Top 10 Facts about Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts attending the premiere of Jesus Henry Christ at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Photo by
David Shankbone-Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts is an iconic American actress with a career spanning over three decades. She began with an early breakthrough with her role in Mystic Pizza (1988) to a worldwide recognition role in the film Pretty Woman (1990). Since then, Roberts has starred in critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies.

Over the years, she has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable actresses and will remain influential in pop culture for decades. Discover interesting details about her in this article as we will explore the top 10 facts about Julia Roberts.

1. Roberts Come from a Family of Actors

Roberts was born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, to Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts. She is of diverse descent, including English, Irish, Scottish, Swedish, German, and Welsh. Her parents were one-time actors and playwrights and later founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta.

Some of her siblings are actors, including her older brother, Eric Roberts, and Lisa Roberts Gillan, her younger sister who is a film producer. As a child, Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian but later headed to New York City to pursue a career in acting.

While in New York, she signed up with the Click Modelling Agency and enrolled in acting classes.

2. Roberts Rose to Fame After Starring in Pretty Woman Film in 1990

Photo by Georges Biard-Wikimedia

Roberts began her acting career in the late 1980s, making her big screen debut with an appearance in the dramedy Satisfaction (1988). However, she gained a worldwide audience when she starred in Pretty Woman in 1990.

Her role in Pretty Woman earned her an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe Award win as Best Actress. The film saw the highest number of ticket sales in the United States ever for a romantic comedy and made $463.4 million worldwide.
The red dress Roberts wore in the film is considered one of the most famous gowns in cinema.

Also read: 30 Most Popular Actresses Of All Time

3. Roberts Has Starred in Many Movies

Julia Roberts is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and bankable stars. All the films she has starred in have collectedly grossed over $3.9 billion globally. She starred in various commercially successful films in the 1990s, including, My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), and Runaway Bride (1999).

She achieved success in the following decades with Movies like Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Valentine’s Day (2010), Eat Pray Love (2010), August: Osage County (2013), Wonder (2017), and Ticket to Paradise (2022).

In 2000, she became the first actress to be paid $20 million for the film Erin Brockovich and was paid $25 for the film Mona Lisa Smile, becoming the highest paid at that time.

4. Roberts Has Amassed Numerous Awards

Her career has been a huge success winning many numerous awards. For her role in Erin Brockovich, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award win for Best Actress for the film Pretty Woman.

Her performances in films have also earned her British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award, Critic’s Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, MTV Movie Award, Hollywood Film Festival Awards, and many others.

5. She Runs a Production Company

Photo by GabboT-Wikimedia Commons

Roberts runs the production company Red Om Films with her sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and Maria Yeres Gill. She has served as an executive producer for various projects throughout the company.

She has also starred in films such as Eat Pray Love, Homecoming and the first four films of the American Girl film series released between 2004 and 2008.

6. Roberts Was Raised Catholic but Later Converted to Hindu

Roberts’s father was a Baptist, her mother a Catholic, and she was raised as a catholic. In 2010, she revealed she was Hindu, and a devotee of the guru Neem Karoli Baba, a picture of whom drew Roberts to Hinduism.

Swami Daram Dev of Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi gave Roberts’s children new names after Hindu gods in September 2009: Laxmi for Hazel, Krishna Balram for Henry, and Ganesh for Phinnaeus.

Check out: Top 10 Facts About Hinduism

7. Roberts is An Active Philanthropist

She is known for her contribution to charitable activities. Roberts has contributed to UNICEF and has been UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1995, helping in raising funds to help children worldwide. Since 2018 she has been involved with Stand Up to Cancer to help raise funds for cancer research.

In addition, Robert was the voice of Mother Nature in a short film for Conservation International intended to raise awareness about climate change in 2014. She was also part of a Gucci campaign, “Chime for Change,” that aimed to spread female empowerment in 2013.

8. Roberts Has Been Featured in Various Endorsement

Photo by U.S. Department of State-Wikimedia

Over the years, Roberts has been a popular choice for endorsement. In 2006, she worked for the fashion label Gianfranco Ferre. Since 2009, she has been a global ambassador of Lancôme and appeared to promote the brand’s range of cosmetics and beauty products.

She was the face of Givenchy’s spring/ summer 2015 campaign and, in 2015 face of the Italian hosiery and swimwear brand Calzedonia.

9. Roberts Has Been Married Twice

She married country singer Lyle Lovett on June 25, 1993. Their wedding took place at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, Indiana. Unfortunately, they separated in March 1995 and later divorced.

She is married to cameraman Daniel Moder, whom they met on the set of her film The Mexican in 2000. They wedded on July 4, 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico. The couple has three children.

10. Roberts Attended College but Didn’t Graduate

From 1972, Roberts attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School. At Campbell High School, she played the Clarinet in her school band.

After graduating from Campbell High School, she joined Georgia State University but didn’t graduate because she went to New York to pursue her acting career. Despite not graduating, she has received many honorary degrees from several universities, including California State University, Georgia State University, and Miami University.

Also read: 25 Famous People Who Didn’t Go To College