In Pretty Woman (1990), Julia Roberts played Vivian Ward, a Hollywood prostitute hired by wealthy businessman Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, for a week of company. Directed by Garry Marshall, the film turns that unlikely arrangement into a modern fairy tale, as Vivian moves from the street to Rodeo Drive, from being judged to being seen.
Roberts made Vivian unforgettable. She was funny, frank and full of life, and she let the audience see both the toughness that had kept Vivian going and the tenderness underneath it. Her chemistry with Gere carried the film, and the role brought her a second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress, and a Golden Globe win.
Pretty Woman became a worldwide hit and the defining romantic comedy of its era. Vivian remains a signature Roberts role because the film’s heart was never the shopping or the glamour, but the smile and the warmth Roberts gave a woman learning to expect more for herself.