Sandra Annette Bullock born to an opera singer mother Helga Meyer and an American voice teacher John Bullock, on July 26, 1964 is a German-American actress, producer, and philanthropist. Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child and frequently accompanied her mother, taking small parts in her opera production. After graduating from Washington-Lee High School in 1982, she attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, where she received a BFA in Drama in 1987. She then moved to Manhattan, New York, where she supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and coat checker while auditioning for roles.
She appeared in several student films, and later landed a role in an Off-Broadway play No Time Flat. Director Alan J. Levi was impressed by Bullock’s performance and offered her a part in the TV movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989). This led to her being cast in several films, such as Love Potion No. 9 (1992), The Thing Called Love (1993) and Fire on the Amazon (1993).
Bullock had a prominent supporting role in the science-fiction/action film Demolition Man (1993), followed by a leading role in Speed the following year. Speed took in $350 million at the box office worldwide. The film went success, won an Academy Award for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects. Her next successful movie during the mid-1990s While You Were Sleeping (1995), for which she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, The Net (1995) and A Time to Kill (1996).
In 2000, Bullock starred in Miss Congeniality, was a worldwide success and received another Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 2002 Bullock went on starring with Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice which was a hit. Bullock was again reunited with her Speed co-star Keanu Reeves in the romantic drama The Lake House. In 2008, Bullock was announced as “the face” of the cosmetic brand Artistry.
Her release The Proposal with co-star Ryan Reynolds, grossed $317 million at the box office worldwide. She received her third Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress role for Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In November 2009, Bullock starred in The Blind Side,it grossed over $309 million, making it her domestic highest-grossing film.
She was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress. In 2011, Bullock starred in the drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close alongside Tom Hanks, the film was nominated for numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination.
Bullock also starred in the science fiction film Gravity, opposite George Clooney. The film was called “the most realistic and beautifully choreographed film ever set in space”. Gravity took in $716 million at the box office worldwide, making it Bullock’s second most successful picture.
In 2015, she voiced the character of Scarlet Overkill in the animated film Minions, which became her highest-grossing film to date, with over $1.1 billion worldwide.
In 2014, Bullock ranked No. 2 on Forbes‘s list of most powerful actresses. In 2015, she was named “The Most Beautiful Woman” by People.
Bullock runs her own production company, Fortis Films. Bullock has been a public supporter of the American Red Cross, having donated $1 million to the organization at least four times.
