Biography: From the moment of her appearance in the role of a street prostitute who wins the jack pot - the heart of the handsome millionaire (Richard Gere) - in PRETTY WOMAN, Julia Roberts was announced as one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood. In reality, she is not treated seriously as a dramatic actress. Her credo is romantic comedy and light drama. She has a peculiar prankish attractiveness comparable to that of  young Audrey Hepburn. Like Hepburn did, Roberts possesses a beauty not typical for Hollywood. Skinny like cane, with long legs and rich curly hair, she is more awkward than elegant. Her big grey eyes and big mouth can express the finest emotions on the screen.

The increased attention to her persona did not stop Julia from being Oscar nominated twice before celebrating her 24th birthday, and to be one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. The image of Julia as the girl  next door has its roots in reality as she was born in the small town of Smyrna near Atlanta, Georgia, daughter to a vacuum cleaner salesman and a church secretary. Her parents divorced when she was just 4 years old, and her father who had a deep relation to Julia, died of cancer five years after the divorce. Both her parents were artistic persons - some years before the birth of their daughter they arranged seminars for actors and scriptwriters. But in her childhood Julia dreamed of becoming a veterinary. She kept that dream until finishing high school, and at age 17 she went to her sister Lisa in New York, determined to become an actress.

She registered to some acting courses but finished none of them. For paying growing bills Julia signed a contract with a fashion agency called "Click". In 1986 her elder brother Eric persuaded director Eric Masterson into signing his sister for his film RED BLOOD. The film was shelved by critics even before it was shot (it was shown on the screen in 1990). Julia postponed her histrionic debut to 1988, an episodic role in the made-for-tv film "Criminal Story". In the same year Roberts deserved praise for her participation in two films - SATISFACTION and MYSTIC PIZZA. Critics predicted a promising future for the actress debutante and they were not mistaken. In 1989 she played the doomed bride in STEEL MAGNOLIAS which brought her an Oscar nomination for best actress.

In 1990 the film PRETTY WOMAN turned the talented beginner into a superstar, and she received another Oscar nomination. It is interesting to note that the script to PRETTY WOMAN originally was a drama resembling the script to LEAVING LAS VEGAS. That was before "Disney" bought the script, and the producers decided that the film should become a light romantic comedy. Director Harry Marshall had to comply - and it became an instant smash hit, whicch set a new record at the box-office. The following two films - NEIGHBOURS and SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY confirmed her histrionic talent.

Then came a period of disappointments; the films DYING YOUNG (1991) and HOOK (1991) did not gather sufficient audience to refer to them as successful ones. Gossip began to spread on Hollywood movie sets that Roberts was "a director's nightmare". She also had a troubled private life as the engagement of Julia with Keifer Sutherland ended in disaster when Julia found out about Keifer's secret meetings with stripteaser Amanda Ryce. The heavy trauma made Julia fly to Ireland with Sutherland's friend Jason Patrick. In 1992 she took a small role in Robert Altman's GAMBLER. 1993 began with a new romance between Julia and composer Lyle Lovett which lead to a marriage that lasted for 21 months. After the divorce the ex-couple still remained good friends.

In 1995 Julia returned to the American screen with Lasse Hallström's SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT, which brought back the critics' respect for her. Her role in the film EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU where she was Woody Allen's partner, became a success. Though Julia Roberts is not the most highly paid actress of Hollywood now, she still gets eight-digit salaries. In 1997 the thriller CONSPIRACY THEORY opened, the actress co-starred with Mel Gibson. During the same year she starred in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.

This biography was written by Vadim Osipov, visit his homepage: Julia Roberts on the web