Sandra Bullock Biography

Born on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., to a German opera singer and a voice teacher, Bullock grew up largely on the road. As a teenager, her family moved back to the D.C. area, where she finished high school. She then attended East Carolina University, where she studied acting. She departed for New York upon graduation to pursue her acting career.

Bullock got her big break in 1989 with a part in the independent feature Who Shot Patakango. This led to a short run as Tess McGill on the ill-fated NBC sitcom Working Girl (based on the hit movie of the same name) and then a co-starring role in the romantic comedy Love Potion No. 9. In 1993, Bullock replaced Lori Petty in the futuristic Sylvester Stallone vehicle Demolition Man.

But it was in the box-office hit Speed (1994) that Bullock first earned widespread recognition. Playing opposite Keanu Reeves, Bullock’s plucky performance helped propel the commercial success of what was an otherwise generic action feature.

In the mid-1990s, Bullock appeared in steady stream of big-budget productions of varying commercial success. While films like While You Were Sleeping (1995), The Net (1995), and A Time to Kill (1996) performed well, others such as Two If By Sea (1996) and Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), were box-office flops.

In an attempt to expand her dramatic range, Bullock appeared as an alcoholic newspaper columnist sent to rehab, in 28 Days (2000). The film, a mix of dark comedy and melodrama, received tepid reviews, although her comedy Miss Congeniality did well at the box office that same year.

After a brief hiatus, Bullock returned in early 2002 with Murder by Numbers, a crime thriller in which she plays a detective responsible for tracking down a duo of thrill-killers. She also appeared in a film version of the best-selling novel The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Two Weeks’ Notice, a romantic comedy co-starring Hugh Grant. Upcoming projects inclue Miss Congeniality 2 and the romantic drama Il Mare with Speed costar Keanu Reeves.

Bullock makes her home in Austin, Texas; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Tybee Island, Georgia. She married Jesse James, star of the TV hit Monster Garage, on July 16, 2005.

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