Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts | |
|---|---|
 Roberts at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Jesus Henry Christ, which she produced | |
| Born | Julia Fiona Roberts October 28, 1967 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) | Lyle Lovett (m. 1993–1995; divorced) Daniel Moder (m. 2002–present; 3 children) |
| Relatives | 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 in for her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). Her films My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Mystic Pizza (1988), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), Valentine's Day (2010), The Pelican Brief (1993), Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Twelve (2004) have collectively brought box office receipts of over $2.4 billion, making her one of the most successful actors in terms of box office receipts.[1]
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;[2] 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.[3]
Roberts has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" eleven times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2001, Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in America, ahead of then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and former first lady Laura Bush.[4] Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films.
Early life and family
Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts.[5][6] She has English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German and Swedish descent.[7][8] Her parents were Baptist and Catholic,[9] and she was raised Catholic.[10][11] Her older brother Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece Emma Roberts, are also actors. Julia's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces and later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Julia, 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. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Julia's mother gave birth to Julia.[12] Julia's mother filed for divorce in 1971, with the divorce being finalized early in 1972.[13] The family moved to Smyrna, Georgia in 1972, where Roberts attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.[14] Her mother married Michael Motes and had daughter Nancy Motes in 1976. Julia's father died of cancer when she was ten.[15]
In school, Roberts played clarinet in the band. She wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to join her siblings and pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Clack modeling agency and enrolled in acting classes. She reverted to her original name "Julia Roberts" when she discovered that a "Julie Roberts" was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild. Her niece Emma Roberts, whom Roberts used to take to movie sets when she was a young girl, has joined her father and aunts in the acting business.[15]
Career
1986–1989
Roberts made her first big screen appearance in the film Satisfaction (1988), released on February 12, 1988. She had previously performed a small role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (1986) (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. The following year, she was featured in Steel Magnolias as a young bride with diabetes and got both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award (Motion Picture Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.
1990–2000
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.[16] The role also earned her a second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress and second Golden Globe Award 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 demented 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?"[17] She was offered the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) but turned it down.[18]
She co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name. She also starred alongside Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996). In 1995, she appeared in season 2 of Friends (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6–8, 1996.[19] She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time,[20][21][22][23] 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'."[24] She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in While You Were Sleeping (1995) but also turned it down.[18]
Over the next few years, she starred in a series of films that were critical and commercial failures, such as Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996). Roberts overcame these failures with the commercial and critical success of 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.[18] 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). Also in 1999, she starred in the critically panned film Stepmom (1998) alongside Susan Sarandon.[25]
2001–2005
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.[26] Roberts would team up with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for three more films: Ocean's Eleven (2001), Full Frontal (2002), and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Later in 2001, she starred in the road gangster comedy The Mexican giving her a chance to work with longtime friend Brad Pitt. 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.[27]
2006–present
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.
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[28] and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, her performance drew criticism. New York Times' critic Ben Brantly described her as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the first act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the two characters she plays."[29] 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."[29] 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.[30] Julia 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[31] had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since America's Sweethearts.[32] Later in the year, she signed a five-year extension with Lancôme for £32 million (US$50 million).[33] In 2011, she co-starred as Mercedes Tainot opposite Tom Hanks who directed and played the title role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne.[34] The movie has received generally bad reviews with only 35% of the 175 Rotten Tomatoes reviews giving it high ratings,[35] although Roberts' comedic performance was praised.[36]
American Girl films
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.[37]
Personal life
Relationships
Roberts has had reported romantic relationships with numerous famous men, including Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, Kiefer Sutherland,[38] Jason Patric,[39] Lyle Lovett, Matthew Perry, and Benjamin Bratt. She was briefly engaged to McDermott, her Steel Magnolias co-star, and supposedly suffered from mental issues resulting from that break-up according to director Steven Spielberg on the set of the film Hook.[40] She met Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in Flatliners. In August 1990, Roberts and Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for June 14, 1991. Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding. Roberts subsequently went to Ireland with Jason Patric, a friend of Sutherland's.[41] On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett. The wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana, near where Lovett was appearing on tour with his band.[42] In March 1995, the couple separated, and subsequently divorced.[43]
In 1998, Roberts began dating Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt, and he was her escort for the March 25, 2001 Academy Awards ceremony at which she won her Oscar. Three months later, in June 2001, Roberts and Bratt announced that they were no longer a couple. "It's come to a kind and tenderhearted end," she said of their relationship.[44]
Roberts met her current husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, 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 Moder. 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.[45] Together, they have three children, twins Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder (born November 28, 2004) and Henry Daniel Moder (born June 18, 2007).[46]
Beliefs
Roberts disclosed in a 2010 interview for Elle magazine that she believes in and practices Hinduism.[47][48][49] Roberts is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). A picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew Roberts to Hinduism.[50]
Charities
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".[51][52] The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said.[51] UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time.[51][52]
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.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Crime Story | Tracy | Episode "The Survivor" (1.19) |
| 1988 | Miami Vice | Polly Wheeler | Season 4 episode 22: "Mirror Image" |
| 1988 | Baja Oklahoma | Candy Hutchins | TV |
| 1996 | Friends | Susie Moss | Episode "The One After the Superbowl: Part 2" (2.13) |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Katrina Ludlow | Episode "Empire" Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Drama Series |
| 2003 | Freedom: A History Of Us | Virginia Eyewitness | 2 episodes: "What Is Freedom?" (1.07); "Yearning to Breathe Free" (1.10) |
| 2010 | Hope For Haiti Now | Herself | Telethon for Haiti earthquake relief |
References
- ^ "People Index". Box Office Mojo. February 5, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Julia Roberts". The-numbers.com. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment". Forbes. January 17, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ The power index[dead link]
- ^ Taylor, Clarke (November 24, 1983). "ERIC ROBERTS: HIS 'STAR 80' SHINES". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ "genealogy". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Julia Robert's Swedish ancestors" in Swedish, Genealogi.se
- ^ "Julia Roberts Isn't a Roberts" February 27, 2011, Huffington Post
- ^ Oh, Eunice (August 4, 2010). "Why Julia Roberts refuses to get Botox". CNN International. Retrieved August 4, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Talmadge, Eric (August 18, 2010). "'Eat Pray Love' star Julia Roberts happy as is". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
Julia, who was raised a Catholic...
- ^ "Hindu Julia Roberts: I'm Done Talking About Religion". Huffington Post. USA. August 18, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ "JULIA ROBERTS – CORETTA SCOTT KING WAS JULIA ROBERTS' FAIRY GODMOTHER". Contact Music. February 10, 2006. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ Julia: Her Life, James Spada. St Martin's Press, New York. Page 32
- ^ "Julia Roberts." The New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b Profile Info 2 India
- ^ "Pretty Woman: 20th anniversary re-release". Total Film. Future Publishing Limited. January 25, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ People Magazine – Celebrity Central/Top 25 Celebs, Julia Roberts, Biography
- ^ a b c "Great roles actors have turned down". Yahoo Movies.
- ^ Dubin, Murray (January 9, 1996). "CBS Will Revisit 'Knots Landing' In A Miniseries". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D02.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Webster, Dan (January 10, 1996). "It Ain't A Cure For Cancer, But You'll Read It Anyway". The Spokesman-Review. p. F2.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Fee, Gayle (January 16, 1996). "Inside Track". Boston Herald. p. 3.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Front". The Miami Herald. January 18, 1996. p. 2A.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Steffan, Janine Dallas (February 22, 1996). "Seen, Heard, Said". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ White, Stuart (January 14, 1996). "Julia's faxed up with new fella (And Hollywood's Pretty Woman can't keep her hands off him)". News of the World. p. 25.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Stepmom (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
- ^ "Julia Roberts' Oscar bias obvious to Hollywood peers". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. April 5, 2002. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ "Julia becomes Dave Matthews' 'Dreamgirl': Band gets Roberts to appear in her first-ever music video". Access Hollywood. MSNBC. August 17, 2005. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa (April 13, 2006). "Julia rains money on Broadway". USA Today. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Brantley, Ben (April 20, 2006). "Enough Said About 'Three Days of Rain.' Let's Talk Julia Roberts!". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
- ^ "Julia Roberts’s Newest Role: Lancôme Spokesperson." People. December 4, 2009.
- ^ Julia Roberts: Eat Pray Love in ELLE Magazine September 2010
- ^ 'Expendables' Explode, 'Eat Pray Love' Carbo-Loads, 'Scott Pilgrim' Powers Down
- ^ Nichol, Katie (September 18, 2010). "Julia Roberts is sitting pretty – on a £32million make-up deal". Daily Mail. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (June 30, 2011). "Stymied in Middle Age, Reaching for a New Life". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ "Larry Crowne (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (July 21, 2011). "How good is 'Larry Crowne'?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ Julia Roberts at IMDb
- ^ "Miss Roberts Regrets" People, July 1, 1991
- ^ Dargis, Manohla. "Movies: AboutJason Patric". The New York Times.
- ^ Ana Maria Bahiana (March 1992). "Hook", Cinema Papers, pp. 67—69.
- ^ Lague, Louise (July 1, 1991). "Miss Roberts Regrets". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Levitt, Shelley (August 8, 1994). "State of Their Union". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Schneider, Karen (April 10, 1995). "One Last Sad Song". People.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (July 11, 2001). "Julia Roberts Lays It on the Line". People.
- ^ Schneider, Karen (July 11, 2002). "Hideaway Bride". People. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
- ^ "Julia Roberts Welcomes a Baby Boy". People.com. June 18, 2007.
- ^ Blake, Heidi (August 5, 2010). "Julia Roberts: I'm a Hindu". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Julia Roberts takes up Hinduism". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. August 6, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Oh, Eunice (August 4, 2010). "Why Julia Roberts Refuses to Get Botox". People. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Julia Roberts' Journey in 'Eat Pray Love'". ABC News. August 9, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Educating Julia Roberts Brings a Touch of Useful Glamour to Haiti". People. May 29, 1995.
- ^ a b "UNICEF's Newest Goodwill Ambassador". Jet. 88 (3): 12. May 29, 1995.
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Further reading
- Mark Bego. Julia Rica's Sweetheart (New York: AMI Books, 2003)
- Paul Donnelley. Julia Roberts Confidential: The Unauthorised Biography (London: Virgin, 2003)
- Frank Sanello. Julia Roberts: Pretty Superstar (Edinburgh: Mainstream 2000)
- James Spada. Julia: Her Life (New York: St Martin's Press, 2004)
External links
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Actors Studio alumni
- American film actors
- American female models
- American Hindus
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- BAFTA winners (people)
- Best Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Converts from Roman Catholicism
- Converts to Hinduism
- Georgia State University alumni
- Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Atlanta, Georgia
- People from Cobb County, Georgia
- People from Taos County, New Mexico