Summary
- Julia Roberts's real last name is not Roberts, but Mitchell, according to a DNA test.
- Despite the revelation, Julia Roberts still prefers to be called Roberts and will not change her name.
- Acting runs in the Roberts family, with Julia's parents, brother, and even her niece Emma Roberts all involved in the industry.
Julia Roberts got her big break in 1988 when she starred in the drama-comedy film Satisfaction alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman. Since then, she’s become the queen of rom-coms, appearing in movies like Mystic Pizza, Pretty Woman, and My Best Friend’s Wedding. She’s also proven she’s got what it takes to be in more dramatic films, such as Erin Brockovich, for which she won an Academy Award.
Over the years, Roberts has appeared in countless interviews. On more than one occasion, the Pretty Woman actress has had to deal with inappropriate questions. But her many years of experience with the press never prepared her for receiving shocking news during this 2023 interview. Roberts almost lost her mind when an interviewer revealed that her last name is fake!
Julia Roberts Was Shocked to Learn That Her Family Name Has Always Been Fake
As it turns out, ‘Roberts’ is not Julia Roberts' real last name. This is not an instance of an actor changing their birth name to something more attractive, but rather a deeply buried family secret that the Pretty Woman star didn’t know about. All of it was revealed to her by Henry Louis Gates Jr. during an episode of PBS’s Finding Your Roots.
While researching Roberts' family tree for the show, Gates Jr. discovered that the man who was supposedly her great-great-grandfather, Willis Roberts, had died over a decade before her great-grandfather was even born. Of course, this sparked a question about his paternity.
What Is Emma Roberts' Relationship Like With Her Famous Aunt Julia Roberts?
Emma Roberts had her Aunt Julia show her the ropes around Hollywood.
Determined to find answers, Gates Jr. did a DNA test on Roberts and a first cousin on her father’s side. This revealed that her ancestor's true father was not Willis Roberts, but rather a man named Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr., who, according to Gates Jr., lived a few miles from Rhoda Suttle Roberts, Julia’s great-great-grandmother.
“So we’re Mitchells?” Roberts asked upon the revelation.
“You’re Julia Mitchell,” Gates Jr. replied. “You are not a Roberts, biologically.” The actress was clearly shocked by this revelation. “Wow. Is my head on straight still? Am I facing you?” the Ticket To Paradise star asked while still wrapping her head around the fact that, technically, she is not really Julia ‘Roberts.’
Is Julia Roberts Changing Her Last Name in the Future?
There’s no doubt that Julia Roberts is a staple name in the entertainment industry. For this reason, the Pretty Woman star chose not to change her last name when she married Lyle Lovett in 1993. Likewise, Roberts kept her name when she married her current spouse, Daniel Molder in 2002. But now that she’s learned that ‘Roberts’ is not her real last name, would she be open to changing her name in the future?
The answer is no. Roberts admitted that she was "mind was blown" by the "fascinating" secret of her family tree. But that, even if her DNA says otherwise, she’s a Roberts. "I do prefer the name Roberts,” she explained.
Julia Roberts Is Part of a Well-Known Family Of Actors
As it turns out, acting is a given ability in the Roberts family. Julia Roberts's parents, Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, are one-time actors and playwrights. The two first met while performing in theatrical productions for the armed forces. After getting married, they co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop and later ran a children's acting school in Decatur, Georgia. Their love for acting was passed down to Julia and her brother Eric Roberts and, later down the line, to his daughter, Emma Roberts.
Julia discovered her love for acting early on in her life, thanks to her parents. That’s why she decided to move to New York City to pursue an acting career shortly after graduating from high school. There, she signed with the Click Modeling Agency and enrolled in acting classes, which quickly paid off. By 1987, Julia has landed her first television appearance in the first season of the series Crime Story, starring Dennis Farina.
Julia Roberts Refuses To Appear In American Horror Story For This One Reason
Julia Roberts refuses to join her niece, Emma Roberts, on ‘American Horror Story’ for a simple reason.
However, Roberts didn’t make her big screen debut until 1988 when she starred in the dramedy Satisfaction alongside Liam Neeson and Justine Bateman. A year later, she had a small appearance opposite her brother Eric in the movie Blood Red. But she wouldn’t gain international stardom until she starred in the independent rom-com Mystic Pizza.
A year later, Roberts landed a leading role in the film adaptation of Robert Harling’s play Steel Magnolias (1989), which also starred Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, and Daryl Hannah. Believe it or not, Roberts was not the first option for the role. In fact, the filmmakers wanted either Laura Dern or Winona Ryder to star in the film but the casting director insisted they see Roberts.
As Harling revealed, they knew that Julia was the right choice for the role at first sight, "She walked into the room, and that smile lit everything up and I said, 'that's my sister,' so she joined the party and she was magnificent."
Roberts ended up getting both her first Academy Award nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) and first Golden Globe Award (Best Supporting Actress) for her performance in this film. Since then, Roberts has coined more than 60 acting credits and won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.
