To paraphrase the Elvis Costello rendition of “She” that plays in the beloved rom-com Notting Hill, Julia Roberts has a face you can’t forget—just think of that grin, those sparkling eyes, the big, curly red mane. She’s been impossible to miss ever since her breakout as the charming wild child Daisy in 1988’s Mystic Pizza. Then came Steel Magnolias, a certain instant classic called Pretty Woman, and everything from My Best Friend’s Wedding to Erin Brockovich, with the latter marking the prolific actor’s official transition from glamorous romantic lead to Oscar-winning powerhouse.
It’s a delight, then, to revisit the earliest red-carpet images of the future A-lister, in which she’s nearly unrecognizable—sporting a feathered, micro-fringed bob; crystal chandelier earrings; and shiny, textured button-downs. Back then, in the mid-’80s, she had just arrived on the scene, an aspiring performer attempting to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Eric Roberts, who had already parlayed a career in soap operas into a string of lauded, Golden Globe-nominated parts.
It didn’t take her long: She made her screen debut in 1987, as a traumatized teen in the NBC procedural Crime Story, and racked up a flurry of other credits before going stratospheric the following year. It’s easy to see why. Whether onscreen, at glittering industry events, or off-duty on the streets of New York or LA, her star power has always been apparent.
Here, in honor of of her 59th birthday, we present 38 stunning throwback photos of Roberts at the start of her career, from her first trip to the Academy Awards (with then-fiancé Kiefer Sutherland) to kicking back on Oprah’s couch with Shirley MacLaine and Dolly Parton.
