Julia Roberts' parents raised a family that includes actor Eric Roberts and half-sister Nancy Motes
Julia Roberts' parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, were actors, playwrights, and theatre teachers who built one of Atlanta's most remarkable creative families. Their three children — Julia, older brother Eric Roberts, and sister Lisa Roberts Gillan — all became professional actors. Betty Lou's later marriage also brought a half-sister, Nancy Motes, into the fold. This family's story is one of talent, tragedy, and an extraordinary connection to American civil rights history.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts met performing in United States Armed Forces theatrical productions
- The family's theatre school in Atlanta was attended by the children of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
- All three Roberts siblings — Eric, Julia, and Lisa — became professional actors
- Half-sister Nancy Motes died on 9 February 2014, aged 37, in Los Angeles
- Julia and Eric were estranged for over a decade before reconciling in 2004
Profile summary
Father | Walter Grady Roberts |
Mother | Betty Lou Bredemus (later Motes) |
Siblings | Eric Roberts (brother), Lisa Roberts Gillan (sister), Nancy Motes (half-sister) |
Birth date | 28 October 1967 |
Birthplace | Smyrna, Georgia, USA |
Ethnicity | English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Swedish |
Niece | Emma Roberts (Eric's daughter) |
Who are Julia Roberts' parents?
Julia Roberts' parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, were playwrights who met while performing in theatrical productions for the United States Armed Forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop, off Juniper Street in Midtown Atlanta.
They ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia, while they were expecting Julia Roberts. It was the only integrated children's theatre group in Atlanta.
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Her parents ran a workshop for aspiring writers and performers until their 1971 divorce. The split would have lasting consequences for all three children.
Did Martin Luther King's family pay for Julia Roberts' birth?
Yes, and the story is remarkable. Julia Roberts has revealed that Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, paid her parents' hospital bill after she was born.
Roberts explained in an interview with Gayle King:
My parents had a theatre school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop. And one day Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids. My mom was like, ‘Sure, come on over,’ and so they just all became friends, and they helped us out of a jam.
Roberts later recalled the connection at a History Channel event in Washington, D.C., while Bernice King, the Kings' daughter, also confirmed the story. Roberts summed it up simply:
The King family paid for my hospital bills.
Julia Roberts' ethnicity and heritage
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Julia Roberts was born in Smyrna, Georgia, to Betty Lou (Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts, and is of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.
She has no single non-European ethnic background. Her family's heritage is entirely Northern European. In 2010, Roberts revealed she practises Hinduism — a faith she adopted by choice, not by birth.
Julia Roberts' siblings: Eric, Lisa, and Nancy
Do Julia Roberts and Eric Roberts have the same parents?
Yes. Eric Anthony Roberts was born on 18 April 1956, in Biloxi, Mississippi, to Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts. He is Julia's older brother by eleven years. His sisters, Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan, and his daughter, Emma Roberts, also have acting careers.
Eric has more than 700 credits and is one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors. His performance in Runaway Train (1985) earned him a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Lisa Roberts Gillan
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Julia runs a production company called Red Om Films alongside her sister Lisa Roberts Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill. Like her siblings, Lisa pursued acting. After graduating from high school in 1985, Julia moved to New York City to live with her sister Lisa, who, along with Eric, was pursuing an acting career.
Julia has spoken warmly about her bond with Lisa. In a 2019 People interview, she said:
I think of my sister Lisa often when I think of kindness, but specifically something she did when we were both teenagers.
Who is Julia Roberts' biological father?
Julia Roberts' biological father is Walter Grady Roberts. In 1971, Roberts' parents filed for divorce, which was finalised in early 1972. Walter stayed in Atlanta and died of cancer in March 1977.
In 1972, their mother married Michael Motes. In 1976, they had a daughter, Nancy Motes. Nancy was therefore Julia's half-sister, sharing the same mother but having a different biological father.
What happened between Julia Roberts and her brother Eric?
A decade of estrangement
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In 1971, Eric's parents filed for divorce when he was 15 years old, having been born on 18 April 1956. The American actor Eric lived with his father until Walter's death in 1977, while his younger sisters, Julia and Lisa, lived with their mother.
The siblings grew estranged after the separation, especially once Eric started struggling with addiction. Things escalated when he stated in interviews during the early years of his career that his mother was "dead".
After Eric began having issues with drug and alcohol abuse — and split with actress Kelly Cunningham — Julia had enough. She even helped fund Kelly's legal fees in her custody dispute over a young Emma Roberts.
In 2018, Eric reflected on the falling-out with Vanity Fair:
There was a period when we didn't talk for a while. I was exhausting to be around.
Reconciliation — and a public apology
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It wasn't until November 2004, when Julia welcomed her twins with husband Danny Moder, that Eric's hospital visit turned into more of an olive branch than he expected.
Eric said in the aforementioned interview with Vanity Fair:
Instead, I was ushered into their room and was immediately awash in brotherly and uncle-ly love.
Since then, Eric says he and Julia have spent several Thanksgivings together and are also "e-mail buddies."
In his 2024 memoir, Eric Roberts publicly apologised to Julia, acknowledged his past mistakes, and expressed a desire for reconciliation.
What happened to Julia Roberts' half-sister Nancy Motes?
Nancy Motes, 37, was found dead in the bathroom of a Los Angeles home where she had been pet-sitting. She was the half-sister of both Julia Roberts and Eric Roberts.
According to the Los Angeles County coroner's report, Nancy Motes took her own life. The report revealed that her death was caused by multiple drugs and drowning.
Motes, who had worked as a production assistant on Glee, was engaged to John Dilbeck, a film and TV locations manager.
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In her note, Motes directly blamed Julia for "bullying" her about her weight. Julia has never publicly responded to those specific allegations.
Speaking to WSJ Magazine roughly 20 days after Nancy's death, Roberts broke her silence tearfully, as reported by Mirror:
It's just heartbreak. It's only been 20 days. There aren't words to explain what any of us have been through.
Latest news
Julia attended the 2025 Venice Film Festival, marking a high-profile return to the international stage. She also made headlines in 2025 when she won at the Gotham Film Awards, receiving the Visionary Tribute for her contribution to After the Hunt.
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On the family front, Julia celebrated her twins Phinnaeus and Hazel's 21st birthday in November 2025 with a touching tribute on social media. In a 2025 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she admitted she was "sobbing" after son Henry started school in New York City.
Julia Roberts' net worth
Julia Roberts is a highly acclaimed American actress with an estimated net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Other sources, including Yahoo Finance and IMDB, place the figure at $250 million.
Her income comes from several streams:
- Film salaries — In 2000, she became the first actress ever paid $20 million for a single film.
- Netflix — She reportedly scored a $25 million payday for the 2023 Netflix film Leave the World Behind.
- Production — Alongside her sister Lisa Roberts Gillan and producing partner Marisa Yeres Gill, she co-founded Red Om Films, which produced several projects.
- Endorsements — She has long-standing deals with luxury brands including Chopard and Lancôme.
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FAQs
- Do Eric and Julia Roberts have the same parents? Yes. Both were born to Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, who ran a theatre school in Atlanta.
- Who is Julia Roberts' biological father? Her biological father is Walter Grady Roberts, an actor and playwright who died of cancer in March 1977.
- Did Martin Luther King Jr.'s family pay for Julia Roberts' birth? Yes. The Kings paid the hospital bill because they were close friends with Julia's parents through the Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta.
- What is Julia Roberts' ethnicity? Roberts is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish ancestry.
- How many siblings does Julia Roberts have? The American actress has two full siblings — Eric Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan — and had one half-sister, Nancy Motes, who died in 2014.
- What happened to Julia Roberts' half-sister Nancy Motes? Motes, a dog trainer, took her own life at age 37 in February 2014 after years of turmoil.
- Are Julia Roberts and Eric Roberts still estranged? No. They reconciled in 2004 following the birth of Julia's twins, and Eric publicly apologised to Julia in his 2024 memoir.
- What does Lisa Roberts Gillan do? Lisa Roberts Gillan is an actress and co-founder of the production company Red Om Films, which she runs alongside Julia.
Quick facts
- Julia Roberts' parents co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop.
- She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Erin Brockovich (2000).
- She was the first actress paid $20 million for a single film.
- She co-founded the production company Red Om Films with her sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan.
- She practises Hinduism, a faith she adopted in 2010.
Julia Roberts' parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, separated when she was young, but both had strong ties to the performing arts. Her older brother, Eric Roberts, found early success in Hollywood, while her half-sister, Nancy Motes, followed a different path. Their family story reflects a lasting artistic legacy alongside personal challenges that shaped their lives.
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