She took a break from her 30-year acting career: Who is Sandra Bullock?

Her full name is Sandra Annette Bullock was born on July 26, 1964, also Arlington County, Virginia. She was born to her mother Helga Mathilde, an opera singer and voice teacher from Germany, and John Wilson Bullock, an Army employee and part-time voice coach from Birmingham. Returning to Arlington with her family, Bullock has a younger sister named Gesine Bullock-Prado.

Bullock, who grew up speaking German in Nuremberg, Germany, and Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, studied Waldorf in Nuremberg. When Bullock was a child, she often stayed with her aunt Christl and cousin Susanne because of her mother's work. Also, having studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, Bullock appeared in small roles in opera productions, often accompanying her mother, and sang in the children's choir at the Nuremberg opera.

Attending Washington-Lee High School, Bullock became a cheerleader and acted in school theater productions. After graduating in 1982, Bullock enrolled at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, where she earned a Bachelor of Drama in 1987. She took part in many theater productions here as well. Bullock then moved to New York, where she made a living by working multiple jobs as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and cloakroom while auditioning for roles.

Bullock, who took acting lessons, took part in "No Time Flat", an Off-Broadway play. Her performance in the play was impressed by director Alan J. Levi, who offered Bullock a role in the made-for-television science fiction action movie "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" (1989). Thanks to this, she got the lead role in the sitcom TV series "Working Girl" (1990). Later, she appeared in many productions such as the romantic comedy movie "Love Potion No.9"(1992), the comedy-drama movie "The Thing Called Love"(1993) and the adventure drama movie "Fire on the Amazon"(1993). She subsequently achieved early fame with her supporting role in the sci-fi action movie "Demolition Man" (1993) directed by Marco Brambilla. Despite mixed reviews, the film also made a financial profit.

Bullock made her breakthrough as Annie Porter, who co-starred with Keanu Reeves in the 1994 action movie "Speed," directed by Jan de Bont. Upon its release, the film was a huge hit at the box office, and Bullock's performance helped establish her as a Hollywood actress. Additionally, she won Best Actress at the 21st Saturn Awards, as well as Best Female Performance and Most Desirable Female at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards.

The following year, she co-starred with Bill Pullman in the romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping" (1995) as a lone Chicago Transit Authority coin collector who saves a man's life. The film received positive reviews from critics, praised for her performance, and received her first Golden Globe Award nomination. That same year, she got the lead role as a computer programmer in the action thriller "The Net" (1995). The film, which was a huge success at the box office, garnered mixed or average reviews.

In 1996, she co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Spacey as a member of the defense team charged with murdering two men who raped a young girl in the legal drama film "A Time to Kill"(1996), based on the novel of the same name. The film received both mixed and positive reviews and a commercial success. She was also nominated for an MTV Movie Award for her performance. The following year, she was cast again in the sequel "Speed 2: Cruise Control" (1997). The movie grossed on par with the production budget and was a complete failure.

Later, in the drama movie "Hope Floats" (1998), directed by Forest Whitaker, Harry Connick Jr. and took the lead role with Gena Rowlands. The movie was able to gross $81.5 million worldwide. In the same year, she starred with Nicole Kidman in the fantastic romantic drama film "Practical Magic"(1998), based on the novel of the same name. The film, which failed at the box office, garnered poor reviews from critics.

Later that year, she voiced the character Miriam in the DreamWorks Animation movie "The Prince of Egypt." Aside from the positive reviews about the film, it was met with a huge commercial gain at the box office. In 1999, she co-starred with Ben Affleck in the romantic comedy film "Forces of Nature" (1999), directed by Bronwen Hughes. The film, which was a success at the box office, garnered mixed reviews.

In 2000, she played the lead role as Gwen Cummings in the comedy-drama film "28 Days" directed by Betty Thomas. The film was a moderate success at the box office, resulting in mixed reviews. That same year, she co-starred with William Shatner and Ernie Hudson in the action comedy movie "Miss Congeniality" directed by Donald Petrie. The movie turned into a financial success with the revenue it earned against the production budget. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy Film.

Later, Bullock was cast as a seasoned homicide detective in the psychological thriller "Murder by Numbers" (2002), directed by Barbet Schroeder. The movie, which was released with mixed reviews, earned a revenue equivalent to the production budget. In the same year, she starred in the comedy-drama film "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" directed by Callie Khouri and based on the novel of the same name. It was a healthy success at the box office and received mixed reviews.

Later that year, she collaborated with Hugh Grant on the romantic comedy film "Two Weeks Notice" (2002). The film was a success, earning $199 million worldwide and garnered mixed reviews. That year, she was honored with the Raul Julia Award of Excellence for helping expand career opportunities for Hispanic talent in the media and entertainment industry, as executive producer of the sitcom "George Lopez" (2002–2007).

In 2004, she starred as part of a large cast in the crime drama film "Crash" directed by Paul Haggis. Receiving positive reviews from critics, the film grossed a great deal at the box office against its production budget. For her performance, she won an Academy Award and received positive reviews. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, along with the rest of the cast.

She then reprized her role in the sequel "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous", which received negative reviews from critics. Despite the critical failure, it was able to find success at the box office. In 2006, Bullock reunited with Keanu Reeves in the romantic drama movie "The Lake House" directed by Alejandro Agresti. The film was met with both negative reviews and success at the box office.

That same year, she portrayed Harper Lee, along with Toby Jones and Daniel Craig, in the drama film "Infamous" directed by Douglas McGrath and based on a book. In 2007, she played the lead role in the supernatural thriller "Premonition" (2007), directed by Mennan Yapo, as a housewife who lives through the days of her husband's death in non-chronological order. The film, which received negative reviews, was a success, grossing $ 84.1 million worldwide.

In 2009, Bullock co-starred with Ryan Reynolds as a persistent editor-in-chief in the romantic comedy film "The Proposal" directed by Anne Fletcher. The film grossed $317 million at the worldwide box office, making it Bullock's fourth most successful film to date. For her performance, she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Best Performance in a Musical or Comedy. She later played one of the leading roles in the comedy movie "All About Steve" directed by Phil Traill. She won the Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance.

That same year, she starred as Leigh Anne Tuohy in the biographical sports drama film "The Blind Side" based on the book of the same name written and directed by John Lee Hancock. The film was Bullock's second-highest opening weekend ever, grossing over $309 million against its production budget. For her performance, she won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress.

She became the only actor in history to win both awards, after Bullock won the Oscar for this film and the Razzie Award for her performance in "All About Steve" (2009) the night before.

She then starred with Tom Hanks as the widow of the September 11 attacks in the drama film "Extremely Loud & Incredably Close"(2011), based on the novel of the same name. Despite mixed reviews, the film was nominated for multiple awards and was a moderate financial success at the box office. She also received a Teen Choice Awards nomination for Favorite Actress in a Drama for her performance.

In 2013, Bullock appeared alongside Melissa McCarthy in the police action comedy "The Heat" as an FBI Special Agent who must take down a Boston mobster alongside a city detective. The film, which received positive reviews from critics, was able to achieve worldwide success. Later, she played an astronaut stranded in space alongside George Clooney in the science fiction thriller "Gravity", which premiered at the 70th Venice Film Festival and was released on October 4, 2013. The film received universal critical acclaim, and Bullock's performance was rated as the best of her career. Additionally, it became Bullock's second most successful film with its gross. Her performance earned her nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress.

Bullock voiced the villain Scarlet Overkill in the animated movie "Minions" (2015), the highest-grossing movie to date with over $1.1 billion worldwide. The film was a financial success, receiving mixed reviews from critics. Thus, it became the fifth highest-grossing film of 2015 and the tenth highest-grossing film of all time. Additionally, it made its name as the second highest-grossing animated film of all time.

That same year, she landed the lead role in the comedy drama "Our Brand Is Crisis", based on the documentary film of the same name, as a political consultant hired to help win the Bolivian presidential election. Bullock's portrayal failed to have the worst wide-screen opening of her career, despite being considered "one of the best female roles of the past 10 years."

In 2018, she played Danny Ocean's sister, Debbie Ocean, who helped plan a sophisticated heist of the annual Met Gala in the all-female spin-off "Ocean's 8" (2018), directed by Gary Ross. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, in addition to making $297 million worldwide. Her next role was starring in the Netflix post-apocalyptic horror film "Bird Box"(2018), based on the novel, as Malorie, a woman who must find a way to get herself and her children to safety despite the potential threat from an unseen enemy. It was critically acclaimed for its performance, and the movie became the most-watched movie on Netflix by 2021, 28 days after its release.

That year, she played a woman who is released from prison after being convicted of a violent crime in another production for Netflix, the drama "The Unforgivable" (2021), directed by Nora Fingscheidt. The movie was the fifth most watched movie on the platform at the time of its release and garnered mixed reviews from critics.

In 2022, she appeared with Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe in the romantic comedy-adventure film "The Lost City" directed by Adam and Aaron Nee. Bullock takes on the role of a successful but depressed romance writer in the movie. The critically acclaimed film grossed twice its production budget at the box office. This feat made Bullock the first actress to earn $100 million in four different live-action star vehicles. That same year, she appeared in the action thriller "Bullet Train" starring Brad Pitt. 

Personal life

In 1992, Bullock met actor Tate Donovan and the couple began a relationship that lasted three years. They later got engaged and could not continue and broke up. On July 16, 2005, Bullock married motorcycle manufacturer and presenter Jesse James. The couple could not continue due to the troubles arising from James' ex-wife and on April 23, 2010, Bullock filed for divorce. The couple was finalized on June 28, 2010. Since mid-2015 Bullock has been in a relationship with photographer Bryan Randall. Bullock has two adopted children, Louis and Laila.

On March 24, 2005, Bullock was honored with a movie star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition, Bullock owns the production company Fortis Films. Bullock also takes part in aid funds in support campaigns for many institutions, organizations and associations in various categories. Bullock has been called "America's darling" by the media. She has been named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine three times.

In 2010, she was included in the annual "Time 100" list by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. Furthermore, she was named "Hollywood's Most Powerful Actress" by Entertainment Weekly. In 2013, Bullock joined other Hollywood legends by making hand and foot prints on the concrete of the TCL Chinese Theater's forecourt on Hollywood Boulevard.