Eric Anthony Roberts is an American film and television actor, nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He is the older brother of Julia Roberts. He has appeared in more than 700 films and television series over more than 50 years. Eric Roberts spent his childhood with his family in Atlanta. His father, Walter Roberts, was a director and head of a theater studio, and his mother, Betty Lou, was fond of acting. At the age of five, Eric made his on-camera debut, playing a small role in the home production "Little Pioneers," which was staged by his father. Eric was afflicted by a stutter, and Walter Roberts hoped that memorizing text would help little Eric get rid of it sooner. In 1976, the young Roberts got a role in the soap opera "Another World." It lasted on television for less than a year, but he was noticed. Soon Roberts appeared in the film "King of the Gypsies" (1978). In the summer of 1981, Roberts was in a car accident. He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and damaged his face. For several days his life hung literally by a thread, and doctors were certain that he would die.

But the doctors were wrong when they predicted complete or partial paralysis of Roberts's limbs. Within a month he could move on his own, and after several painful operations he regained both full mobility and almost his former appearance. The first film after the accident was "Star 80" in 1983. From the second half of the 1990s, Roberts increasingly began to work with television, appearing in various series. He began acting in action films, thrillers, comedies, and dramas. He appeared in two music videos by the band The Killers - "Mr. Brightside" (2004) and "Miss Atomic Bomb" (2012), and in 2006 he was invited to take part in the making of the video for Akon Feat. Eminem - "Smack That." Roberts believes that it was he who paved the way for his sister Julia Roberts to the big screen. His first wife was Kelly Cunningham. His daughter from his first marriage is Emma Roberts, an actress. His second wife is Eliza Garrett (Roberts), who appeared with Roberts in several films. His closest friends are Christopher Walken and Sean Penn.