Though he has been overshadowed by his younger sister, Julia Roberts, and his daughter, Emma Roberts, Eric Roberts has more acting credits to his name than either of them combined.
While the 69-year-old doesn’t have the name recognition of his Oscar-winning sister, he has emerged as the hardest-working actor in Hollywood, amassing a whopping 891 screen credits according to IMDB – with 42 this year alone.
While he doesn’t quite hold the record for the most screen credits internationally – currently held by Indian star Brahmanandam with 1207 – Eric does have more than any Hollywood star working today.
The star has become infamous for never saying ‘no’ to a role, appearing in a range of films and roles, after kicking off his career five decades ago.
Eric made his acting debut at just 17 years old, appearing on the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage in 1974.
His big break came when he was cast in his first film, playing the lead role in 1978’s King of the Gypsies, and seemed poised to end up a bona fide star, after scoring a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
Though he has been overshadowed by his younger sister, Julia Roberts, and his daughter, Emma Roberts, Eric Roberts has more acting credits to his name than either of them combined (seen in 2021)
While the 69-year-old doesn’t have the name recognition of his Oscar-winning sister, he has emerged as the hardest-working actor in Hollywood, amassing a whopping 891 screen credits according to IMDB – with 42 this year alone (pictured with Julia)
The star has become infamous for never saying ‘no’ to a role, appearing in a range of films and roles, after kicking off his career five decades ago (seen in 2006)
He was nominated again five years later for his performance in Bob Fosse’s Star 80, and third in 1986 for playing runaway redneck, Buck McGeehy in Runaway Train, which landed him an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor.
Eric began to appear in an increasing number of projects in the mid-1990s, with the number steadily rising in the noughties, going from five a year to 25 to 45, with his record year being in 2017, where he had 74 screen credits.
Notable films he’s appeared in include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Best of the Best (1989), The Cable Guy (1996), National Security (2003), The Expendables (2010), Lovelace (2013), Inherent Vice (2014) and The Human Centipede 3 (2015).
He has also had somewhat of a late-career renaissance with supporting roles in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon opposite Margot Robbie.
But despite his extensive filmography and their shared careers, Eric has only made one film with Julia – the 1989 Western, Blood Red, in which they played brother and sister onscreen.
While he’s also starred on a slew of television shows, including reoccurring roles in Heroes, Suits, The Young and the Restless and The Righteous Gemstones – which he has named as his favourite job he’d ever had.
Eric has even appeared in a mini-movie pretending to be a resident in a multi-million-dollar house, to help it sell.
But thought it seems like he says yes to everything, he has revealed that he did turn down the lead role in 9 1/2 Weeks – which ended up being played by Mickey Rourke – and came to regret the decision.
He said: ‘I always wished I had [taken that role], but I thought Mickey was awesome in that movie.’
He was nominated for a Golden Globe an an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as runaway redneck, Buck McGeehy in Runaway Train (seen in film with Jon Voight)
Eric began to appear in an increasing number of projects in the mid-1990s, with the number steadily rising in the noughties, going from five a year to 25 to 45, with his record year being in 2017, where he had 74 screen credits (seen in The Expendables)
As well as starring in film and TV, Eric has also appeared in music videos for the likes of Rihanna, Ja Rule and Enrique Iglesias, as well as megahits Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together, Smack That by Akon ft. Eminem and The Killers’ Mr. Brightside.
Calling himself a lucky charm’ for musicians, he later explained: ‘Well, let me tell you what happened. I get offered a video. I say instantly, “No”.
‘My wife says, “Of course you’re doing it. They’re called the Killers—they’re huge. And you’re doing the video, no questions asked.” And it’s a huge hit.
‘I do Akon next. Another huge hit. I do Mariah Carey. It goes to No. 1. So I was like a lucky charm for a while. I got a whole new audience.’
And he has even ventured into reality TV, appearing on The Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls back in 2018 and last year competing on Dancing with the Stars, where he was partnered with Britt Stewart and came in 11th place.
Despite looking like he’d go on to be an A-list star at the beginning of his career, Eric has seen his star eclipsed by that of both his sister and his daughter.
While he’s appeared in a wide range of projects, from blockbuster hits to independent productions, the majority of his movies are direct-to-digital or direct-to-video.
His complex career was influenced by his issues with drugs, with his biggest vices being cocaine and marijuana.
He has also had somewhat of a late-career renaissance with supporting roles in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (pictured), Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon opposite Margot Robbie
While he’s also starred on a slew of television shows, including reoccurring roles in Heroes, Suits (pictured), The Young and the Restless and The Righteous Gemstones – which he has named as his favourite job he’d ever had
Eric has admitted that his career was stalled by his substance abuse, with him blowing important meetings with famed directors because he was high.
He confessed to Vanity Fair: ‘I would go to meetings with people that mattered, like Oliver Stone and Sean Penn, and I would go stoned.
‘Woody Allen. I met him very stoned, and he dismissed me, as well he should have.’
He went on: ‘I did that for about 10 years. The whole point being I was asking for help, saying, “You see where I’m at—now help me, because I’m worth helping.” I get it now. I just didn’t get it when I should have.’
‘Everybody from executives to craft service was doing cocaine,’ he continued, ‘I was doing it to the point where my wife said, “It’s me or the coke.” I did all the psychotropics.
‘I got myself arrested [in 1987 for possession of pot and cocaine and resisting arrest]. I went back to pot. I’ve been a pothead all my life, with several sober breaks I refer to as binge sobriety.’
Detailing how he first began racking up the screen credits, Eric told Vanity Fair in 2018 that it came about after offers for big roles dried up.
He said: ‘I start making a bunch of B movies—bam bam bam bam bam bam—one after the other, and then suddenly two, three years have passed, and I made like 30 films in two, three years.
‘Now, in the past two years, I’ve made around 70 movies. I started having fun at the craft. I’m a f***ing groupie for it! I can do it every day, all day.’
As well as starring in film and TV, Eric has also appeared in music videos for the likes of Rihanna, Ja Rule and Enrique Iglesias, as well as megahits Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together (seen), Smack That by Akon ft. Eminem and The Killers’ Mr. Brightside
And he has even ventured into reality TV, appearing on The Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls back in 2018 and last year competing on Dancing with the Stars, where he was partnered with Britt Stewart and came in 11th place (seen)
He added: ‘I went from being a joke that’ll do anything to being “Is there anything he can’t do?”‘
Eric has admitted he’d long lost track of how many films he’d been in and resorts to checking IMDB when he wants to know what projects he has coming up, saying: ‘I don’t really know what I have out there that’s still in the can because I’m always working, so I don’t keep track of what’s where.’
But he has insisted that despite his prolific career, he only works ‘around 200 days a year’ and has ‘never been happier’.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in 2022, he said working was what ‘gets me out of bed in the morning and stressed how incredibly lucky he was, adding: ‘I have seen the planet three times for free.’
He said: ‘The way I look at it is that I’m one of the luckiest guys in Hollywood. We get anywhere from eight to 30 offers every single day from all over the world.
‘It’s just so much fun to have all these offers and get to play such an extreme range of characters.’
Eric also gave an insight into how he fits in so many projects, explaining how fast-moving the turnarounds.
He said: ‘I treat every project as seriously as I can with whatever time I have available. Because nowadays an offer can come in real fast. I can get an offer on Friday to come on the Saturday.
Eric has admitted that his career was stalled by his substance abuse, with him blowing important meetings with famed directors because he was high (seen in Dark Angel 1990)
‘Often I get something on Friday, do all the homework over the weekend so I’m happy and read to impress on Monday morning. You have to be prepared to learn your lines very quickly. And you know what, every time it’s fun.’
And in an interview in November last year, Eric explained how he was able to keep all his characters and projects straight, while going from one set to the next in quick succession.
He said: ‘I use method all the time. I use many techniques. Whatever works on that given day, for that scene, for that given role and also that given director. Some directors help, but some directors don’t. You have what you have.
‘As far as having different mindsets for different roles, when it’s been two or three parts in a single day, that’s just an appearance in the movie. It is not carrying the film. It’s a cameo.
‘When I carry a film, I give it everything I’ve got, because that’s my job, and I want to leave everybody just blown away. That’s my goal every day, and it’s really fun because it’s a goal I can achieve every day. It’s so rewarding.’
While he also described the system he and his wife Eliza have for choosing roles, revealing he made her the boss 20 years ago, because she’s ‘smarter than I am, so I depend on her for everything.’
He went on: ‘By 1997 or ’98, my wife came to me and said, “Eric, we’re getting 30 to 50 offers every day from all over the world. Shall we start reading these ton of scripts, and pursuing this?” I said, “Hell, yeah.”
Eric he’s said he’s long lost track of how many films he’d been in and resorts to checking IMDB when he wants to know what projects he has coming up (seen in Justified)
And in an interview in November last year, Eric explained how he was able to keep all his characters and projects straight, while going from one set to the next in quick succession (seen in Babylon)
We’ve got a little system where we have readers, then I get a synopsis, and if I like the synopsis, I read the script. If I like the script, my wife makes the deal, and there we go.
‘I can work every day, somewhere all over the world, and it’s just been a dream come true for an acting junkie, which I am. I meet great people and I have great times.’
Meanwhile, Eric has also rebuilt his relationship with his Hollywood star sister Julia, after their previous estrangement.
He has admitted how his drug use damaged his relationship to Julia and their other sisters Lisa Roberts Gillan and Nancy Motes.
He told Vanity Fair previously: ‘I wouldn’t characterize it as a falling-out. I was crazy about my sisters. Loved them, adored them. They were precious to me, and we had times of great closeness.
‘We all felt very protective of each other, but the hardest person to protect yourself from is yourself.’
The actor continued: ‘I was exhausting to be around: complainy, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment. Everyone in my world needed a break sometimes, and that must have included Julia.’
Eric added: ‘I was your basic drug addict. I was not responsible for what I was taking responsibility for. So I made my family hate me? My sisters (Lisa and Julia) decided I was more trouble than I was worth. And personally, I can’t blame them.’
Meanwhile, Eric has also rebuilt his relationship with his Hollywood star sister Julia, after their previous estrangement (seen together)
He has admitted how his drug use damaged his relationship to Julia and their other sisters Lisa Roberts Gillan and Nancy Motes (seen with Lisa, Julia and Jon Voight in 1985)
While he later added in his memoir: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they suffered from PTSD from when it was dangerous to be around me. Lisa and Julia needed love and protection – instead they got fear and uncertainty.’
Eric also said some of his public actions pushed him and Julia apart, including how he would claim that their mother, Betty Lou Bredemus, was dead during the early years of his career, because he was ‘still angry’ at her after their parent’s split.
Reflecting on the impact of his words in the memoir, Eric wrote: ‘I’m only now beginning to realize the impact it must have had to Julie and Lisa, who were 11 and 13 years old, who were living with our mom but hearing their big brother… saying in public that their mom is dead.
‘It was the great undoing of my relationship with my sisters. That I was unconcerned about them and focused only on my mom reading that I’d killed her off was such a selfish thing to have done.’
The relationship with Julia was further fractured when she sided with Eric’s ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham during a 1993 custody battle over the couple’s daughter Emma.
And in the early 1990s while discussing the success of her classic film, Pretty Woman, Eric made a sarcastic comment, that he later insisted had been taken out of context.
Reiterating this in 2022 on the Behind The Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast, he said: ‘Julia and I have always been fine. I think years and years ago, I was doing a press tour for some movie…
‘It was just when Pretty Woman just got released and so they’re asking a bunch of questions about Julia. And I said, “Hey, excuse me. Can we talk about me?”‘
The relationship with Julia was further fractured when she sided with Eric’s ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham during a 1993 custody battle over the couple’s daughter Emma (pictured with Emma and wife Eliza)
While Eric famously took credit for the stellar careers of both Julia and Emma in a profile for Vanity Fair in 2018, insisting ‘everybody knows I was first’ (seen last year)
The Suits alum explained that his comment was misinterpreted as he added: ‘Of course, then it’s like, “Oh, they have a problem.”‘
While the siblings ‘don’t agree about a lot of things,’ the actor insisted that they still have a close bond.
‘I love knowing my sister,’ he said. ‘She’s a cool chick, my sister. I just stay out of her hair with the press. That’s all. Simple. And she stays out of mine.’
While Eric famously took credit for the stellar careers of both Julia and Emma in a profile for Vanity Fair in 2018, insisting ‘everybody knows I was first’.
He declared: ‘If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts and no Emma Roberts as celebrities, as actresses, and I’m very proud of that.
‘When Julia first came to New York, I went into William Morris and I said, “Which one of you is going to sign my sister Julia?”
‘And I am so proud that everybody knows I was first, because I was first by a long shot. I was first to get Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, so I’m proud of that.’
He later apologised to Julia for the comments in his 2024 memoir, Runaway Train, writing: ‘One of the things I’d like to apologize for in this book is for publicly saying on more than one occasion, “If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.”
‘That’s not only unfortunate, but it’s also untrue. And I hope Julie will accept this more public apology. It was an asinine thing to have said…’
The siblings reunited about years of estrangement when Julia gave birth to her twins Hazel and Phinnaeus in 2004.
Eric explained that he visited the hospital after his younger sister gave birth ‘to drop off gifts.’
He added: ‘Instead I was ushered into their room and was immediately awash in brotherly and uncle-ly love.’
The performer went on to say that after that visit, they spent several Thanksgivings together and became ’email buddies.’
Back in May 2020, he spoke fondly about how much he loved to see the bond between Julia and his daughter Emma.
He told Us Weekly: ‘It’s really cool to look at them. I love seeing them together.’
Eric has previously revealed Emma and Julia have told him not to talk about them in interviews.
He said: ‘I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She doesn’t wanna talk about it.’
‘My daughter told me also not to talk about her, but I stumble and do. I’m not supposed to talk about either of them. But I do.’
