Julia Roberts (born Julie Fiona Roberts on October 28, 1967) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and former fashion model, who shot to fame during the early 1990s after starring in the romantic comedy, Pretty Woman, opposite Richard Gere. Since then, Roberts became the highest-paid actress in the world, topping the Hollywood Reporter's annual power list of top-earning female stars for four consecutive years (2002-2005).

This proved that even though she had taken a year off for personal reasons and had not been seen on screen since 2004's Ocean's Twelve, Roberts still had the appeal to remain the reigning Queen of Hollywood. Her impressive film career has also given her the title of most bankable actress in Hollywood, with box office receipts well over $2 billion on the strength of numerous blockbusters such as Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and Ocean's Eleven. She won the Best Actress Academy Award in 2001 for her critically praised turn as the title character in Erin Brockovich after two previous nominations during the 1990s. For her fame and wholesome image, she is often referred to as "America's Sweetheart."

She was also placed at the pinnacle of the Ulmer Scale, a comprehensive guide to the global star power of actors and directors in independent and studio films created by James Ulmer, ahead of such other luminaries as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. This was partly owing to her ability to attract filmgoers solely on the basis of her name's appearance above the title and without the support of a male co-star, something few other actresses are able to do.

Roberts is the first of two actresses (the other is Cameron Diaz) to join the coveted "$20 Million Club", when she signed to do Erin Brockovich for that amount. An unprecedented $25 million was paid to Roberts for her role in 2003's Mona Lisa Smile. As of 2005, Roberts' net worth was over US$250,000,000[citation needed]. She was also the first actress to appear on the cover of Vogue and the first woman to land on the cover of GQ. Read more