Betty Lou Bredemus
| Betty Lou Bredemus | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 13, 1934 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 2015 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Acting coach |
| Spouse(s) | Walter Grady Roberts (divorced) Michael Motes (divorced) |
| Children |
Julia Roberts Eric Roberts Lisa Roberts Gillan Nancy Motes (deceased) |
| Relatives | Emma Roberts (granddaughter) |
Betty Lou Bredemus (August 13, 1934 – February 19, 2015) was an American actress and acting coach. The matriarch of the Roberts family, which includes Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts, Academy Award-nominated actor Eric Roberts, and granddaughter Emma Roberts, she also served in the United States Air Force and received a National Defense Service Medal for her service, which was spent entertaining the troops in Air Force base theatrical productions.
Betty Lou Bredemus was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Wendell John Bredemus (1904-1955), a football player, and Elizabeth Ellen (née Billingsley). Betty Lou had one brother, John. She graduated from Austin High School in 1952. In school she sang in the choir, and performed in the drama club Dirk & Bobble, appearing in productions like You Can't Take It with You.
The summer after graduation, Bredemus joined a stock company and performed in several plays, and then returned to Austin, where she studied dramatic arts at the local junior college. She was forced to leave school after her father became ill. Her brother had his education paid for by joining the Army, which gave Bredemus the idea to join the United States Air Force. She signed up for two years, and started basic training in Texas in 1953. She spent her service at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.
Bredemus met her husband Walter Grady Roberts (1933-1977) while performing in the play George Washington Slept Here together, which was directed by Rance Howard, father of director Ron Howard. Howard and his wife Jean, Roberts and Bredemus became close friends, and decided to tour to a couple of USO bases performing plays. Bredemus and Roberts were married in 1955, and soon after their first child was born, actor Eric Roberts in April 1956. After the army, Walter decided to pursue a career as a playwright, so he moved the family to Louisiana so he could attend Tulane University. The family lived on campus in family housing. Walter left school just shy of graduating, and he moved the family to Decatur, Georgia in 1960. Bredemus soon began working at Emory University in the public relations area, while Walter worked in various theatrical jobs.
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