Roula Pateraki was born in Thessaloniki while she living and working in Athens.

She has graduate of the School of English Language and Literature in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She studied theatrical studies at the Drama School of Kyriazis Haratsaris in Thessaloniki, and was a member of the professional theater "Free Theater". She was a founding member of the Theatre Workshop in Thessaloniki. She founded the Drama Art Inspection (1978-1985), a double structure of drama school and professional theater in Thessaloniki, where she directed and starred in many plays such as "Travesties" by Tom Stoppard, "Bremen Freedom" by Rainer Verner Fassbinder, "Multi-Beckett" based on Samuel Beckett’s various plays, "Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen and others. At the same time, she taught at the Higher Private School of Dramatic Art "Drama Art Inspection".

In 1990, she founded the Drama Theater "Roula Pateraki", based in Athens, and performed many plays by great classical and modern playwrights (Zene, Strindberg, Kein, Proust, Bernhard, M. Fais, D. Demetriades, G. Panos, G. Veltsos etc.), in some of which she also has been starred. She has worked as an actress in many theaters, starring amongst others leading roles such as Rebecca Vest at Rosenholm, Ipsen, directed by A. Antypas, Marguerite Gautier in the Lady with the camellias, A. Dumas, directed by P. Zulias, or Molly Bloom in the homonymous play by James Joyce, directed by L. Meletopoulou.

She also directed plays by Ibsen, Shaw, Kolte, Dostoevsky, Fassbender, Woolf, Joys and others, in many free Athenian theaters (Kefallinia Street Theatre, Athens Theatre, Alice Theatre, Jenny Karezi Theatre, Fournos, Ex Machina Theatre etc).

In 2008, she directed the performance Bottom by Maxim Gorky in the Experimental Stage of the National Theater, while she designed and staged Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Kolonos with the National Theater in Ancient Epidauros.

In 2009, she directed and interpreted the Moonlight Sonata by Yannis Ritsos from his poem collection Fourth Dimension for the Monologues at the Epidaurus Festival.

In 2005, she was awarded the "Karolos Koun" Award for her performance in Yannis Panos “The Philosopher” and in 2009 she won the "Karolos Koun" Award by directing the play Puerto Grande by Manos Lambrakis.

In the cinema she staring in the movies: The Unique Journey of his life, directed by Lakis Papastathis, and Three Seasons by Petros Sevastikoglou.

Her first appearance at the theater was at the age of ten, in the drama Sacrifice of Abraham, in the role of Isaac. Her most recent role is Sister Aloysius in the play Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Apollo Papatheocharis.

Her most recent works include: The Invocation of the Charm by Yannis Mavritzakis, The Capital by Carl Marx, and Dying as a country by Demetris Demetriadis.

She was honored with the grand prize "Marika Kotopouli".