Sandra Bullock

Background

Sandra Bullock was born on July 26, 1964, in Arlington, Virginia, to Helga Mathilde, a German opera singer and voice teacher, and John Wilson Bullock, an Army employee and part-time voice coach from Birmingham, Alabama. Her father, who was in command of the Army’s Military Postal Service in Europe at the time, met her mother in Nuremberg. Her parents met and married in Germany. Her family relocated to Arlington, where her father worked for the Army Materiel Command before becoming a Pentagon contractor. Gesine Bullock-Prado, Bullock’s younger sister, served as president of Bullock’s production firm Fortis Films.

Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a youngster and frequently accompanied her mother in her opera shows, playing minor roles. Bullock has a scar over her left eye from a childhood fall into a brook.
Bullock went to Washington-Lee High School, where she was a cheerleader and acted in school plays. She attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina after graduating in 1982, and earned a B.F.A. in Drama in 1987. She appeared in several theater productions while at ECU, including “Peter Pan” and “Three Sisters.” She afterward relocated to Manhattan, New York, where she worked as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and coat checker while auditioning for roles.

In 1994, Bullock co-starred with Keanu Reeves in the film “Speed,” which grossed $350 million worldwide. In the 1995 film “While You Were Sleeping,” she portrayed a lonely Chicago Transit Authority token collector who saves a man’s life. She was nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Bullock starred in the 1995 thriller “The Net” as a computer programmer who uncovers a conspiracy that puts her life and the lives of those around her in jeopardy. In 1996, she was nominated for an M.T.V. Movie Award for ‘Best Breakthrough Performance’ for his performance in “A Time to Kill,” with Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Spacey. She co-starred in the films “Forces of Nature” and “Practical Magic” with Ben Affleck. Bullock also wrote, produced, and directed the short film “Making Sandwiches.” She also played the role of Miriam in “The Prince of Egypt.” Bullock produced the 2001 romantic comedy, “Kate & Leopold.” From 2002 until 2007, Bullock was also the executive producer of the sitcom “George Lopez.” “Crash,” for which Bullock received an Oscar for ‘Best Picture,’ starred her as the wife of a district attorney. “The Proposal” grossed $317 million at the global box office, making it her fourth highest-grossing film to date. Bullock co-starred with George Clooney in the 2013 sci-fi thriller “Gravity” as an astronaut stuck in space. Her acting in “Bird Box” in 2018 got significant acclaim. Her films have generated more than $5.3 billion globally, with a cumulative domestic gross of more than $2.6 billion.