Julia Roberts
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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 October 28, 1967 Smyrna, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, executive producer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Religion | Hinduism[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Lyle Lovett (m. 1993–95) Daniel Moder (m. 2002) |
| Children | 3 |
| Family | Eric Roberts (brother) Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister) Emma Roberts (niece) |
Her films Mystic Pizza (1988), The Pelican Brief (1993), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Conspiracy Theory (1997), 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.[3] In 2013, she appeared in August: Osage County, for which she received her fourth Academy Award nomination.
Roberts was 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;[4] 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.[5] She 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.[6]
Contents
Early life and family
Roberts was born in Smyrna, Georgia,[2][7] to Betty Lou (née Bredemus; b. 1934) and Walter Grady Roberts (1933–1977).[2][7][8] She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.[9][10] Her father was a Baptist, her mother a Roman Catholic,[11] and she was raised a Catholic.[12][13] Her older brother, Eric Roberts, from whom she was estranged until 2004, sister Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece Emma Roberts, are also actors. Roberts's 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. They ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia, while they were expecting Julia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school with Walter Roberts acting as Yolanda Denise King's acting coach.[14] As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid Mrs. Roberts's hospital bill when Julia was born.[15]Her parents married in 1965.[citation needed] Roberts's mother filed for divorce in 1971; the divorce was finalized in early 1972.[16] From 1972 Roberts lived in Smyrna, Georgia, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.[17] In 1972, her mother married Michael Motes, who was abusive and often unemployed; Julia despised him.[18] The couple had a daughter, Nancy Motes, who died at 37 on February 9, 2014 of an apparent drug overdose.[19] The marriage ended in 1983, with Betty Lou divorcing Motes on cruelty grounds; she stated that marrying him was the biggest mistake of her life.[18] Roberts's own father died of cancer when she was ten.[20]
Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child.[21] She also played the clarinet in her school band.[22][23] After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she attended Georgia State University, but did not graduate. She later headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.[24][25]
Career
1987–1989
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;[26] 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.[26]1990–2000
Roberts became known to worldwide audiences when she starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story, Pretty Woman, in 1990.[26] 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) turned it down.[27] 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).[26] 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?"[28] She was offered the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), but turned it down.[29]
Roberts at the Deauville American Film Festival in Normandy, France, September 1990.
Roberts co-starred with Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996).[26] 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.[29] She starred in the films Stepmom (1998), alongside Susan Sarandon,[36] Notting Hill (1999), with Hugh Grant, and, also in 1999, 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 a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[37]
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.[38]
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Roberts with Ocean's Eleven director, Steven Soderbergh in December 2001.
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.[42] A success with critics and at the box office alike, Ocean's Eleven became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year with a total of $450 million worldwide.[43]
Deployed troops show Julia Roberts the controls of an F-15.
In 2004, Roberts replaced Cate Blanchett in Mike Nichols's Closer, a romantic drama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name.[46] 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.[46] 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.[47] 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.[48] In 2005, she was featured in the music video for the single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band; it was her first music video appearance.[49]
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 and was subsequently shown in European cinemas; it did not get a North American release until 2011.
Roberts in Paris promoting Eat Pray Love, September 2010.
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[54] had the highest debut at the box office for Roberts in a top-billed role since America's Sweethearts.[55] Later in the year, she signed a five-year extension with Lancôme for GB£32 million (US$50 million).[56] In 2011, she co-starred as Mercedes Tainot opposite Tom Hanks who directed and played the title role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne.[57] The movie received generally bad reviews with only 35% of the 175 Rotten Tomatoes reviews giving it high ratings,[58] although Roberts's comedic performance was praised.[59] Roberts appeared in the 2012 Tarsem Singh adaptation of Snow White, titled Mirror Mirror, playing the Evil Queen.[60]
In 2013, Roberts appeared in August: Osage County, playing one of Meryl Streep's character's three daughters.[61] Her performance in it earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, amongst other accolades.[62][63][64][65] It was her fourth Academy Award nomination.[66]
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.[67]Personal life
Relationships and marriages
Roberts reportedly had romantic relationships with actors Jason Patric, Liam Neeson, Kiefer Sutherland, Dylan McDermott, and Matthew Perry.[68][69] On June 25, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana.[70] They separated in March 1995 and subsequently divorced.[71] From 1998 to 2001, Roberts dated actor Benjamin Bratt.[72]Roberts and her 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,[73] at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico.[74] Together, they have three children: twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter Moder (born November 28, 2004)[75] and Henry Daniel Moder (born June 18, 2007).[76]
Religious beliefs
Roberts disclosed in a 2010 interview for Elle magazine that she believes in and practices Hinduism.[77][78][79] Roberts is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). A picture of Neem Karoli Baba drew Roberts to Hinduism.[80]In September 2009, Swami Daram Dev of Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi, where Roberts was shooting Eat Pray Love, gave her children new names after Hindu gods: Laxmi for Hazel, Ganesh for Phinnaeus and Krishna Balram for Henry.[81]
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".[82][83] The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said.[82] UNICEF officials hoped that her six-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10 million in aid was sought at the time.[82][83]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.[84]
Filmography
Main article: Julia Roberts filmography
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Julia Roberts
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