'' in 2005.
'''Sandra Annette Bullock''' (born July 26, 1964) is an American film actress. She came to fame in the 1990s, after roles in successful films like ''
Speed'' and ''
While You Were Sleeping'', and has since established a career as a well-known Hollywood leading actress, with one of her most recent film roles, in 2005's ''
Crash'', receiving critical acclaim.
Biography
Early life
Bullock was born in Arlington County, Virginia, to John Bullock (a Pentagon contractor and part-time vocal coach from Alabama) and Helga Meyer (a German opera singer who died of cancer on April 4 2000); her maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg. Bullock lived in Nuremberg until age twelve, where she sang in the opera's childrens' choir at the ''Staatstheater Nürnberg''.
She frequently traveled with her mother on her opera tours, and lived in Germany and other parts of Europe for much of her childhood. She studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother's opera productions, and later attended Washington-Lee High School, where her graduating class voted her "Most Likely to Brighten up Your Day".
Career
Bullock subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California, and was cast in a series of small roles in several independent films as well as in the lead role of the television version of the film ''Working Girl''. One of Bullock's first notable movie appearances was in ''
Demolition Man'' (1993), which led to her breakthrough performance in ''
Speed'' the following year. She became a high-level movie star in the late 1990s, carrying a string of successes, including ''
While You Were Sleeping'' (she replaced actress Demi Moore, who was originally scheduled to star), ''
Miss Congeniality'' and ''
Two Weeks Notice''.
She has been selected as one of ''People'' magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996 and 1999, and has also been ranked #58 in ''Empire'' magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list.
Bullock runs her own production company, Fortis Films; her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado,
is vice-president of the company. 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.
The story was eventually made as the Oscar-winning film ''Million Dollar Baby'' (2004).
In 2005, 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. Bullock's latest film is ''
The Lake House'', a romantic drama also starring her ''
Speed''
