Bullock was born into a musical family. Her father, John W. Bullock, was a part-time voice coach while serving in the US army. Her mother, Helga Mathilde Meyer, was an opera singer. The now aspiring actress studied music and dance at the Waldorf School in Nuremberg, Germany. She could have started a musical career and followed her parents’ footsteps, but in truth she never liked musicals. So how did she become a world-renowned actress with a musical background?
Bullock was once a cheerleader at Washington-Lee High School. To this day she still keeps her uniform because “That might come in handy some sexy night.” During an interview, she said, “I want to be buried in it (cheerleader uniform).” She must have had a wonderful high school life, but what about her college?
Bullock graduated from high school in 1982. After graduation, she attended East Carolina University to study acting. However, she dropped out of college only three credits shy of earning a Bachelor’s Degree. Was leaving college a good decision?
After dropping out of college, Bullock moved to New York, where she worked as a bartender while taking acting classes with Sanford Meisner. She started appearing in low-budget films and television shows. In 1989, she earned a part in Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. Then she went on playing Tess McGill in the short-lived NBC television adaptation of the film Working Girl. Finally, she rose to early prominence with a supporting role in 1993’s Demolition Man. But her real breakthrough didn’t come until a year later.
It was Bullock’s excellent performance in Speed that established herself as a Hollywood leading actress. But incredibly back then everyone told her not to take the role. Thankfully she didn’t listen and decided to follow her instinct. Speed proved Bullock’s outstanding talent for acting. To make things even more dramatic than the movie, the young actress actually had a crush on her co-star.
Bullock had an insane crush on Keanu Reeves while filming Speed. She said “It was hard for me to really be serious. He’d look at me and I’d be like *explodes into swooning giggles*.” The pair became long-time friends, but they’ve never dated. Bullock later appeared in the sequel for Speed without Keanu Reeves. How did she feel about it?
The Speed 2 was quite a flop and Bullock regrets ever making that movie. “I’ve always been at the helm of what I do. There’s never been anything that someone said ‘I think you should do… except for Speed 2, which I wish someone would have done.” She expressed her feelings for the movie in an interview with the Nation. Speed 2 is certainly not one of Bullock’s best works. Read on to discover some of her best movies.
Her excellent performance in The Blind Side brought her an Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama. In 2013, she played a medical engineer and astronaut in Gravity, which earned her a second Academy Award nomination. She was also named Entertainment Weekly’s 2013 Entertainer of the Year. In 2015, the versatile actress voiced Scarlett Overkill in Minions, which is Bullock’s highest grossing film by far, grossing over $1.159 billion worldwide. Read on to see Bullock’s latest movie.
Bird Box is a post-apocalyptic horror thriller film directed by Susanne Bier. It has created a ton of buzz since its release. According to a Netflix report, the movie had the biggest seven-day viewership for any of its original films to date, with over 45 million viewers. Bullock loved filming this movie, except for one thing.
She told People Magazine the one thing she didn’t like while filming Bird Box. “I don’t like to be scared. I hate being scared. I hate, hate people who think it’s funny to stand behind doors and scare you because they know that you hate being scared.” Bullock is an excellent actress for sure, but even she can’t satisfy the critics every time.
In the same year that Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Blind Side, she was nominated for Worst Actress at the Golden Raspberry Awards for All About Steve. She didn’t back out from her Razzie and even went to the ceremony to pick up the award. No one could deny her leading status in Hollywood, even after her Razzie. She’s made so many terrific films after all. Nonetheless, there is this one film Bullock has tried to get into production for years but failed.
Bullock tried to produce the movie based on F.X. Toole’s short story but the studios were just not interested in a female boxing drama. Later, the story was adapted and directed by Clint Eastwood as the Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby. However, there were no hard feelings for Bullock. “When things like that happen, that’s the way they’re supposed to be.” She said.
Bullock is such an aspiring actress that people can’t help but dig into the details about her personal life.
Bullock once dated Canadian Ryan Gosling. He was an actor and 16 years younger than her. The pair dated for a little over a year. Hugh Grant used to tease Bullock about it by calling Gosling “The Child” and mimic a baby. Besides Ryan Gosling, she also dated football player Troy Aikman and actor Matthew McConaughey, but who did the stunning actress finally land on?
Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. Things were not bad at first but in March 2010 several women came forward having claimed to have had an affair with James. Although James made a public apology to Bullock, he couldn’t save his marriage. The actress filed for a divorce and it was finalized on June 28, 2010. What about her children? Did she have any?
Bullock adopted a son in January 2010 with then-husband Jesse James. She continued the adoption as a single parent after her divorce. The actress announced in December 2015 that she had adopted a second child and appeared on the cover of People magazine with her then three-year-old daughter. Despite all the turmoil that was going on in her life, Bullock still managed to make a breakthrough in her career.
George Lopez might be one of the most recognizable Latino sitcom actors on American television, but few know it was Sandra Bullock who helped the comedian get started. They’ve had a close friendship ever since. “If it wasn’t for her involvement in me or her belief in me, I would have had a very different last 10 years… She invested in me, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. And with that, and just who she is, she has my undying love and my undying loyalty.” Lopez said in 2011.
Bullock is a fan of Chinese acupuncture. She once brought a Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist on the set of Murder by Numbers. Rumor has it that Bullock gets acupuncture done at least three times a week and that she requires one on set before she agrees to do a movie.
Bullock used to star in a lot of romantic comedies before she decided to quit that genre and take on more serious roles. The last romantic comedy she filmed was Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant. “I had the ultimate romantic partner in Hugh Grant. So, I’ve done that nice chapter in my life, and that chapter is closed.” She told Vogue.
The accident happened on On December 20, 2000. Bullock and two crew members were in a private jet. The pilots were unable to activate the runway lights during a night landing at Jackson Hole Airport due to the use of out-of-date approach plates, but continued the landing anyway. As a result, the aircraft landed in the airport’s graded safety area between the runway and parallel taxiway and hit a snowbank. Luckily, Bullock and the crew members were unharmed.
Bullock founded a restaurant named Bess Bistro in the almost-century-old Stratford Arms building at 500 W. Sixth St. in 2006. She later opened another business, Walton’s Fancy and Staple, across the street. Walton’s is a bakery, upscale restaurant, and floral shop that also offers services including event planning. Unfortunately, after almost nine years in business, Bess Bistro closed on September 20, 2015.
