# Eliza Roberts (actress)
**Eliza Roberts** (born 1953) is an American actress, casting director, producer, and screenwriter whose screen career spans more than five decades, from [John Landis](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-landis)'s *Schlock* (1973) to recent independent films. She is known to many viewers as Brunella in *National Lampoon's Animal House* (1978) and as the wife and manager of actor [Eric Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-roberts).[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731067/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953, in Los Angeles, to screenwriters David Rayfiel and Lila Garrett[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) |
| Screen names | Credited early in her career as Eliza Garrett; also recorded as Eliza Rayfiel and Eliza Simons[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) |
| Breakout role | Brunella in *National Lampoon's Animal House* (1978)[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) |
| Marriage | Married Eric Roberts on August 16, 1992; previously married to James Simons[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731067/) |
| Children | Keaton Simons, a recording artist, and Morgan Simons[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [4](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/eric-roberts/) |
| Award | Best Actress, Toronto Independent Film Festival 2022, for *The Tasmanian Devil* (2021)[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) |
| Other work | Casting director (credited as Eliza Simons), producer, and Eric Roberts's talent manager[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [5](https://fame.am/person/eliza-roberts) |
## Early life and name
Roberts was born in Los Angeles to two working screenwriters, David Rayfiel and Lila Garrett, and grew up around the film industry.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) [Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) works record her under several names: Encyclopedia.com lists her original name as Eliza Garrett with the alternative Eliza Simons, while [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) and Plex give her birth name as Eliza Rayfiel.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/eliza-roberts/credits/3000116055/) In her early screen credits she appeared as Eliza Garrett, the name under which she played Mindy Binerman in *Schlock* and Brunella in *Animal House*.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza)
## Acting career
**1970s beginnings.** Her first film role came in 1973 in *Schlock*, directed by John Landis, in which she appeared alongside him.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) work followed quickly: she played a receptionist in the *All in the Family* episode "The Unemployment Story: Part 2" (CBS, 1976) and Beth Loomis in the NBC movie *Terraces* (1977).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) Her most widely seen early role was Brunella in *National Lampoon's Animal House* (1978), and she later appeared in the miniseries *Bare Essence* (NBC, 1982) and the ABC movie *Obsessed with a Married Woman* (1985).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eliza_simons)
**1990s roles.** The decade brought a run of film and television parts, including Isabel in *Love Is a Gun* (1994), Josselyn in the [Josh Hamilton](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-hamilton) comedy-drama *[Kicking and Screaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/kicking-and-screaming-1995-film)* (1995), and Patsy in *Nature of the Beast* (1995).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) On television she played Lara in a 1994 episode of *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman* and Miranda in the 1996 *Doctor Who* television film.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) She also appeared in *Dead End* (1998) and *The Alternate* (also known as *Agent of Death*, 2000), both with her husband.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eliza_simons)
**Recent work.** From the 2010s onward Roberts has worked steadily in independent film, often in genre and holiday titles. Notable recent credits include Ethel in *Hippo* (2023), which holds a 90 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Drita in *Mundije* (2025).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eliza_simons) • [1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) In 2021 she starred in *The Tasmanian Devil* as Katherine Racanelli, a performance that won her a Best Actress award at the Toronto Independent Film Festival in 2022.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731067/)
## Casting, producing, and directing
Roberts works as a casting director, credited in that capacity as Eliza Simons.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) Her casting career began on the CBS sitcom *Baby... I'm Back!*, created by her mother, Lila Garrett, and Mort Lachman, and later covered series including *You Again?*, *Throb*, and *Midnight Caller*.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts)
She began producing in 2012 with *Letting Go*, in which she also acted.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) In 2023 she co-produced *My Last Best Friend*, which won a Best Feature Film award at the Athens Digital International Film Festival.[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts) She also directed *My Dinner with Eric Roberts* (2022).[8](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/eliza-roberts-0x0-7aa5)
## Marriage to Eric Roberts
Roberts married actor Eric Roberts on August 16, 1992, and was previously married to James Simons.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731067/) Through the marriage she is the sister-in-law of actress [Julia Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-roberts) and stepmother to actress [Emma Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-roberts).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [9](https://elpais.com/gente/2024-09-19/eric-roberts-busca-su-redencion-se-disculpa-con-su-hermana-julia-roberts-y-ahora-entiende-que-le-quitaran-la-custodia-de-su-hija-emma-roberts.html) Her children from her first marriage are recording artist Keaton Simons and Morgan Simons.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [4](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/eric-roberts/)
Beyond her own credits, she manages her husband's career; profile sources describe her as Eric Roberts's talent manager, and a 2018 *Vanity Fair* profile of the actor credits his prolific output to her.[5](https://fame.am/person/eliza-roberts) • [10](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/eric-roberts-the-hardest-working-man-in-hollywood) The couple have appeared together on screen in films such as *Dead End* and *Agent of Death*, and she appeared as herself alongside him on the ABC reality series *Celebrity Wife Swap* in 2014.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eliza_simons)
## References
1. [Eliza Roberts, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/eliza-roberts)
2. [Eliza Roberts (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731067/)
3. [Roberts, Eliza, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/roberts-eliza)
4. [Eric Roberts biography, ABC Press](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/bios/eric-roberts/)
5. [Eliza Roberts, fame.am](https://fame.am/person/eliza-roberts)
6. [Eliza Roberts, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/eliza-roberts/credits/3000116055/)
7. [Eliza Roberts, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/eliza_simons)
8. [Eliza Roberts, Flickchart](https://www.flickchart.com/professional/eliza-roberts-0x0-7aa5)
9. [Eric Roberts busca su redención, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2024-09-19/eric-roberts-busca-su-redencion-se-disculpa-con-su-hermana-julia-roberts-y-ahora-entiende-que-le-quitaran-la-custodia-de-su-hija-emma-roberts.html)
10. [How Eric Roberts Went Big, Crashed Hard, and Became the Hardest-Working Man in Hollywood, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/eric-roberts-the-hardest-working-man-in-hollywood)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ro to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license