Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock (born 26.7.1964)

Sandra Bullock is an American actress, who rose to fame in the 1990s with her roles in films such as Speed and While You Were Sleeping.

Sandra Bullock: Childhood

Sandra Bullock was born in Arlington County, Virginia. Her mother, Helga, was a German opera singer and her father, John, was a Pentagon contractor, as well as a part-time vocal coach, from Alabama.

Bullock lived in Nuremberg, Germany until she was 12 years old. She was a member of the children's opera choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. She would travel with her mother on opera tours and often took small parts in the productions herself. Bullock remains a German citizen.

Whilst living in the USA, Sandra Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School. She was involved in a number of school theatre performances, as well as being a member of the cheerleading squad. She later attended East Carolina University but dropped out shortly before she was due to graduate, in order to pursue her acting career.

Sandra Bullock: Acting Career

Bullock moved to Manhattan and took acting classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She eventually earned herself a role in the off-Broadway production of No Time Flat. Her performance impressed Alan J. Levi, who offered her a part in the 1989 TV movie Bionic Showdown: the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman.

In the early 1990s, Bullock took roles in a number of independent productions and also took the lead role in a TV adaptation of the film Working Girl, which was shown in 1990. In 1993, she agreed to appear naked in Fire in the Amazon, as long as the nudity was shown tastefully. She reportedly used duct tape to retain some modesty but it proved somewhat painful to remove.

In 1993, Sandra Bullock starred alongside Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man. Although this was not one of her more memorable Hollywood performances, it did lead to her being cast in her breakthrough role in Speed.

Speed, which also starred Keanu Reeves, was a huge box office hit and propelled Bullock to international stardom. Sandra built on the success of Speed, with lead roles in While You Were Sleeping (replacing the original choice of Demi Moore for the role) and Miss Congeniality, a light-hearted comedy.

Bullock went on to reprise two of her hit roles. She starred in Speed 2, although Keanu Reeves declined the offer to re-appear in the sequel. She also starred in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous. By this point in her career, Bullock was commanding huge sums for her appearances, earning a reported $17.5 million for the Miss Congeniality sequel.

In 2002, Bullock starred opposite Hugh Grant in Two Weeks' Notice, a film that was reasonably well-received across the globe.

Two years later, Sandra Bullock appeared in Crash. Many film critics argued that it was a career-best performance for Bullock.

2006 saw Bullock appearing on screen with Keanu Reeves once more in The Lake House, a romantic drama that revolves around the notion of time travel. The next year, she starred in Premonition, with Julian McMahon.

Sandra Bullock: Business

Sandra Bullock owns her own film production company, Fortis Films. Her sister Gesine is the company's president and her father is the CEO.

Bullock also runs a restaurant in Austin, Texas, named Bess Bistro.

Sandra Bullock: Personal Life

Sandra Bullock once dated Tate Donovan. The pair were briefly engaged but spilt after just four years together.

Bullock has also been romantically linked to co-stars Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Gosling, as well as the musician Bob Schneider and the football player Troy Aikman.

In 2005, Bullock married the host of Monster Garage, Jesse James.

In December 2000, Sandra Bullock survived a plane crash when a chartered business plane hit a snowbank at Jackson Hole Airport.

In 2007, Sandra Bullock won a restraining order against Marcia Diana Valentine, an obsessed fan who tried to run over Bullock's husband, Jesse James, in their own driveway.