Born in Arlington County, Virginia, on July 26, 1964, Sandra Bullock was the elder daughter of a vocal coach John Bullock and an opera singer Helga Meyer. Touring through Europe with her mother, Bullock was given her first taste of show business while still a child.
Sandra Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School in Virginia and was a popular cheerleader. She attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, but left school during her senior year to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. During this time, she helped support herself by entering and winning dance contests, a passion that has stayed with her. She later completed her coursework and was awarded a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University. Sandra not only developed a deep appreciation for opera, and also learned to speak fluent German. Sandra dances at every possible opportunity, and it has been said that if she ever gave up acting, she could easily take up dance as a second professional career.
Sandra got her start with a number of stage productions. It was for one of these productions, the off-Broadway No Time Flat, that Bullock received a rave review for her portrayal of a Southern belle, the strength of which was enough to land her an agent. Television work followed, with a small role in the 1989 Bionic Showdown: The Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman and, after her migration to Los Angeles.
Sandra moved to Los Angeles where she got the role of a spunky cop in the Sylvester Stallone sci-fi action film, "Demolition Man". This was a role that drew the attention of director Jan De Bont, who cast her in the hit movie "Speed", practically making her an overnight success.
She has been selected as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996 and 1999. She was presented with the 2002 Raul Julia Award for Excellence [3] for her efforts, as the executive producer of the sitcom The George Lopez Show.
The two mega hits, "The Net" and "While You Were Sleeping" followed, sending Sandra on a skyrocket ride to A-list status and a hefty increase in her paycheck. The success of these films made it possible for her to start her own cinema production company, Fortis Films. Bullock tried to produce a film based on F.X. Toole's short story Million-Dollar Baby, but couldn't interest studios in a female boxing drama.[5] The story was eventually made as the Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby (2004).
In 2005, Sandra Bullock had a supporting role in the film Crash. She received positive reviews for her performance, with some critics suggesting that it was the best performance of her career. |
