There’s no denying that Eric Roberts is one of the hardest-working men in Hollywood.
At 70, the star has over 800 acting credits and has become infamous for never saying ‘no’ to a role, appearing in a range of films and roles, after kicking off his career five decades ago.
Eric made his acting debut at just 17 years old, appearing on the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage in 1974.
His big break came when he was cast in his first film, playing the lead role in 1978’s King of the Gypsies, and seemed poised to end up a bona fide star, after scoring a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
And while his career has been notable he has faced his fair share of turmoil in his personal life and has had complicated family relationships with his actress sister Julia and daughter Emma.
Earlier this month he revealed where he stands with his famous daughter, 35, – after previously laying bare a painful breakdown in their relationship.
In an interview with Really Famous with Kara Mayer Robinson, Eric insisted their relationship is only ‘complicated’ to outsiders as he gushed about the actress he has grown ‘so proud’ of.
The complex legacy of the hardest working man in Hollywood: How Eric Roberts juggled 800 TV and film roles amid estrangement from sister Julia (seen together) and ‘complicated’ relationship with daughter Emma
Earlier this month he revealed where he stands with his famous daughter, 35, after previously laying bare a painful breakdown in their relationship
Eric said the relationship wasn’t particularly complex, adding: ‘It’s only complicated to outside eyes because they don’t get any of it, so they have their own take, whatever that is, and it’s not a straight line because they aren’t really involved.
‘So it’s just thoughts, possibilities, interests, fantasies, whatever it is. But it’s not a real relationship with the subjects. So how can it be anything but a thought?’
At the time Emma was born, Eric said emotionally he ‘was a wash rag. I was not to be dependent on emotionally because I was a car wreck.’
‘I was a car wreck because of many things, but I take full responsibility for it… in that understanding the horrible negative things about my father and realizing I had to accept them as a child to get past him and realizing that what he drilled into me as loyalty was absolute recklessness.’
As Robinson attempted to probe deeper into the ‘complicated’ emotions surrounding their relationship, Eric said: ‘Probably, but that’s not an issue and that’s not anything I’m here to discuss with you,’ he said.
‘I mean, just it is what that is, but that’s a whole other issue in my life. That’s not we’re talking about today.’
Eric, who is the brother of Julia Roberts, welcomed Emma with ex Kelly Cunningham but the pair split soon after and he lost the custody battle over his only child due to his admitted drug use.
In 2024 he admitted to a rift in his relationship with Emma.
Speaking on an episode of the Inside You podcast, the star was asked about the ‘toughest time of his life’ and said: ‘Probably the loss of relationship with my daughter.’
Roberts – who wrote about their complex dynamic in the memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far – said his relationship with Emma is ‘indefinable.’
‘There’s not a pain. There’s a sadness for the, most likely, misunderstandings we’ll all have forever. Because we’re human.’
He’s had somewhat of a late-career renaissance with supporting roles in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (pictured), Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon opposite Margot Robbie
Eric said becoming a grandfather had enabled him to realize the true magnitude of what he had lost in his relationship with Emma. He has two step-grandchildren from his marriage to Eliza Garrett and a grandson from Emma’s relationship with Garrett Hedlund.
He said: ‘I started accepting that about myself with the birth of my grandchildren. Especially the 5-year-old, she was first and she was a girl and took a liking to me in a very strong way.
He said his eldest granddaughter ‘looks like Emma which reminds me of what I didn’t have.’
Roberts has called losing custody of a young Emma as the biggest consequence of his drug use.
A feud erupted between Eric and Julia – who sided with Kelly in the custody battle – a move which Eric now agrees with.
Elsewhere in his memoir Roberts made a public apology to Oscar-winner sister Julia for previously saying: ‘If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.’
He writes: ‘I hope Julia will accept this public apology. It was an asinine thing to have said.’
Eric’s candid memoir covers his arrival in Tinseltown at the age of 17, his extensive career and his struggle with substance abuse disorder.
The actor and his sister had always been close until he made a sarcastic comment in the early 1990s while discussing the success of her classic film, Pretty Woman.
The Runaway Train star has always insisted that it was taken out of context, a sentiment that he reiterated in 2022 on the Behind The Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast.
‘Julia and I have always been fine,’ he said. ‘I think years and years ago, I was doing a press tour for some movie… It was just when Pretty Woman just got released and so they’re asking a bunch of questions about Julia. And I said, “Hey, excuse me. Can we talk about me?”‘
The Suits alum explained that his comment was misinterpreted as he added: ‘Of course, then it’s like, “Oh, they have a problem.”‘
While the siblings ‘don’t agree about a lot of things,’ the actor insisted that they still have a close bond.
‘I love knowing my sister,’ he said. ‘She’s a cool chick, my sister. I just stay out of her hair with the press. That’s all. Simple. And she stays out of mine.’
Eric claims the only thing that ever caused a rift with his sisters Julia and Lisa was his past drug addiction.
He told Vanity Fair previously: ‘I wouldn’t characterize it as a falling-out. I was crazy about my sisters. Loved them, adored them. They were precious to me, and we had times of great closeness.
‘We all felt very protective of each other, but the hardest person to protect yourself from is yourself.’
The actor continued: ‘I was exhausting to be around: complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia.’
However, he explained that after years of estrangement, the siblings reunited in 2004 when Julia welcomed Hazel and Phinnaeus.
Julia Roberts is Eric’s sister and Emma’s aunt (pictured together in 2012)
Eric said that he visited the hospital after his younger sister gave birth ‘to drop off gifts.’
He added: ‘Instead I was ushered into their room and was immediately awash in brotherly and uncle-ly love.’
The performer went on to say that after that visit, they spent several Thanksgivings together and became ’email buddies.’
Back in May 2020, he spoke fondly about how much he loved to see the bond between Julia and his daughter Emma.
He told Us Weekly: ‘It’s really cool to look at them. I love seeing them together.’
Eric has previously revealed Emma and Julia have told him not to talk about them in interviews.
He said: ‘I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She doesn’t wanna talk about it.’
‘My daughter told me also not to talk about her, but I stumble and do. I’m not supposed to talk about either of them. But I do.’
Careerwise, Eric’s first big break came when he was cast in his first film, playing the lead role in 1978’s King of the Gypsies, and seemed poised to end up a bona fide star, after scoring a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
He was nominated again five years later for his performance in Bob Fosse’s Star 80, and third in 1986 for playing runaway redneck, Buck McGeehy in Runaway Train, which landed him an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor.
Eric began to appear in an increasing number of projects in the mid-1990s, with the number steadily rising in the noughties, going from five a year to 25 to 45, with his record year being in 2017, where he had 74 screen credits.
Notable films he’s appeared in include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Best of the Best (1989), The Cable Guy (1996), National Security (2003), The Expendables (2010), Lovelace (2013), Inherent Vice (2014) and The Human Centipede 3 (2015).
He has also had somewhat of a late-career renaissance with supporting roles in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon opposite Margot Robbie.
But despite his extensive filmography and their shared careers, Eric has only made one film with Julia – the 1989 Western, Blood Red, in which they played brother and sister onscreen.
While he’s also starred on a slew of television shows, including reoccurring roles in Heroes, Suits, The Young and the Restless and The Righteous Gemstones – which he has named as his favourite job he’d ever had.
Eric has even appeared in a mini-movie pretending to be a resident in a multi-million-dollar house, to help it sell.
But thought it seems like he says yes to everything, he has revealed that he did turn down the lead role in 9 1/2 Weeks – which ended up being played by Mickey Rourke – and came to regret the decision.
He said: ‘I always wished I had [taken that role], but I thought Mickey was awesome in that movie.’
As well as starring in film and TV, Eric has also appeared in music videos for the likes of Rihanna, Ja Rule and Enrique Iglesias, as well as megahits Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together, Smack That by Akon ft. Eminem and The Killers’ Mr Brightside.
And he has even ventured into reality TV, appearing on The Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls back in 2018 and last year competing on Dancing with the Stars, where he was partnered with Britt Stewart and came in 11th place.
Despite looking like he’d go on to be an A-list star at the beginning of his career, Eric has seen his star eclipsed by that of both his sister and his daughter.
While he’s appeared in a wide range of projects, from blockbuster hits to independent productions, the majority of his movies are direct-to-digital or direct-to-video.
Eric has admitted that his career was stalled by his substance abuse, with him blowing important meetings with famed directors because he was high (seen in Dark Angel)
His complex career was influenced by his issues with drugs, with his biggest vices being cocaine and marijuana.
Eric has admitted that his career was stalled by his substance abuse, with him blowing important meetings with famed directors because he was high.
Detailing how he first began racking up the screen credits, Eric told Vanity Fair in 2018 that it came about after offers for big roles dried up.
He said: ‘I start making a bunch of B movies – bam bam bam bam bam bam – one after the other, and then suddenly two, three years have passed, and I made like 30 films in two, three years.
‘Now, in the past two years, I’ve made around 70 movies. I started having fun at the craft. I’m a f***ing groupie for it! I can do it every day, all day.’
He added: ‘I went from being a joke that’ll do anything to being “Is there anything he can’t do?”‘
Eric has admitted he’d long lost track of how many films he’d been in and resorts to checking IMDB when he wants to know what projects he has coming up, saying: ‘I don’t really know what I have out there that’s still in the can because I’m always working, so I don’t keep track of what’s where.’
But he has insisted that despite his prolific career, he only works ‘around 200 days a year’ and has ‘never been happier’.
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