Holly's Girls

Julia Roberts' million dollar smile and billion dollar movie career!

Julia's films have grossed $2.3 billion in the US while three movies; My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill, and Runaway Bride made $1 billion worldwide. Roberts became the first woman to ever get paid $20 million for a movie, when she signed on for Erin Brockovich. "My agent at the time deserves all the credit for that, a woman in the film industry representing a woman in the film industry," Julia told the Telegraph.

Julia Roberts was noticed first in Mystic Pizza, and got Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Steel Magnolias. Another Oscar nomination followed for Pretty Woman, where Julia was paired with Richard Gere (below), and which sent her popularity soaring. "I'm so scared of it," Julia Roberts told Newsweek while filming Pretty Woman. "I play a young prostitute."

But after attaining superstar status with Pretty Woman, Julia did not appear in any movies for a couple of years till she delivered another hit in The Pelican Brief with Denzel Washington. "Every time a movie of mine does well, I consider it a blessing. You've got to. Otherwise you're just asking to be terrorized by the numbers, and I just won't be. I just won't. Math was scary enough in high school."

Julia Roberts was born (28 October 1967) in Atlanta, Georgia. Among her family brother Eric Roberts, sister Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece Emma Roberts, are all actors. Julia says the death of her father, when she was only 10, left a void. "Any joy I have had in my life since, I'm disappointed that he wasn't here to share it."

Julia Roberts has appeared opposite several of Hollywood's other leading men like George Clooney (left) and Mel Gibson. In her latest flick Duplicity, a romantic spy thriller, Roberts co-stars with Clive Owen.

Julia has had tumultuous off-screen relationships with leading men like Liam Neeson and Dylan McDermott. Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland abruptly broke off their engagement and Julia later had a short-lived marriage with singer Lyle Lovett. Some stability in her affairs with men came from her three-year relationship with Benjamin Bratt. Julia Roberts met her current husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, on the set of her movie The Mexican, and married him in 2002 with her friend Bruce Willis present at the ceremony.

Julia also likes to share screen time with her female co-stars, as with Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding. In Mona Lisa Smile Julia Roberts plays a free-spirited art teacher with a female ensemble cast of Julia Stiles (above), Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst and Marcia Gay Harden. Of her other roles Julia says, "(In American Sweethearts) I was asked to look at Gwen, um, the part of Gwen (played by Catherine Zeta Jones). And as I was reading it, it was so funny and just seemed so, um, kind of whimsical and farcical. But the thing that stood out to me was Kiki."

Julia Roberts is known for her wholesome roles and has repeatedly said she would never do nudity in films. Julia wore a bikini onscreen for the first time in Charlie Wilson's War, while she was pregnant and 40 years old!

Brown-eyed Julia Roberts cares for animals and wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She specially loves horses. Julia Roberts is said to bring her own soy milk to coffee shops and is a proponent of eating organic food. Julia also drives the hybrid Toyota Prius and is building a solar-powered house in California. Julia Roberts is a spokeswoman for Earth Biofuels in Dallas, helping to promote the use of environmentally friendly fuel. "It's very important that we expand our use of clean energy and make a long-term commitment to it."

Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar in 2000 for her role in and as Erin Brockovich, a true story of the uncovering of environmental poisoning by a big corporation. Her passion for the environment has led Julia to plan a series of green films through her production company Red Om. Among these is a documentary A Flowering Evil on British environmentalist Joan Root who was mysteriously shot dead in Kenya.

Julia Roberts had twins Hazel and Phinnaeus (above) in November 2004, and a third child, Henry at age 40, and all with her husband of five years Danny Moder. Among her favorite holiday spots:

"I love Italy. Every place I have ever been there has been lovely. I also think Ireland is amazing. It's filled with such beautiful landscapes, and I have great friends there whom I love to visit," Julia Roberts told Harper's Bazaar.

"My dream is to be a highly fulfilled and productive stay-at-home mom and wife," Roberts says in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine. "The highest high would be growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more - that kind of circle."