Eric Roberts is an American actor. Eric Roberts starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather`s 1905 short story, Paul`s Case. He earned both a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in Runaway Train (1958).

Through the 1990s and 2000s Eric Roberts maintained dramatic film and TV-movie roles while appearing in TV series. His television work includes three seasons with the sitcom Less Than Perfect and a recurring role on the NBC drama Heroes.

Eric Roberts received Golden Globe nominations for his early starring roles in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his role as the escaped convict Buck in the film Runaway Train. In 1987, Eric Roberts won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This.