Eric Roberts’ struggle with his speech as a child led him to pursue a career in acting.
When he was younger, the actor had a terrible stutter, but when he was five, he realized that if he learnt things, he could communicate normally.
Since then, he has developed an interest in acting, which has led to his participation in over 500 films.
His success in Hollywood may be directly traced to a lady who stood by his side and acted as his pillar of strength throughout their lives’ hardest times.
Roberts and his wife Eliza have been married for 29 years, and their love has only grown stronger over that time. They met while sitting next to each other on a flight provided by MGM Grand Airlines.
Eliza was holding a script written by her father, David Rayfiel. They were forced to debate the content they were reading as soon as they were settled into their chairs.
Eliza’s next question to Roberts was, ‘Who is your favorite screenwriter?’ There was only one response to that question, according to Roberts, and that was ‘Rayfiel.’
After that, he went on to describe Rayfiel’s work, to which Eliza replied that she was familiar because Rayfiel was her father.
The trip acted as the catalyst for a whirlwind romance that resulted in the couple’s marriage in 1992, six years after their initial meeting.
And, while Eliza and her husband’s love story was a match made in heaven, she admits that her spouse may be a source of stress at times.
After landing a string of breakthrough roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Roberts was on his way to becoming a bankable leading man in Hollywood.
So, what happened in his life to keep him from obtaining the amount of fame that he was undoubtedly intended to achieve?
He began taking narcotics several years ago, which was the beginning of his difficulties. Roberts admits he fell victim to the temptation when it was trendy in Hollywood.
He became so engaged in it that he was involved in a horrific accident in 1981 while under the influence of it.
After going into a coma, he had to relearn how to move and communicate, and his speech had been significantly affected.
The ‘Twist of Fate’ star spent two months trying to get back into shape while still receiving treatment.He admits that this moment in his life was one of the most difficult of his life.
Although he was able to recover after a while, he continued to struggle with short-term memory issues.
He was never able to overcome his habit, and in 1987 he was arrested for unlawful drug possession.
His wife eventually reached a breaking point and presented him with an impossible choice: give up the narcotics or give up on her.
He took a complete 180-degree turn in his life because he did not want to be parted from the woman who had been at his side through it all.
The opportunity to make great adjustments in one’s life is not available to everyone, but Roberts was able to do so, and he credits his wife for being there for him and supporting him.
Following his rehabilitation, Roberts told Eliza that he would be pleased if he could work every day.
Unfortunately, he had lost trust in agents, and as a result, crucial parts were no longer offered to him.
He started making B movies one by one, and before he realized it, he had created more than 30 films in three years, and up to 70 films between 2016 and 2018.
Roberts states that he became a joke, and that others made fun of him; however, Roberts’s wife made a point of telling him on a regular basis that he was a great person.
Because of his wife, Roberts was able to overcome the different problems he had throughout his life.
Eliza, he says, is the one constant in his life and has served as his protection angel over the years.