Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far

In this brutally candid memoir, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts pulls no punches about the ups and downs of his career and his sometimes stormy relationship with his famous sister, Julia.

Eric Roberts grew up in Georgia, spending most of his teens away from his mother and sisters, Lisa and Julia, and instead stayed with his controlling father, a grifter jealous of his early success. At age 17, Eric moved to New York to pursue acting, where he worked and partied with future legends like Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, and Robin Williams.

His big break came when he was cast in King of the Gypsies. Eric became one of the hottest stars of the era, starting an affair with actress Sandy Dennis, working with Bob Fosse on the critically acclaimed Star 80, and earning an Oscar nomination for Runaway Train. But for Eric, Hollywood came with a dark side—an ocean of cocaine that nearly swept him away, culminating in a car accident that almost cost him his life.

Eric is open about the seriousness of his addictions and their devastating effect on his career. He reveals the reasons behind his complicated relationship with his sister, Julia, and his daughter, Emma, a successful actress in her own right. Now, happily married to casting director Eliza Roberts, who helped him confront his demons, he is revered among his peers as the ultimate actor’s actor.

Written with New York Times bestselling author, for years a Vanity Fair contributing editor, and current Air Mail writer-at-large Sam Kashner, this is a powerful memoir of a Hollywood legend.

About the Author

During his five decade career, ERIC ROBERTS has appeared in over 700 films, from King of the Gypsies and The Pope of Greenwich Village to The Dark Knight, Inherent Vice and Babylon. He’s won a Golden Globe and been nominated for an Oscar, and celebrated at film festivals around the world. He’s brother to Julia Roberts and father to Emma Roberts.

SAM KASHNER is a long time contributing editor at Vanity Fair Magazine and current Writer-At-Large for Graydon Carter’s Air Mail. He is the co-author of two New York Times bestselling biographies: Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and The Marriage of the Century and The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters: The Tragic and Glamorous Lives of Jackie and Lee.