 1995. Other romances involved Liam Neeson, Kiefer Sutherland and Matthew Perry

From 1998 to 2001, Julia dated actor Benjamin Bratt, however, three-and-a-half years later, the couple decided to split. While working on The Mexican, in which she co-starred with Brad Pitt, Julia met cameraman Danny Moder. The couple married in an ultra-secret midnight ceremony at her New Mexican ranch in 2002. They went on to welcome twins Hazel and Phinnaeus in 2004, and a third child, Henry Daniel in 2007.

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