Julia Roberts was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Walter and Betty Roberts. Her father was a vacuum cleaner salesman, actor, and writer, and her mother was a church secretary and actress. Her parents divorced when she was five, and her mother remarried Michael Motes. Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but soon after graduating from Campbell High School she headed to New York to join her sister and pursue a career in acting. Once there she signed with Click modeling agency and enrolled in acting classes.

Her break into show business is due in large part to the efforts of her brother, Eric, who was cast in the movie BLOOD RED. He convinced the director to let his sister join the cast. A year later her role in STEEL MAGNOLIAS made her a star. She won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie. Her fame was solidified the next year with the hit PRETTY WOMAN in which she portrayed a prostitute with whom the wealthy Richard Gere falls in love. She won another Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for that role. Since then Roberts has had a string of starring roles and recently received another Golden Globe nomination for MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING. She was also nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on an episode of the television show LAW & ORDER. She has a production company called Shoelace Productions and splits her time between her homes in New York, the Hollywood Hills, and a fifty acre retreat in Taos, New Mexico.

CHRONOLOGY

1967

She was born in Atlanta, Georgia. (October 28)

1972

Her parents divorced. She moved with her mother and stepfather, Michael Motes, to Smyrna, a suburb of Atlanta.

1977

Her father died of cancer.

1985

She graduated from Campbell High School.

1987

FIREHOUSE - film

1988

BLOOD RED, MYSTIC PIZZA, SATISFACTION - films

1989

STEEL MAGNOLIAS - film; She won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

1990

PRETTY WOMAN, FLATLINERS - films; She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in PRETTY WOMAN.

1991

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY, HOOK, DYING YOUNG - films

1992

THE PLAYER - film

1993

THE PELICAN BRIEF - film; She married Lyle Lovett.

1994

PRET-A-PORTER, I LOVE TROUBLE - films

1995

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT - film; She and Lyle Lovett divorced.

1996

EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU, MARY REILLY, MICHAEL COLLINS - films

1997

CONSPIRACY THEORY, MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING - films

1998

STEPMOM, THE WOMEN - film; She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING.

1999

RUNAWAY BRIDE, NOTTING HILL - films; She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest appearance on an episode of LAW & ORDER.

2000