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Why Martin Luther King Jr. Paid For The Birth Of Hollywood Icon Julia Roberts

One of the most famous actresses in the world has an interesting connection to the leader of the American Civil Rights movement

Andrew Martin
3 min readNov 4, 2022

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There are few actresses in the history of the world as famous and acclaimed as Julia Roberts. The star of dozens of films during a career that has spanned 35 years to date, she is a true icon of Hollywood. Although she was born just six months before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she has an indelible connection to him — he paid for her birth at an Atlanta hospital.

Born in 1967, the famously red-headed Roberts has gone on to have a storied career in the movie, appearing in the likes of Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich and Oceans 11 — being nominated four times for an Oscar and winning once (Lead Actress for Erin Brockovich) along the way. In films in which she has been a lead, the worldwide box office totals are approaching a whopping $4 billion.

Meanwhile, Dr. King was the pivotal leader of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s for African Americans in the United States, advocating for change through persistent, non-violent means. His work helped pave the way for much change in the country, which is still…

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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