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 is known for appearing in a very large number of movies and TV shows, with more than 700 roles. This makes him one of the busiest actors in the English-speaking world.
His career started with a main role in the movie King of the Gypsies (1978). This role earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated for a Golden Globe again for playing Paul Snider in Star 80 (1983). For his part in Runaway Train (1985), he received a third Golden Globe nomination and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Some of the many films Roberts has been in include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), The Specialist (1994), The Cable Guy (1996), National Security (2003), The Dark Knight (2008), The Expendables (2010), and Babylon (2022).
On television, he is the only non-British actor to play the Master in the 1996 Doctor Who television film. He also had recurring roles on the TV shows Heroes (2007–2010), The Young and the Restless (2010–2011), and Suits (2014–2019).
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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. In 1963, they started the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta. They also ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia.
Roberts's younger sisters, Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan, are also actors. In 1972, his parents divorced. Eric lived with his father in Atlanta, while his sisters moved with their mother to Smyrna. His father passed away from cancer in 1977.
Acting Career
Eric Roberts has had a long and busy career in movies and television. He started acting in 1974 on the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage.
Early Success and Awards
Roberts quickly became known for his talent. He earned Golden Globe Award nominations for his roles in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983). In 1985, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing an escaped prisoner in Runaway Train. He also won a Theatre World Award in 1987 for his first performance on Broadway in the play Burn This.
Notable Movie Roles
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Roberts starred in many films. These included The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Best of the Best (1989), Final Analysis (1992), and The Specialist (1994).
In 1996, he played the Master in the Doctor Who television film. His real-life wife, Eliza, also appeared in the movie. He also starred in the TV miniseries In Cold Blood that same year.
Television and Voice Acting
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Roberts has appeared in many popular TV shows. He was in the comedy Less than Perfect and had guest roles on CSI: Miami and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
He also has a talent for voice acting. He voiced the Superman villain Mongul in the animated series Justice League. He was also the voice of Dark Danny in the Nickelodeon show Danny Phantom. From 2007 to 2010, he played the character Thompson in the popular series Heroes.
Roles in the 2000s
In 2008, Roberts played the mafia boss Sal Maroni in the hit movie The Dark Knight. He also appeared in several music videos, including "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers and "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey.
In 2010, he played the main villain in the action movie The Expendables, alongside stars like Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. He also joined the cast of the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
Recent Work
Roberts has continued to act in a wide variety of projects. Between 2014 and 2015, he had a recurring role as Charles Forstman in the legal drama Suits. He also appeared in the Canadian TV show Lost Girl and the American comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
In 2018, he appeared in the UK reality show Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. He has also returned to the world of Doctor Who, voicing his version of the Master for Big Finish Productions audio dramas. In 2022, he had a recurring role in the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones.
In 2024, Roberts competed on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars. He also released his memoir, Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far.
Personal life
Family and Relationships
For five years in the 1980s, Roberts was in a relationship with actress Sandy Dennis.
He has a daughter, Emma Roberts, who was born on February 10, 1991. Emma is also a successful actress. In 1992, Eric Roberts married Eliza Garrett. Through his marriage, he has a stepson, Keaton Simons, who is a singer-songwriter, and a stepdaughter, Morgan Simons, who is a chef.
In December 2020, Roberts became a grandfather when his daughter Emma had her first child.
For a time, Eric and his sister, Julia Roberts, were not close. However, they reconnected in 2004 when he visited her in the hospital after she gave birth to her twins.
Ancestry
In 2023, an episode of the TV show Finding Your Roots revealed a surprise about the Roberts family history. It showed that their great-great-grandfather's last name was Mitchell, not Roberts. The show also discovered that Eric Roberts is a distant cousin of actor Edward Norton.
See also
In Spanish: Eric Roberts para niños
