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Eric Roberts is an American actor, famous for his role as Dave in the movie “King of the Gypsies” (1978) and Buck McGeehy in “Runaway Train” (1985). Here are 50 interesting facts about the actor -
- Eric Roberts was born, as Eric Anthony Roberts, on April 18, 1956 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- Roberts’ parents were one-time playwrights and actors, Walter Grady Roberts (1933-1977) and Betty Lou Bredemus (1934-2015), who met while touring a production for the armed forces, “George Washington Slept Here.”
- His parents co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1963 and also ran a Children's Acting School in Decatur, Georgia.
- Roberts’ parents' livelihood had influenced him and his sisters to a great extent to pursue a career in acting.
- Roberts is of Irish, Welsh, English, German, Swedish, and Scottish descent.
- “Pretty Woman” fame actress Julia Roberts and “I Love Trouble” actress Lisa Roberts are his siblings.
- When he was a child he had speech difficulty in the form of a stutter and found that the he was able to speak fluidly only when he memorized them as speeches. To overcome this hurdle, Roberts began participating in his parents' classes as a form of speech therapy, from his young age.
- His acting career kick started at the tender age of 5 when he was cast in “The Little Pioneers” a locally produced Sunday morning television show.
- He was inspired to pursue a career in acting, by Robert Donat's performance in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1939).
- Roberts' parents were divorced in early 1972 and Eric became estranged from his mother and sisters as he opted to stay with his father, with whom he was close, in Atlanta. His father died in March 1977 of cancer.
- Following the divorce, his mother along with Lisa and Julia moved to Smyrna, Georgia, where his mother got married to Michael Motes.
- He disliked his step father Michael Motes and his struggling childhood drove him to substance abuse at a very young age.
- He had a half sister, Nancy Motes, who died at a young age of 37 on February 9, 2014, of an apparent drug overdose.
- Roberts did his schooling at Grady High and at the age of 17, he studied drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for two years in London and then returned home to the States to continue at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
- He made his New York stage debut in at the age of 20 in “Rebel Women,” in 1976, and also appeared in regional productions.
- He played the newspaper boy in “A Streetcar Named Desire” starring Shirley Knight and Glenn Close.
- His first break came when he was cast on a daytime soap opera, “Another World” as Ted Bancroft and later in “How to Survive a Marriage.”
- His agent Bill Treusch helped him land his first film role, in the cult favorite “King of the Gypsies,” based on Peter Maas' best-seller, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
- In his nascent film career Roberts was involved in a serious car accident, which left him with a bruised brain and comatose for 3 days.
- He had few broken bones, a permanently disfigured left hand ring finger and suffered much facial trauma.
- The accident had a different impact to both of his looks and his acting career which lead to him performing villainy roles.
- His change in path led to a breakout performance in Bob Fosse's “Star 80” earning him a nomination of Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.
- Roberts' other wide range of roles include, a small-town stranger with co-star Sissy Spacek in “Raggedy Man” (1981), a dangerous streetwise hustler in “The Pope of Greenwich Village” (1984), a cocky soda pop sales executive in “The Coca-Cola Kid” (1985), Rosanna Arquette in an offbeat romantic comedy “Nobody's Fool” (1986).
- He, for his performance as the escaped convict Buck in the film “Runaway Train,” was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards in 1985.
- In 1987, his Broadway debut performance in “Burn This” won him the Theatre World Award.
- He was arrested for striking a police officer while resisting arrest for possession of drugs and harassing a woman, both while under the influence of drugs. He pleaded guilty to harassment, and the other charges were later dropped.
- His long estranged sister Julia Roberts made her debut in an, American-British Western drama film, “Blood Red,” alongside Eric as his on screen sister.
- Unfortunately “Blood Red” was the only film in which the siblings shared their screen space.
- Roberts had a public breakup with his then girlfriend Kelly Cunningham in the early 1990s.
- He also lost the custody battle of the couple’s daughter, Emma Rose Roberts.
- His relationship with his sister Julia Roberts was further strained as she had sided his ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham during his custody battle.
- The siblings reconciled their differences and began mending their relationship only after the birth of Julia's twins.
- He played major supporting roles alongside few biggies like Kim Basinger, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman in “Final Analysis” (1992), Sharon Stone, James Woods and Sylvester Stallone, “The Specialist” (1994).
- He portrayed the Archangel Michael in “The Prophecy II” in the year 1997.
- He has appeared in a number of music videos of singers like Mariah Carey, Akon/Eminem, and Rihanna.
- In the music video for “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, Roberts played villain.
- He was the sixth actor to portray the Master, the evil renegade Time Lord, in the television film “Doctor Who” (1996).
- Roberts is the only American and a non-British actor to play the Doctor's greatest enemy, The Master, in “Doctor Who.”
- He is the only actor who was nominated for the Academy Award for his role of The Master in “Doctor Who.”
- He met his wife Eliza Roberts, who was is onscreen wife, on the sets of “Doctor Who.”
- Roberts has two step sons Morgan Simons and Keaton Simons.
- He is the son-in-law of David Rayfiel and Lila Garrett.
- He was arrested for shoving his wife, Eliza Garrett, into a wall.
- Subsequently, Roberts gave up alcohol after his arrest in 1995.
- He is the only actor to have played villain in both the “Batman” and “Doctor Who” franchises.
- He lent his voice to Mongul, the Superman villain, in the animated series “Justice League,” and reprised his role in “Justice League Unlimited” in the episode “For the Man Who Has Everything.”
- Roberts has appeared in episodes of “CSI: Miami,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The L Word.”
- He is a strong supporter Animal Rights and is a vegan.
- Roberts was chosen to act in “Royal Kill” (2009) because the wrestling choreographer, Ranjan Chhibber, had loved his performance in the “Doctor Who” as The Master.
- Roberts has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Abstraction” (2013) at the 2013 Action On Film International Film Festival.
