Julia Roberts Biography

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Actress. Born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia. Julia Roberts is one of the most popular film actresses in the United States. She caught the public’s eye as the wild, but vulnerable Daisy in Mystic Pizza (1988). The next year, she cemented her status as a rising star in Steel Magnolias (1989), appearing alongside such acting legends as Shirley MacLaine and Sally Field. Roberts earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film.

After that, Roberts’ career really took off. One of her best known roles was a hooker who falls in love with a client played by Richard Gere in Pretty Woman (1990). Roberts then tackled a variety of dramatic and romantic roles in such films as The Pelican Brief (1993), Michael Collins (1996), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), Stepmom (1998), and Notting Hill (1999) with varying degrees of success. In 2000, she made a dramatic breakthrough with her powerful performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). In the film, she played the title character, a gutsy, struggling single mom. Based on a true story, Brockovich helped lead the fight against a California power company that allegedly destroyed a small town’s water supply. Roberts won several awards for the project, including her first Academy Award.

Since then, Roberts has taken some light-hearted roles, appearing with George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Ocean’s Twelve (2004), as well as some emotionally challenging parts, such as Closer (2004) with Clive Owen and Jude Law. Roberts also made her Broadway debut in Three Days of Rain in 2006. Her most recent film, Charlie Wilson’s War,  with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, was released in late December 2007. Roberts received a Globe Globe nomination in the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category for her portrayal of an anticommunist Texas socialite. Her character encourages Congressman Charlie Wilson to support freedom fighters in Afghanistan in their fight against the Soviet troops in their country. The film is based on a true story.

Roberts has been married to cameraman Danny Moder since 2002. In 2004, the couple welcomed twins—Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia and in 2007, their third child, Henry Daniel, was born. She was previously married to country singer Lyle Lovett from 1993 to 1995 and was once engaged to actor Kiefer Sutherland. Roberts has also been romantically linked to actors Benjamin Bratt, Matthew Perry, Jason Patric, and Liam Neeson.

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