He was one of those unforgettable faces—intense eyes, restless energy, always a little dangerous on screen. Before Hollywood knew his name, he was tearing up New York stages, earning a Theatre World Award for Burn This and a Golden Globe nomination for King of the Gypsies. By the mid-’80s, Star 80 and Runaway Train made him a force; the latter brought an Oscar nod and cemented his reputation for raw, electric performances. He never stopped working. Independent gems like La Cucaracha, big movies like The Dark Knight and The Expendables, and TV turns in Heroes, Suits, and Code Black.
Even now, he still shows up—doctor, doorman, DEA boss. The hustle never faded. What did change was his life off-screen. He has spoken openly about the hardest loss: his relationship with his daughter, Emma Roberts. “I abandoned Kelly when Emma was seven months old,” he once said. In 2022 she admitted they weren’t close; in 2024 he called losing her the most painful chapter of his life. “There’s a sadness,” he said. “A misunderstanding we’ll have forever.”
With his sister Julia Roberts, there were years of distance too, fueled by addiction and chaos. Time—and therapy—helped rebuild the bridge. “I was exhausting to be around,” he said. He later apologized for bragging about launching her career. Sobriety brought clarity, humility, and gratitude.
Through it all, one relationship stayed steady: his marriage to casting director Eliza, who “saved my life,” he says. The actor is Eric Roberts—prolific, flawed, unfiltered, still trying. He owns his scars now, speaks softly about family, and works like someone who knows second chances aren’t guaranteed. Not rewriting the past—just living with it, and doing better.