In 2022, during an interview for a HISTORYTalks event in Washington, D.C., Julia Roberts revealed an astonishing fact about her life: her mom and dad were good friends of Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.
The venerated civil rights leader and his family met Roberts' parents in 1967 and immediately struck up a friendship. But that's only half the story. A subsequent act of kindness and generosity forged a special bond between the activists and the Hollywood actress that is now more widely known, thanks to social media.
In this gallery, we recall the events that led up to this unlikely but touching story and explain why one of the most successful actresses of her generation will always be associated with the man who inspired global movements for human rights and equality.
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