INTRODUCTION

HER STORY

QUOTES

She spends 40 percent of her nonworking time at her ranch in Taos and the remainder in New York, where she also has her production company's offices.

At the London premiere of "Notting Hill" Julia caused a scandal by turning up in a sleeveless red dress dotted with silver sequins and waving to the crowd... without having shaved her armpits. The British press ran banner headlines like "Do you dare to bare your hair?" and "Arms and the Woman." The Fleet Street papers dubbed the unshaven patch "the black forest" and redubbed Julia "Pretty Hairy Woman."

Her ex-boyfriend Benjamin Bratt called Julia "Scattercash" and said he'd never seen a woman spend money like she did.

When an Us writer asked Julia what woman she would most like to have sex with, she answered, "Hillary Clinton, because I don't think she's getting her fair share. But really, I don't know, Sophia Loren, maybe. Actually, Julie Christie. She's the one."

Julia's payment of $10 million for "Mary Reilly" (1996) was a world record (at the time). The film earned a dismal domestic box-office total of $5.6 million, which barely covered half her salary.

When she gets nervous she breaks out in hives and a large vein pops out from her forehead.

Julia desperately wanted to kiss Denzel Washington in "The Pelican Brief" but the actor nixed the idea-- because, he said, "the sisters will never forgive me."

She has been called "Pretty Woman" for more than a decade after her enormous success in that film, and is now just as often called "America's Sweetheart."

"Steel Magnolias" provided Julia with her first national magazine cover when she and her five female graced the cover of the September 4, 1989 fall-preview issue of "People."

She picked up the habit of knitting whilst filming "The Pelican Brief" and she now knits on every movie set to pass the time. She likes to knit sweaters.

John Grisham had Julia in mind when he created the character Darby for his novel "The Pelican Brief."

On her birthday in 1990, she stopped by a tattoo artist to have a design (a red heart inside a Chinese word picture) etched on her skin.  At the time she was dating Kiefer Sutherland, and Julia insisted, "My love for Kiefer will last as long as this tattoo."

While filming a tough sequence for "Sleeping with the Enemy" (1991), she had to spend several hours in front of the camera in only bra and panties being repeatedly doused with water and then dried off as the scene was shot over and over.  Worn out by the situation, she demanded that anyone in the crew who wouldn't strip down to his or her underwear could leave the set. She got her way.

Before she became famous, Julia scooped ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins and sold shoes.

Changed her name from Julie to Julia when she applied for a SAG card and there was another SAG member actress named Julie Roberts.

Is lending her name to help raise money for research to develop a cure for Rett Syndrome (a disease which is potentially fatal and randomly strikes girls between the ages of 2 to 6 years).

Susan Sarandon was a bridesmaid in the 1993 wedding of Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett.

Is the most successful leading lady of all time; her films have cumulatively grossed over $1.1 billion (not adjusted for inflation).

Was allegedly so difficult on the set of 1991's "Hook" that the crew nicknamed her "Tinkerhell." The film's director, Steven Spielberg, said it was unlikely he would ever work with her again.

There's a famous movie gaffe in "Pretty Woman." In the restaurant scene with Julia, Richard Gere and Ralph Bellamy, all three are served sorbet. First of all Bellamy's drink disappears, then Gere's does and Bellamy gets his back. Then Roberts' one disappears and Gere's returns.

"Runaway Bride," which reteamed Roberts with her "Pretty Woman" co-star, Richard Gere - crossed the $100 million threshold at the U.S. box office on its 19th day in release. No other romantic comedy has ever reached that milestone that fast. The previous record-holder, "My Best Friend's Wedding," also starring Julia, took 37 days to gross $100 million.

Has been voted one of the Best Dressed people of 1999 in American magazine, People (a record third time).

She is currently the top-paid female actress in Hollywood. She made a record $17 million for her role in "Runaway Bride."

She turned down the female lead in 1998's "Shakespeare in Love," a role which eventually went to Gwyneth Paltrow (who won an Oscar for that role).