Emma Roberts — Biography
Emma Roberts entered the world on February 10, 1991, in Rhinebeck, New York, born to Kelly Cunningham and actor Eric Roberts. Her parents divorced when she was just seven months old. Through her father's marriage, she became the stepdaughter of Eliza Roberts and the step-granddaughter of David Rayfiel and Lila Garrett. From her mother's side, she is the stepdaughter of musician Kelly Nickels and has a younger half-sister named Grace. Her paternal roots in the entertainment industry run deep, with her grandmother being the acting coach Betty Lou Bredemus, and her aunts being renowned actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. During her formative years, Emma often accompanied her aunt Julia on film sets, which inspired her aspiration to enter the movie business, although her mother initially sought to provide her a typical childhood. Emma is of mixed heritage, including English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and Swedish descent on her father’s side.
Her acting career kicked off at the age of nine with Ted Demme's drama film Blow, which marked the first audition she ever attended. In the film, she played Kristina Jung, the daughter of Johnny Depp's character, George Jung. That same year, she appeared in Leif Tilden's short film bigLove and was an uncredited extra in several of her aunt Julia's scenes in America’s Sweethearts. Emma took on minor roles in two family films next: she played Buddy's sister in 2002's Grand Champion, which had a limited release in August 2004, and starred as the daughter of a secret agent in 2006's Spymate, which hit theaters in February and saw its DVD release in April 2006.
In 2004, Roberts landed her breakout role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon sitcom Unfabulous, which premiered that September. The show, which follows the life of a seventh grader and her friendships, earned Roberts nominations for several Teen Choice and Young Artist Awards over its three-season run, culminating in TV movies like The Perfect Moment. She also guest-starred in an episode of Drake & Josh that same year. Following her success on Unfabulous, Nickelodeon considered launching a music career for her. In September 2005, she released her debut album Unfabulous and More, which served as the show’s soundtrack. The album peaked at 46th on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. Two singles, "I Wanna Be" and "Dummy," were also released and accompanied by music videos.
That year, she recorded "If I Had It My Way" for the soundtrack of Disney's Ice Princess and covered Weezer's "Island in the Sun" for the Aquamarine soundtrack, where she starred in 2006 alongside Sara Paxton and JoJo. For her performance in Aquamarine, she received a Young Artist Award in 2007. The movie had a successful opening weekend, earning
Her acting career kicked off at the age of nine with Ted Demme's drama film Blow, which marked the first audition she ever attended. In the film, she played Kristina Jung, the daughter of Johnny Depp's character, George Jung. That same year, she appeared in Leif Tilden's short film bigLove and was an uncredited extra in several of her aunt Julia's scenes in America’s Sweethearts. Emma took on minor roles in two family films next: she played Buddy's sister in 2002's Grand Champion, which had a limited release in August 2004, and starred as the daughter of a secret agent in 2006's Spymate, which hit theaters in February and saw its DVD release in April 2006.
In 2004, Roberts landed her breakout role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon sitcom Unfabulous, which premiered that September. The show, which follows the life of a seventh grader and her friendships, earned Roberts nominations for several Teen Choice and Young Artist Awards over its three-season run, culminating in TV movies like The Perfect Moment. She also guest-starred in an episode of Drake & Josh that same year. Following her success on Unfabulous, Nickelodeon considered launching a music career for her. In September 2005, she released her debut album Unfabulous and More, which served as the show’s soundtrack. The album peaked at 46th on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. Two singles, "I Wanna Be" and "Dummy," were also released and accompanied by music videos.
That year, she recorded "If I Had It My Way" for the soundtrack of Disney's Ice Princess and covered Weezer's "Island in the Sun" for the Aquamarine soundtrack, where she starred in 2006 alongside Sara Paxton and JoJo. For her performance in Aquamarine, she received a Young Artist Award in 2007. The movie had a successful opening weekend, earning
