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Julia Roberts is an American actress and producer who made her debut in the 1987 direct-to-video feature Firehouse. Roberts made her breakthrough the following year by starring in the coming-of-age film Mystic Pizza (1988). For her supporting role in the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias (1989), she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Roberts' next role was opposite Richard Gere in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990). The film is estimated to have sold over 42 million tickets in North America—the most for a romantic comedy in the United States as of 2014. For her performance, Roberts won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy). In 1991, she appeared in the psychological thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, and played Tinker Bell in the Steven Spielberg-directed fantasy adventure Hook. Two years later, Roberts starred in the legal thriller The Pelican Brief, an adaptation of the John Grisham novel of the same name. During the late 1990s, she played the lead in the romantic comedies My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), and Runaway Bride (1999).
In 2000, Roberts played the eponymous environmental activist in the Steven Soderbergh-directed biographical film Erin Brockovich. She became the first actress to earn $20 million for a film. Roberts' performance garnered her the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (Drama). The following year, she starred in the romantic comedy America's Sweethearts (2001), and also reteamed with Soderbergh on the comedy heist remake Ocean's Eleven (2001). Roberts appeared in the 2003 drama, Mona Lisa Smile, which earned her a then record $25 million salary for a film actress. The following year, she starred in the romantic drama Closer (2004), and also reprised her role in Ocean's Eleven in its sequel, Ocean's Twelve (2004). In 2006, she lent her voice to two animated films: The Ant Bully, and Charlotte's Web. Roberts appeared in the black comedy drama August: Osage County (2013), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Roberts made her television debut in the drama series Crime Story in 1987. She appeared in the crime drama series Miami Vice, and the television film Baja Oklahoma (both in 1988). In 1996, Roberts guest starred on the television sitcom Friends. Her guest star appearance on the police procedural/legal drama Law & Order in 1999, earned Roberts a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. She has, as of 2014, served as an executive producer on four films in the American Girl film series. The first three were television films while the fourth, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, had a theatrical release in 2008. In 2014, Roberts provided narration for an episode of the documentary series Makers: Women Who Make America, and appeared in the television film The Normal Heart. Her role in the latter garnered Roberts a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.