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Eric Roberts is the older brother of Julia Roberts, and the father to Emma Roberts, an actress who has been growing in popularity every year. Julia and Eric have impressive careers that span several decades and hundreds of projects, and both have been nominated for several awards.
But Eric’s career took him towards more supporting and cameo roles as time passed, while Julia aged gracefully into more mature roles. Eric’s career also includes a handful of confusing choices, like the voice-over role he did in a notoriously bad straight-to-video movie about, “a talking cat!?!”
9/9 His First Role Got Him A Golden Globe Nom
Eric Roberts’ career took off a few years before his sisters. He first became a star player thanks to his role in 1978’s King of Gypsies. The film got him a Golden Globe nomination, he was now on track to enjoy a thriving, healthy career.
8/9 He Was in A Bob Fosse Piece
After King of Gypsies, Eric Roberts accumulated some of the roles that would go on to his now immense resume. Some performances were memorable and attracted more award nominations, while many others have slipped into obscurity. But one role that Roberts is still known for is his part in Star 80 directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bob Fosse. The movie tells the story of the murder of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, who was killed by her husband Paul Snider. Roberts played the murderous spouse.
7/9 He Has Over 700 Credits
Today, Eric Roberts has over 700 acting credits, covering almost every genre that exists in the realms of film and television. He can be seen in the following hit movies and shows at least once, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Law and Order SVU, Entourage, The Young and The Restless, The Expendables, and Burn Notice. This list is barely a fraction of the roles that Eric has taken on, but it is a good example of his diverse resume. Also, he does a bit of voice acting, one prominent role was when he played the DC villain Mongul.
6/9 He Made Doctor Who History
Here is a fun fact for the Whovians, or whatever Doctor Who fans call themselves. Eric Roberts made Doctor Who history when he appeared in the 1996 Doctor Who made for TV movie. He played the Master and was the only American ever to play the role. The next year he played another real-life murderer, he was Perry Smith in a made-for-TV version of Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood.
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5/9 He Was Estranged From His Sister For Years
Sadly, although both Eric and Julia were able to enjoy successful careers, they did not do so with each other’s support. Eric revealed in a 2001 interview with Howard Stern that his sister and were estranged for several years. Eric claimed that the two had a falling out because of Eric’s drug abuse (he had a serious problem in the ’80s and ’90s with cocaine). Eric was also not pleased when Julia sided with Eric’s ex-girlfriend in a custody battle for his daughter. In 2004, Roberts confirmed to People that he and his sister had reconciled.
4/9 He’s A Black Belt
Some might have forgotten about the martial arts movie Best of The Best, which features another famous sibling, Chris Penn (the late brother of Sean Penn). But those who have seen it know that this was the chance that Eric Roberts had to show off his Taekwondo skills. That was not just something special he learned for the movie, Eric Roberts is a Taekwondo black belt.
3/9 He Had Some Legal Issues
As already mentioned, Eric Roberts had a strained custody battle over his daughter Emma Roberts, who is now an actor too. She had her debut in the 2001 Johnny Depp hit Blow. But Eric’s career struggled a bit as the custody fight damaged his image a bit. Also, his drug use became an issue when he was arrested for assaulting an officer and possession of cocaine in 1987. It also hurt his reputation when he was arrested for allegedly shoving his girlfriend into a wall in 1995.
2/9 The Dark Knight
In case anyone has yet to place Eric Roberts in a role they remember, this one is probably his most recent distinct part. Fans of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy will remember Roberts as Sal Maroni, the Gotham City mob boss.
1/9 A Talking Cat!?!
Although Eric Roberts has done some incredible and award-worthy roles, he has done his share of garbage films too. One can’t have over 700 IMDB credits and not have a few stinkers to their name, but it’s another thing when the movie is so bad it becomes a cult classic to the B-movie / movie riffing scene. A Talking Cat!?!, whose title must include those exclamation and question marks) is a poorly directed, edited, and acted film by David DeCoteau. Roberts voiced the titular cat but the audio is poorly recorded and Roberts sounds intoxicated (although there is no evidence he was). The film is also said to have been shot on a porn set, and DeCoteau allegedly directed a few adult films too. The movie became very popular among bad film fans when it was spoofed by Rifftrax.
