Julia Roberts just keeps getting better

By the time Julia Roberts posed for this studio portrait in New York City on 15 September, 1989, she was well on her way to reaching mega stardom. The Georgia native was prepping for the November premiere of Steel Magnolias and the role of her life was on the horizon as beloved prostitute Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman, which premiered the following March. 

A 22-year-old Julia Roberts showed up at the Hollywood premiere of Young Guns II on 30 July, 1990, sans her signature auburn locks only a few months after she was named one of People magazine's Most Beautiful People in the World.

Wearing a pinstriped, oversized-menswear look at the 1991 Golden Globes, there's no denying that Roberts' million-dollar smile was her best accessory that night. The star was glowing after she accepted her first best actress in a comedy/musical trophy for her role in Pretty Woman.

Was she looking for inspiration for more red carpets? Decked out in a dinner jacket, a 24-year-old Julia Roberts checked out Richard Tyler's fall collection at New York City's Royalton Hotel on April 15, 1992.

Baring her taut belly, Julia Roberts, 25, rocked competing stripes at the 1993 ShoWest Convention on 8 March, 1993.

She may have cropped her 'do, but Julia Roberts showed that her winning smile wasn't going anywhere on 1 June, 1994.

On 21 June, 1995, Julia Roberts showed off a side-swept fringe and pin-straight locks while at Industria Superstudio in New York City. Perhaps her solemn look could have been pegged to her recent divorce -- several months before, she and country singer Lyle Lovett announced that they were separating after 21 months of marriage.

Showing the world that she's a natural beauty, Julia Roberts attended the New York City premiere of her film Michael Collins on 10 October, 1996.

Goodbye, bulky blazers on the red carpet -- hello, sexy bustier! Enjoying the last few months of her twenties, Julia Roberts turned the glam factor way up when she hit the L.A. premiere of Conspiracy Theory on 4 August, 1997.

Flirty, 30, and blonde! Julia Roberts paired a mauve pucker with her jewelled halter dress when she graced the Golden Globes on 18 January, 1998 -- the year she was nominated, but did not win, for her role in the blockbuster My Best Friend's Wedding.

With her hair swept away from her face and her bare shoulders, the 32-year-old actress stunned the crowd with her elegant look as she attended the New York premiere of Stepmom on 15 December, 1999.  

2000 was a huge year for Julia Roberts -- not only did she wow audiences and critics with her role as a tough-talking secretary in Erin Brockovich (pictured), but she also met her future husband, cameraman Danny Moder, as she was filming The Mexican.

Looking like she stepped right out of old Hollywood, Julia Roberts accepted her first Academy Award -- in vintage Valentino -- for her role in Erin Brockovich on 25 March, 2001. Roberts swept awards season that year and also picked up a Golden Globe, a People's Choice award, a SAG and even an MTV Movie Award for playing the real-life crusader. 

While her tresses were back to their trademark bold hue, Julia Roberts kept the rest of her look understated as she donned a black pantsuit to the People's Choice Awards on 13 January, 2002, where she collected her third consecutive award for favourite movie actress.

Sure, we've come to know and love Julia Roberts' toothy grin over the years, but she had a pretty good reason to be showing it off at the L.A. press junket for Mona Lisa Smile on 6 December, 2003. That movie earned her $25 million, which made her the highest paid actress at that time in Hollywood.

Back to blonde, the 36-year-old star may not have been nominated for an award at the 2004 Academy Awards, but she still had a winning look in a taupe Giorgio Armani, which she wore to introduce a tribute to Katharine Hepburn.

Taken over by a new mum glow, Julia Roberts attended a "Stars in the Sky" Benefit for the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps in New York City on 21 April, 2005. The 37-year-old actress had given birth to twins Phinnaeus and Hazel four months prior.

Having fun with fringe, Julia Roberts attends an afterparty for the opening of the Broadway revival of Three Days of Rain in NYC on 19 April, 2006. The play marked her debut on The Great White Way.

Four months after giving birth to her third child, Henry, Julia Roberts attended an American Cinematique-hosted event in honor of her career in Beverly Hills on 12 October, 2007.

Forty and fabulous, Julia Roberts walked the red carpet at the Metropolitan Costume Institute Ball in a beautiful beaded Giorgio Armani gown on 5 May, 2008.

Even though she had taken some time off from making movies, once Julia Roberts hit the New York City premiere of Duplicity on 16 March, 2009, you could tell that nothing about the stunning star had changed.

Twenty years after showing off her gams in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts -- pictured at the 20th Annual Glamour Women of the Year awards at Carnegie Hall on 8 November, 2010 in New York City -- was still commanding the box office with her summer hit Eat Pray Love. "I think she has never looked more beautiful," director Ryan Murphy told People. "She is so happy and fulfilled in her personal life -- and it shows."

A few weeks before turning 44, Julia Roberts attended the L.A. premiere for her film Fireflies in the Garden on 12 October. Looking as radiant as ever, the star plans to stay that way without the help of knives or needles -- she recently told Elle, "I want my kids to know when I'm pissed, when I'm happy and when I'm confounded. Your face tells a story and it shouldn't be a story about your drive to the doctor's office."

This year, Julia Roberts -- who turns 45 on 28 October -- left behind her good girl ways and took a walk on the dark side with her role as The Evil Queen in this spring's Mirror Mirror. Roberts (pictured on 17 May in Santa Monica, Calif.) told iVillage exclusively that she has been fond of her transition from being an ingenue to growing into juicy roles: "Well...it seems a natural progression of things. I've enjoyed my career quite thoroughly." Good girl gone bad? We can't wait to see what Julia surprises us with next!