One of the highest-paid and most influential American actresses, Julia Roberts was born in 1967 in Smyrna, Georgia. Roberts made her screen debut in the late ‘80s television series Crime Story.
By the end of ‘80s she starred in Steel Magnolias, earning an Academy Award nomination for her performance. Then, a year later, Roberts played one of her most iconic roles in Pretty Woman.
After graduating from high school in 1985, Roberts moved to New York City to live with her sister, Lisa, and her brother, Eric, who were pursuing acting careers.
In New York, Roberts joined the family business, appearing as a guest on the television series Crime Story in 1987. Throughout the 1990s, she appeared in many films like Flatliners, Sleeping with the Enemy, Something to Talk About, and My Best Friend’s Wedding.
Throughout her successful career, Roberts made a few missteps. Her 1991 films Dying Young and Hook didn’t get good reviews or do well at the box office. But that changed when she took a break and then starred in The Pelican Brief in 1993.
In that same year, Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett got married; they planned their wedding in just two days during a brief break Roberts took from filming The Pelican Brief.
Despite the intense media attention and the divorce 21 months later, both Roberts and Lovett have consistently stated in interviews after the divorce that the marriage was not a mistake and that they had many great memories.
“Never a mistake. Too many great things came out of it. We have this great shared experience that never had any nasty moments. What we had doesn’t come close to the mistake category.” Roberts said.
With many good films in the ‘90s, Roberts’ breakthrough came in 2000 with her role in Erin Brockovich. Roberts won several awards for her performance, including her first Oscar. Her other Hollywood milestone was her $20 million salary for the film, making her the first woman to earn that amount.
“The salary hasn’t changed what I’m doing or how I approach my work, and it doesn’t make me a better actor. It’s just a reward. What changes is the fact that everybody wants to talk about how much you get paid. Which, where I come from, is an inappropriate thing to talk about. No offense,” she once said.
In 2000, Roberts also launched her own production company, Shoelace Productions.
Alongside her film appearances, in 2006 Roberts made her Broadway debut in Three Days of Rain. The year after, she appeared in Wilson’s War, a film based on true events surrounding the U.S. government’s involvement in the Afghan resistance to the Soviets in the 1980s.
Throughout her career, Roberts supported numerous charitable organizations, including UNICEF and the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
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