Julia Roberts is still the darling of cinema. With a filmography that has amassed a collective gross of over $3.9 billion worldwide, ranking in the top 50 actors of all time, she has become one of the defining actresses of her generation.
After an early breakthrough in ‘Mystic Pizza’ (1985), Roberts’ explosion in Hollywood came with her work as the charming Shelby in ‘Steel Magnolias’ (1989), which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The following year, she gave the world Vivian Ward, the “prostitute with a heart of gold” in Garry Marshall’s classic romantic comedy “Pretty Woman” (1990) opposite Richard Gere. She landed her second Best Actress nomination and became one of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities.
For most of the 1990s and first half of the 2000s, she was Hollywood’s highest-paid actress, earning between $20 million and $25 million per movie, including “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997) , “Notting Hill” (1999) and “The Runaway Bride” (1999). When she was cast as a single mother in “Erin Brockovich” (2001) opposite Albert Finney and Aaron Eckhart, she earned the respect from her peers that she so deserved. She sped up awards season, winning the Golden Globe, SAG, and ultimately the Best Actress Oscar for her impressive performance.
Not done yet, she moved into franchises such as “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001) and “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004) and worked with directors like Mike Nichols (“Charlie Wilson’s War” and “Closer”), Jodie Foster (“Money Monster”) and Peter Hedges (“Ben’s Back”).
The next on the star role after the release of “Ticket to Paradise” with George Clooney is the upcoming thriller “Leave the World Behind”, based on the novel by Rumaan Alam. Distributed by Netflix, she will star alongside Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Kevin Bacon.
In honor of his 55th birthday, Variety ranked Roberts’ top 10 film performances below.
Honorable Mentions: “Mystic Pizza” (1985); “Sleeping with the Enemy” (1991); “Mother-in-Law” (1998); “Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007); “Duplicity” (2009)