Walter Grady Roberts is the late father of Julia Roberts, the iconic American actress. Julia’s fame has thrust her father into the limelight, though he had a short stint as an actor and playwright. Walter Grady Roberts was born on December 25, 1933, and despite his death in 1977, he left an indelible mark on his children, who have gone on to become household names in the film industry.
Summary of Walter Grady Roberts’s Biography
- Full name: Walter Grady Roberts
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: December 25, 1933
- Date of Death: 1977
- Age at Death: 44 years
- Cause of Death: Throat cancer
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- Walter Grady Roberts’s ex-Wife: Betty Lou Bredemus
- Walter Grady Roberts’s Children: Eric Roberts, Lisa Roberts Gilan, and Julian Roberts
- Walter Grady Roberts’s Parents: Beatrice M. Beal Roberts and Walter Thomas Roberts
- Famous for: being the father of the American actress, Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts’ Father, Walter Grady Roberts, Was Born in 1933
Walter Grady Roberts was born on December 25, 1993, in Smyrna, Georgia, USA. He was an American citizen born under the Sagittarius birth sign. He was born to Walter Thomas Roberts who died in 1986. His mother, Beatrice M. Beal Roberts, also died in 1983.
Further details of his parent’s occupations have never mentioned and nothing has been revealed about whether he had siblings or not. Walter Grady Roberts was a Christian and was raised in the Baptist doctrine, which he practiced till his death. Details of his roots are not clear, but it is believed that he is of white race.
The names of his basic and high schools were never revealed, but he reportedly attended a local high school. After his graduation, he enrolled into Tulane University in Louisiana but couldn’t complete his studies as he moved to Decatur, Georgia.
He Got Married To Betty Lou Bredemus In 1955
Walter Grady Roberts and his ex-wife, Betty Lou Bredemus, reportedly met when they performed George Washington Slept Here for the military. They became friends and began dating afterward, though how long they dated is not known. The playwright and his ex-wife went on dates and several tours while they were dating.
Subsequently, they got married in 1955. They lived as a couple and achieved a lot together before they decided to call it quits.
They Divorced After 16 Years of Marriage
Walter Grady Roberts and his ex-wife, Betty Lou Bredemus, were married for a period of 16 years before they decided to pull the plug on their union. In 1971, his ex-wife filed for divorce from the playwright without stating the reasons for the split. A year after her filing, the divorce was finalized. She took custody of her daughters while her ex-husband took custody of his son, Eric.
Other details of the divorce settlement have remained unknown. It is not known if Walter Grady Roberts remarried or not before his death. He later died in 1977 after battling throat cancer for some time.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Betty Lou Bredemus, remarried the same year that their divorce was finalized. She got married to Michael Motes with whom she had a daughter. Sadly, in 1983, she filed for divorce from him, citing mistreatment. According to her, Michael was violent towards her.
His Ex-Wife Was An Actress
Betty Lou Bredemus was an actress and coach born on August 13, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. She was born to Wendel John Bredemus, a football player, and Elizabeth Ellen, whose occupation is undisclosed. She grew up alongside her brother, John, in a strong Catholic faith.
The actress attended Austin High School where she was active in the school’s choir and drama club. After her father became ill, she couldn’t further into college and signed up for two years in the United States Air Force. After she got married to her ex-husband, she worked with him on establishing a children’s show for the local network known as BumBum and his Buddies.
Meanwhile, what she did for a living after her divorce from Walter Grady Roberts is not clear. Unfortunately, Betty died on February 19, 2015, after a long battle with lung cancer.
Walter Grady Roberts and Betty Welcomed Three Children Together
While Walter Grady Roberts and Betty were married, they welcomed three children together, including Julia Roberts. Here is all to know about the ex-couple’s children.
Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts is the first child of the late former couple. Hw was born on April 18, 1956, in Biloxi, Mississippi, in the United States. Details of the schools he attended is not known. However, since he had parents who developed acting skills in people, it comes as no surprise that he chose acting as his career path.
Eric has developed himself to become one of the most outstanding actors in the United States. He has over 500 on-screen productions to his name and seems not to be backing out anytime soon.
Lisa Roberts Gilan
Lisa Roberts is the second child born by the ex-couple. She was born on January 1, 1965, in Decatur, Georgia, the United States. Just like her older brother, her educational details are scarce. Meanwhile, she was also influenced by her parents’ past coaching careers and is an actress and producer well known for the film Maid in Manhattan. She has also appeared in a number of on-screen productions.
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is the last child of her parents and she was born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, U.S.A. Though the name of the basic school she attended has never been mentioned, it is known that she was active in the school’s band and played the clarinet. For her high school education, she attended Smyarn Campbell High School and further enrolled at Georgia State University, but stopped along the way.
Julia later signed up with the Click Modeling Agency and began acting classes after she relocated to New York to pursue a career in acting. It’s no doubt that her parent’s coaching skills rubbed off on their children, as Julia has risen to become a prolific actor. The actress, who started acting in 1987, has over 100 movies to her name.
Walter Grady Roberts’s daughter has also earned awards and recognitions for her acting prowess. She has won about seven awards and has been nominated a total of 25 times so far.
Walter Grady Roberts Had a Short Stint as an Actor and Playwright
Walter Grady Roberts joined the United States Army before he got married. After he married Betty, he began pursuing a career as a playwright. He later established a children’s show for the local network known as BumBum and His Buddies with his ex-wife.
After fifteen episodes of BumBum and His Buddies were released, he moved on with his ex-wife to create the Actors and Writers Workshop. Their workshop was a great success in Atlanta and had lots of children in attendance, including Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King’s children. The playwright had the couple’s eldest daughter, Yolanda, in his class.
However, their workshop began to encounter a financial crisis after Betty became pregnant with Julia. The workshop could not survive the financial crisis and had to be shut down. There are no details of the career path that he began pursuing after then.
