With over 800 roles to his name, he is the most prolific American actor in history.

At 68, you’ve seen him in Runaway Train, The Dark Knight, Expendables, Babylon, but also The Young and the Restless, Oz, Grey’s Anatomy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine…

In 2020, when celebrating his 60th career, comedian James Hong was presented as one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, with 600 roles filmed for cinema or television. However, he is beaten by another actor that we see all the time, both on the small screen and on the big one: Eric Roberts.

At 68, the big brother of Julia Robertsand dad ofEmma Robertsbegan his film career in 1978 in the film The King of the Gypsies – a year before, he had appeared in Another World, a popular NBC sitcom. Seven years later and after having multiplied the projects on screen or in the theater, he was recognized worldwide thanks to Runaway Trainan escape story also starring John Voight, which earned him his only Oscar nomination. That year, the winner in the Best Supporting Actor category, however, was Don Ameche for cocoon.

Since the 1980s, Eric Roberts has indeed multiplied supporting roles in all sorts of productions, comfortable in all genres and media. In cinema, he has notably played quite a few villains.

You’ve definitely seen it in action films of this decade, from Star 80 has The Immortals Passing by The SpecialistThe following ten years were notably marked by Hot Blood for Cold Blooded Murder, The Expert Or Trippedthe Ben Stiller comedy starring Jim Carrey as a cable repairman who grew up on a diet of TV shows. Those years were marked by several personal crises: drug arrests and domestic violence led Eric Roberts to stop taking drugs in 1995 – a part of his life that he would publicly discuss fifteen years later during the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab.

The early 2000s were even more prolific in cinema for the actor, then in his forties, with Dead or Alive, Once Upon a Time in the Queen and especially The Dark Knight, by Christopher Nolan. Even if he only appears furtively, in the shoes of a mafioso, Sal Maroni, who hires the Joker to eliminate a renegade, the blockbuster is a huge hit. This is the only billionaire film at the box office in his entire career.

Two years later, new global success with ExpendablesEric Roberts being part of the big gun film orchestrated by Stallone, whom he knew well from the filming of The Expert. This decade 2010 will see his number of projects as an actor soar even further, Lovelace has Inherent Vice Passing by Maximum Impact Or Human Centipede 3. As well as Wrong Copsby Frenchie Quentin Dupieux (also with Marilyn Manson opposite Eric Judor).

He once again touches on all genres, but this is nothing compared to the number of productions in which he has participated since 2020: in 2021 alone, he has 40 roles, cinema and television combined! A Hollywood record… which he would dethrone two years later with no less than 65 titles.

Angel Fallens, Collision Earth, Top Gunner and its consequences, Reboot Camp… His recent films are mainly action productions, even DTVs that are not intended for cinema, even if he also appears in other genres of projects: horror Escape to the Cove Or Dawncomedies Peach Cobler And Mr.Birthday or the very childish A totally wow neighborhood!. He sometimes signs with great directors, like Damien Chazelle for his homage to Hollywood, Babylon…

Within this long filmography for the cinema, there is only one collaboration with his sister, Julia Roberts: it was in 1989 in the drama A rifle for honor.

On the series side, his appearances are also very important,Another Worldtherefore, to Brooklyn Nine-Nine through the essential sitcom The Young and the Restlessthe shock series Ozthe lesbian show The L Word or the legal intrigue Suits and a science fiction TV film responsible for relaunching Doctor Who in 1996 (The Lord of Time), he kept changing styles. His role as a killer in Miami Experts or that of an ex-cop turned vigilante in New York, Special Unitare also noted. In Entouragehe had fun playing his own role, in 2009.

Without forgetting that Eric Roberts is also an involved dubbing actor: for example, he lends his voice to Mongul, enemy of Superman in several series Justice League or Dark Danny in the Nickelodeon show Danny Phantom.

Finally, between two series or film projects, Eric Roberts had fun collaborating with musical artists, again with particularly diverse styles. By Ja Rule (“Down Ass Bitch” and its sequel “Down 4 U”), to Mariah Carey (“We Belong Together”) through The Killers (“Mr. Brightside”) or Rihanna (“Bitch Better Have My Money”), there are around ten between 2000 and 2010. Here for example is the video of Eminem and Akon, “Smack That”inspired by the famous detective comedy 48 hoursstarring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte (1982).

As of June 2024, Eric Roberts has precisely 821 different roles on his page. IMDb of reference… where his sister has less than 100! This is a record for an American actor, unless we take into account dubbing actors or some porn movie stars, who can do dozens of projects per month.

In France, it is Guy Chapellier who dubs it most regularly (in addition to lending his voice to Scott Bakula, William Fichtner…). Philippe Vincent and Hervé Jolly also overtook him ten times each.

In September, Eric Roberts plans to publish his autobiography, Runaway Train or the story of my life so far. No doubt it will be filled with many filming anecdotes!

Julia Roberts’ incredible panic on the set of Friends