Roberts was born in Syrna, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital (now Emory University Hospital Midtown), to Betty Lou (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts.[6][7] She is of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent.[8][9] Her parents were Baptist and Catholic,[10] and she was raised Catholic.[11][12] Her older brother, Eric Roberts (from whom she was estranged until 2004), sister, Lisa Roberts Gillan, and niece, Emma Roberts, also are actors. Julia's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces. They later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, off Juniper Street in Midtown. While her mother was pregnant with Julia, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when Julia's mother gave birth to Julia.[13] Julia's mother filed for divorce in 1971 with the divorce being finalized early in 1972.[14] The family moved to Smyrna, Georgia, in 1972 where Roberts attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School, and Campbell High School.[15] Her mother married Michael Motes and had daughter, Nancy Motes, in 1976. Julia's father died of cancer when she was ten.[16]
Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She played clarinet in the band in school. After graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes. She reverted to her original name, "Julia Roberts",[clarification needed Reverted from what to Julia?] when she discovered that a "Julie Roberts" already was registered with the Screen Actors Guild.[16]
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