Emma Roberts biography

Synopsis

Childhood and Family Background

Emma Roberts was born on February 10, 1991, in Rhinebeck, New York, to actor Eric Roberts and his girlfriend Kelly Cunningham. Her parents split when she was less than a year old, and Roberts was raised by her mother and became estranged from her father. However, she remained close to her father's sisters, actress Lisa Roberts Gillan and movie star Julia Roberts. She later recalled that her early love of acting came from time spent on movie sets with "Aunt Julia." When Roberts was only 8 years old, her famous aunt helped to place her in a small, uncredited role in the 2001 romantic comedy America's Sweethearts.

Early Roles

At the age of 10, Roberts began to go on auditions. She was cast as the daughter of Johnny Depp's character in Blow in 2001 and then received small parts in several other films. She attended The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles for a short time, but she received most of her education through homeschooling and tutoring on movie sets.

From 2004 through 2007 Roberts starred in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous, playing Addie Singer, a junior high school student who writes songs about her own life. She also performed on the series’ soundtrack album, Unfabulous and More, released in 2005.

Film Career

Roberts was also beginning to receive roles in films geared toward a "tween" audience. In 2006 she appeared in the fantasy-comedy Aquamarine, a story about two friends who discover a mermaid living in a swimming pool. In 2007 she played the title role of Nancy Drew in a film inspired by the classic detective stories. This performance brought Roberts greater name recognition and parts in other family-friendly films, including Wild Child in 2008 and Hotel for Dogs in 2009.

Meanwhile, Roberts started to make a transition into more serious roles in adult films. In 2008 she was featured in Derek Martini's independent film Lymelife. She was especially busy in 2010: She was cast as a self-mutilating teen in the offbeat comedy-drama It's Kind of a Funny Story; she had a central role in the flashy crime thriller 4.3.2.1.; she took part in the ensemble cast of the romance-themed Valentine's Day (which also featured Julia Roberts) and she appeared opposite Chace Crawford in Joel Schumacher's crime film Twelve.

After a brief enrollment at Sarah Lawrence College, Roberts returned to acting full-time. She worked with director Wes Craven in the slasher sequel Scream 4 in 2011, and in 2012 she played fictional pop star Riley Banks in Celeste and Jesse Forever, an independent romantic comedy starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg.