Born in Smyrna, GA. This winsome beauty with a large, incandescent smile and a great mane of hair became one of the few bankable female stars of the 1990s. Critics have speculated on the secret of her huge appeal, but it remains one of the enigmas of contemporary pop culture. An engagingly natural performer, Roberts lacks the technical polish of some of her contemporaries, but she can command the screen even when surrounded by heavy-hitters, as in STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989), where she co-starred with the likes of Sally Field, Dolly Parton and Shirley MacLaine. Though strikingly attractive, she seems a bit too self-aware to be a conventional pin-up. Perhaps she's just the pretty girl next door whom much of the audience admires and wishes well, one we desire to protect from bad guys and misfortune. Roberts was introduced to the world of performance at an early age by her theatrical parents, who ran the Atlanta-based Actors and Writers Workshop out of their home. Roberts made her screen debut opposite brother Eric in BLOOD RED, though the 1986-produced film went unreleased for three years. She first gained notice playing a fiery Portuguese waitress in MYSTIC PIZZA (1988) and won an Oscar® nomination as the doomed diabetic heroine of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. With her performance as a warm-hearted prostitute who transforms cold executive Richard Gere in Garry Marshall's saccharine but immensely successful rags-to-riches saga PRETTY WOMAN (1990), Roberts became one of Hollywood's most popular and bankable stars. Her contribution made the routine thriller SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY (1991) another popular success. Later that year, Roberts faltered a bit at the box office with the weepie romance DYING YOUNG, but her star power nonetheless garnered an opening weekend take of over $9 million. She finished 1991 with a highly publicized supporting role as Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's lavish update of the Peter Pan mythos, HOOK. Roberts's toothsome portrayal of the feisty fairy revealed no insights into the tiny winged character but she struggled gamely with the physical and artistic rigors of doing most of her scenes alone on a special effects soundstage. Roberts subsequently took some time off to get her highly publicized personal life in order. She made a cameo appearance as herself in Robert Altman's THE PLAYER (1992) and married singer (and fellow Altman alum) Lyle Lovett before making her much-ballyhooed return to the screen. Roberts reasserted her commercial magic opposite Denzel Washington in the political thriller THE PELICAN BRIEF (1993). It wasn't until the end of the 90s that she gained the critical acceptance from the Hollywood community that matched her unrivaled box office appeal. Having divorced Lovett and become romantically involved with actor Benjamin Bratt, she won her first Oscar for her gutsy portrayal of ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000). Other notable (non-nominated) credits include SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT (1995), MARY REILLY, MICHAEL COLLINS and EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU (all 1996), MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING and CONSPIRACY THEORY (both 1997), STEPMOM (1998), NOTTING HILL and RUNAWAY BRIDE (both 1999), THE MEXICAN, OCEAN'S ELEVEN and AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS (both 2001), GRAND CHAMPION, FULL FRONTAL and CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (all 2002), MONA LISA SMILE (2003), CLOSER and OCEAN'S TWELVE (both 2004), CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007), FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN and THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB (both scheduled for 2008), and DUPLICITY (scheduled for 2009). In 2002 Roberts married camera operator-cinematographer Daniel Moder; they have 3 children.  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 1989: STEEL MAGNOLIAS  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1990: PRETTY WOMAN  Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2000: ERIN BROCKOVICH 3 nominations, 1 Award