Eric Anthony Roberts was born on April 18, 1956, in Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.A. He is the son of Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, who were once actors and writers. The couple met while participating in a production of George Washington Slept Here for the military. In 1963, they co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop based in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. During this time, they also ran a children’s acting school in Decatur, Georgia.
Eric’s mother later worked as a church secretary and real estate agent, while his father became a vacuum cleaner salesman. Eric has two younger sisters, Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan, both of whom pursued careers in acting.
Eric’s parents filed for divorce in 1971, which was finalized in 1972. Following the separation, Eric stayed with his father in Atlanta, while his sisters lived with their mother. Tragically, in March 1977, Walter Grady Roberts passed away from cancer.
Eric Roberts began his professional acting career on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World, playing the role of Ted Bancroft from February 14 to June 17, 1977. His breakout role came in the 1978 film King of the Gypsies, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He received another Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Star 80 (1983).
Roberts garnered widespread acclaim for his role as Buck, a convicted runaway in Runaway Train (1985), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Although he did not win—Don Ameche took the Oscar for Cocoon—Roberts solidified his reputation as a talented and versatile actor. In 1987, he made his Broadway debut in Burn This, a performance that earned him the Theater World Award.
Roberts has also had an extensive career in television. He co-starred in the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect and appeared in popular crime procedural shows, including an episode of CSI: Miami as death row inmate Ken Kramer. On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, he portrayed Sam Winfield, a former police officer turned vigilante.
In addition, Roberts made a guest appearance on The L Word as Gabriel McCutcheon, the father of Shane McCutcheon. In January 2007, he starred in the two-part miniseries Pandemic, playing the mayor of Los Angeles.
| Birth Date: | 18 Apr, 1956 |
| Age: | 64 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Biloxi |
| Education: | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American actor |
| Twitter Id: | EricRoberts |
| Spouse: | Eliza Roberts |
| Net Worth 2021: | 8 million |
