Eric Roberts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Roberts
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Roberts in 2012
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Eric Anthony Roberts
April 18, 1956 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Eliza Garrett
(m. 1992) |
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| Children | Emma Roberts |
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Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has acted in over 700 movies and TV shows, making him one of the busiest actors who speaks English.
Eric Roberts started his acting career with a main role in the movie King of the Gypsies (1978). For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He also received another Golden Globe nomination for his part in Star 80 (1983). Roberts was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Runaway Train (1985). In this film, he played a prison escapee named Buck McGeehy.
Some of Eric Roberts' well-known movies include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), The Cable Guy (1996), and The Dark Knight (2008). He also appeared in The Expendables (2010). Eric Roberts is a black belt in taekwondo. He showed his martial arts skills in movies like Best of the Best (1989) and its sequel Best of the Best II (1993).
On television, Eric Roberts has also been very active. He was nominated for a Satellite Award for his roles in the TV miniseries In Cold Blood (1997) and the sitcom Less than Perfect (2002–2005). He won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor for Less than Perfect. He played the Master in the 1996 Doctor Who television film. He also had recurring roles on TV shows like Heroes (2007–2010) and Suits (2014–2019).
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Becoming an Actor: Eric Roberts' Early Life
Eric Anthony Roberts was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on April 18, 1956. His parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, were actors and playwrights. They met while performing in a play for the armed forces. In 1963, they started the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta. They also ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia.
Eric's younger sisters, Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan, are also actors. His parents divorced in 1971. Eric stayed with his father in Atlanta. His father, Walter, passed away from cancer in March 1977.
Eric Roberts' Acting Journey
Eric Roberts started his acting career in 1974. His first role was in the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage. He also appeared in another soap opera called Another World in 1977.
He earned Golden Globe Award nominations for his early main roles. These were in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983). In 1985, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was for his role as the escaped convict Buck in Runaway Train. In 1987, he won the Theatre World Award for his first performance on Broadway in Burn This.
Other main roles for Eric Roberts include Raggedy Man (1981) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). He also starred in Best of the Best (1989) and The Specialist (1994).
In 1996, he appeared in the Doctor Who television film. He played the villain the Master. His real-life wife played the Master's onscreen wife in the film. He also co-starred in the 1996 TV miniseries In Cold Blood. For this role, he was nominated for a Satellite Award.
Roberts also co-starred in the TV comedy Less than Perfect. He appeared in an episode of CSI: Miami. He also guest-starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Eric Roberts has also done voice acting. He voiced the Superman villain Mongul in the animated series Justice League. He also voiced Dark Danny in Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. He appeared in the first season of Heroes as Thompson.
Movies and Music Videos (2000s)
In 2003, Eric Roberts appeared in The Killers' music video for their song "Mr. Brightside". He later appeared in their 2012 music video for "Miss Atomic Bomb". In 2005, he was in music videos for Mariah Carey's songs "We Belong Together" and "It's Like That".
In 2006, he starred in the drama movie A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. This movie was successful and received good reviews. He also appeared in the music video for Akon's "Smack That". That same year, he had a role in the romantic comedy film Phat Girlz. He also had a major role in the martial arts action film DOA: Dead or Alive.
In 2007, Roberts starred in the TV miniseries Pandemic. He played the mayor of Los Angeles. On July 18, 2008, he appeared in The Dark Knight. He played Sal Maroni, a Gotham City Mafia boss.
Action Films and TV Roles (2009-2011)
In 2009, Eric Roberts appeared as himself in an episode of Entourage. He also starred in the independent movie The Chaos Experiment. He had a main role in the action movie The Butcher.
In June 2010, it was announced that he would join the cast of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The next month, the action film The Expendables was released. Roberts played a main villain in this movie. The film was directed by and starred Sylvester Stallone. It was about a group of mercenaries trying to overthrow a dictator. Roberts' character, James Munroe, was an ex-CIA officer. He was keeping the dictator in power for his own profit.
Later in 2010, he appeared with his Expendables co-stars Steve Austin and Gary Daniels in the action film Hunt to Kill. In October 2010, he played a major role in the family movie First Dog.
In 2011, he guest-starred in USA Network's Burn Notice. He also acted in the drama film Shannon's Rainbow. Later that year, he acted in the horror comedy film Chillerama. This movie was praised by critics and became a cult favorite.
Diverse Roles (2012-2015)
In 2012, Eric Roberts starred in the mystery thriller Deadline. He played a reporter named Ronnie Bullock. He also appeared in the horror film Snow White: A Deadly Summer. He had a recurring role in the TV series The Finder. He played Uncle Shadrack, a leader of a Romani family. He also starred in the movie The Mark.
In 2013, he was in the children's film A Talking Cat!?!. He had a small role in the film Lovelace, which was about actress Linda Lovelace. He also starred in the movie Pop Star. He was in the drama film Before I Sleep, which received good reviews. In November 2013, he had a major role in the thriller drama film Assumed Killer. He also voiced a character in the animated short movie Dante's Hell Animated.
In 2014, he starred in the film Inherent Vice. This movie was nominated for two Academy Awards. It was also named one of the ten best films of the year by the National Board of Review. He also had a role in the indie film The Opposite Sex.
Between 2014 and 2015, Roberts played the character Charles Forstman in the TV legal drama Suits. In 2015, he appeared in season 5 of Lost Girl. He also appeared in music videos for Rihanna and Chris Cornell.
Recent Work (2016-Present)
In 2016, Eric Roberts starred in the Nigerian comedy drama movie A Trip to Jamaica. This film broke many box office records in Nigeria. It also became the highest-grossing film in London during its limited run. That same year, Roberts was in season 4 of the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He played the character Jimmy Figgis. He also played Robert Avery in Grey's Anatomy.
In 2017, he had a major role in the horror thriller film The Institute. In 2018, he appeared in the UK reality show Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. He also featured in Enrique Iglesias' music video for "El Baño". He had a role in the drama film Papa.
In a 2018 interview, Roberts explained why he has made so many movies. He said that after not getting many offers from big film studios, he started making many "B movies." He said he made about 30 films in two or three years.
In 2019, he starred in the crime thriller Night Walk. He also had a major role in the action movie The Reliant. He appeared in the sci-fi movie The Immortal Wars: Resurgence. He also played a supporting role in the family movie A Karate Christmas Miracle. In 2019, he returned to voice his character, the Master, for Doctor Who audio dramas.
Since 2020, Eric Roberts has continued to star in many movies. These include Reboot Camp and Top Gunner. He also appeared in the DC Comics short movie Pamela & Ivy. In January 2021, Roberts voiced the Master again in a special Doctor Who audio drama. In March 2021, he appeared in his own spinoff series called Master!. In 2022, he co-starred in Dog Boy. He also had a recurring role in the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones.
In 2022, Eric Roberts announced his support for Ukraine. He said he used to be very popular in Russia, but he stopped working there after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Eric Roberts' memoir, or life story book, is called Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far. It is planned to be published in September 2024.
Eric Roberts' Family Life
Family Background
On a 2023 episode of Finding Your Roots, it was discovered that Eric Roberts' biological great-great-grandfather's last name was Mitchell, not Roberts. Eric Roberts is also a distant cousin of fellow actor Edward Norton.
Relationships and Children
Eric Roberts had a relationship with actress Sandy Dennis for five years. In 1981, he was in a car accident near their home. He was in a coma for three days but recovered.
He has a daughter named Emma Roberts from a relationship with Kelly Cunningham. Emma was born on February 10, 1991. She also became an actress, making her first major film appearance at age 10.
After his relationship with Kelly Cunningham, Eric Roberts married Eliza Garrett in 1992. Her parents were screenwriters. His stepson, Keaton Simons, is a singer-songwriter. His stepdaughter, Morgan Simons, is a chef. Eric Roberts became a grandfather in December 2020 when Emma had her first child.
In 2001, Eric Roberts confirmed that he and his sister, Julia Roberts, had not been close for several years. However, in 2004, he told People magazine that they became friends again. This happened when he visited her in the hospital after she gave birth to twins.
Images for kids
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Roberts in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Eric Roberts para niños
