Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967)[2] is an American actress and producer. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), which grossed $464 million worldwide. After winning two Golden Globe Awards and also receiving Academy Award nominations for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Pretty Woman, she won the Academy Award for Best Actressfor her performance in Erin Brockovich (2000). 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 inAugust: Osage County, for which she received her fourth Academy Award nomination. 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;[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] Roberts 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] Early life and family[edit] 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 attendedGeorgia 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[edit] 1987–1989[edit] 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[edit] 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 afterMichelle 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 inSteven 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 Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993), based on John Grisham's 1992 novel of the same name.[26] In 1996, she appeared in season 2 of Friends (episode 13 "The One After the Superbowl"). Roberts recorded her scenes from January 6–8, 1996.[30]She had a relationship with cast member Matthew Perry at the time,[31][32][33][34] 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'."[35] She was offered the role of Lucy Eleanor Moderatz in While You Were Sleeping (1995), but turned it down.[29] 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 regularBenjamin 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[edit] 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 withOcean's Eleven director, Steven Soderbergh in December 2001. Roberts' first film following Erin Brockovich was the romantic comedy America's Sweethearts along with Billy Crystal, John Cusack, andCatherine Zeta-Jones. Directed by Joe Roth, the Hollywood farce centers on a supercouple, Gwen and Eddie, who separate when she dumps him for another man. Roberts portrayed Gwen's once-overweight sister and assistant who has been secretly in love with Eddie (Cusack) for years. Reviews of the film were generally unfavorable: critics' felt that despite its famous cast, the movie lacked "sympathetic characters" and was "only funny in spurts." [39] A commercial success, it grossed over $138 million worldwide however.[40] Later in 2001 she starred in Gore Verbinski's road gangster comedy, The Mexican, giving her a chance to work with long-time friend, Brad Pitt. The film's script was originally intended to be filmed as an independent production without major motion picture stars, but Roberts and Pitt, who had for some time been looking for a project they could do together, learned about it and decided to sign on. Though advertised as a typical romantic comedy star vehicle, the film does not focus solely on the Pitt/Roberts relationship and the two shared relatively little screen time together. Ultimately, The Mexican earned $66.8 million at the U.S. box office.[41] 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.