'The Unforgivable' debuts on Netflix: Sandra Bullock's life and career in photos

By Topher Gauk-Roger 2:07am PST, Dec 12, 2021

Sandra Annette Bullock has come a long way from her quiet childhood in Arlington, Virginia. She went on to become an Academy Award-winning actress as well as one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. The woman who's led hit movies like "Speed," "Miss Congeniality," "The Proposal," "The Blind Side," "Gravity" and "Bird Box" has also been the world's highest paid actress at multiple points in her career. While she's remained busy at work since first hitting the scene in the late '80s, Sandra's also found time to devote to her own production company as well as to her two children. But it all started in the Washington, D.C., suburb where she was born to an opera singer mother and an Army employee father… To celebrate the release of her latest film, Netflix's "The Unforgivable," on Dec. 10, 2021, join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at Sandra Bullock's life and career in photos…

For much of her childhood, Sandra Bullock and her family, which includes younger sister Gesine Bullock-Prado, also lived in Nuremberg, Germany, as well as Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, before the family returned to Arlington, Virginia, where Sandra attended high school. She studied ballet and vocal arts as a child before taking part in numerous theater productions as a teenager. Upon graduating from East Carolina University with a drama degree, Sandra headed to the Big Apple to pursue her dream of acting full time. She supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress and coat checker while auditioning and eventually landed a role in the off-Broadway play "No Time Flat," which got her seen by a director who offered her a supporting role in the 1989 made-for-television film "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman." She's seen here a year later in 1990.

Sandra Bullock closed out the '80s by snagging small roles in a few independent films before landing her first on-screen lead role on the 1990 sitcom "Working Girl." The NBC series was loosely based on the hit 1988 film of the same name starring Melanie Griffith, with Sandra taking over the part for the television adaptation. The midseason series follows a spunky, independent secretary who's suddenly become a junior executive after charming the company's owner. Unfortunately, the show drew low ratings and was short-lived: It was canceled after eight of the 12 episodes produced aired.

Luckily for Sandra Bullock, her first lead role in a feature soon followed: She starred in the 1992 rom-com "Love Potion No. 9" opposite Tate Donovan, which revolves around a chemist and his animal psychologist co-worker who try out an elixir that makes anyone who wears it irresistible to the opposite sex. The awkward pair find themselves alluring to anyone they approach but soon realize they are most attracted to each other. The film was a flop at the box office and received middling reviews from critics, with Variety calling it "a light-hearted one-joke romantic comedy… but lack of real wit and comic vitality, absence of star names and sluggish pace make pic less appealing than it might have been."

Poor reception aside, "Love Potion No. 9" did result in one happy ending — at least temporarily. The film's two lead stars, Sandra Bullock and Tate Donovan, began dating while making the film and continued their relationship for the next four years, even getting engaged at one point. Sandra told Vanity Fair in 1995 that she "chased [Tate] like a dog" and that she "adored Tate so much." The two split in 1995.

Sandra Bullock began rising to prominence with the 1993 sci-fi action flick "Demolition Man" in which she acting alongside Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes and Benjamin Bratt. She stars as a Los Angeles cop from the future who must assist another badge-holder — who's been released from a state of frozen incarceration — in order to stop an evil crime lord who's on the loose. It was Sandra's first box office hit, grossing more than $159 million worldwide. It also earned the actress her first award nomination of note, although not the right kind of note: a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for worst supporting actress.

Despite the Razzie Award nomination, Sandra Bullock soon landed her breakthrough role in the 1994 blockbuster "Speed" opposite Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper. She plays a passenger on a Los Angeles public bus — which is rigged by a mad bomber to explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour — who has to take over as driver and help an LAPD SWAT officer save the day. The action flick raked in more than $350 million in ticket sales and won two Academy Awards. Critics were on the edge of their seats watching the thriller, with Rolling Stone calling it "a reminder of how much movie escapism can still stir us when it's dished out with this kind of dazzle."

The runaway success of "Speed" led to more hits for Sandra Bullock. First up was the 1995 romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping" with Bill Pullman. She stars as a lonely Chicago Transit Authority token collector who saves the life of a man and is mistaken as his fiancée when he ends up in a coma. Things get more complicated as she goes with the lie and starts falling for the man's brother. It was a major box office success, grossing $182 million, and earned raves from critics. Roger Ebert called it "a feel-good film, warm and good-hearted, and as it was heading for its happy ending, I was still a little astonished how much I was enjoying it."

By the mid-'90s, Sandra Bullock had established herself as a full-fledged movie star. With two massive hits to her name, the public had truly begun to take notice. Her work in "While You Were Sleeping" earned the actress her first People's Choice Award as well as her first Golden Globe Award nomination. Meanwhile, the success of "Speed" garnered Sandra multiple MTV Movie Awards. There was no denying that she was now a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood, and her star would only continue to rise.

Next up for Sandra Bullock was her first solo leading picture, the 1995 thriller "The Net." She stars as a computer programmer who stumbles upon a far-reaching conspiracy that leads to her identity being erased and puts her life and the lives of those around her in great danger. It was another $100 million box office success for the actress, proving she had no trouble carrying a movie on her own. Reviews were also kind to the tense flick, with most praising the film's marquee name. Entertainment Weekly wrote in its review that she "pulls you into the movie. Her overripe smile and clear, imploring eyes are sometimes evocative of Julia Roberts."

Sandra Bullock then joined the all-star ensemble of the 1996 crime drama "A Time to Kill," which also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Spacey. It marked a much darker turn for Sandra as she portrayed a law student who joins the defense team of a heartbroken Black father who avenges his daughter's brutal rape by shooting the bigoted men responsible for the crime as they're on their way to trial. It topped the box office for weeks and nabbed $152 million around the world. It scored a Golden Globe Award nomination as well as a Blockbuster Entertainment Award trophy and an MTV Movie Award nomination for Sandra's work.

After completing work on "A Time to Kill," Sandra Bullock ended up with more than just a hit movie: She also started a relationship with co-star Matthew McConaughey. The pair kept their relationship quiet from 1996 to 1998, when they split. Neither of the two stars talked about their union while they were together, but they eventually made it clear they had an amicable breakup. Sandra explained their bond to Cosmopolitan magazine in 2003, saying, "It's the work we both put in. There's a great amount of respect and love. I feel very cared for by Matthew. No matter where he is in his life or where I am in mine, he could be married, I know we would stay close."

It came as no surprise that 1997's "Speed 2: Cruise Control" hit theaters after the massive performance of the first film. Sandra Bullock initially turned down the follow-up but changed her mind when the studio agreed to finance more of her films and offered her a reported $11 million paycheck. Unfortunately, co-star Keanu Reeves declined to return and his absence was definitely felt. In the sequel, Sandra's character goes on vacation in the Caribbean with her boyfriend (Jason Patric) aboard a luxury cruise ship, which is then hijacked by a villain. With all the passengers trapped on the boat, the pair try to stop it after they discover it's programmed to crash into an oil tanker. The sequel was a massive flop, grossing only half as much as the original at the box office, and was universally panned by reviewers. Sandra later admitted she regretted starring in the film, telling the Vancouver Sun that she "knew it was going to be a big flop" once she saw the final product.

Sandra Bullock signed on to "Speed 2" with the guarantee that the studio would also finance her next project: the 1998 romantic drama "Hope Floats" with Harry Connick Jr. It follows an unassuming housewife whose husband reveals his infidelity on a televised talk show, leading her to relocate with her daughter to her small hometown, where she falls for an old friend. Directed by fellow actor Forest Whitaker, the film received an underwhelming response from critics, with Roger Ebert calling it "a turgid melodrama with the emotional range of a sympathy card." Regardless, it brought in more than double its production budget at the box office and showed Sandra's box office appeal even in her less appreciated projects.

That same year, 1998, Sandra Bullock also starred in the magical rom-com "Practical Magic" alongside Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. Sandra and Nicole play two sisters who grow up as witches while facing a family curse that leads the men they fall in love with to an untimely death. The pair then fight the curse, risking their own lives by using a swarm of supernatural forces. Critics weren't necessarily kind to the film, but the two stars' performances received praise, with the Associated Press writing, "Bullock brings the needed tone of credibility to 'Practical Magic,' while Kidman delivers excitement and unpredictability." It debuted at the top of the box office but didn't end up making making back its budget in ticket sales. That said, it built a cult following that still celebrates its witchcraft-laden romances to this day.

Sandra Bullock kicked off the '00s by stepping into one of her darkest projects up to that point — the 2000 drama "28 Days." She stars as a newspaper columnist obliged to enter a rehabilitation program for alcoholism where she's forced to confront both her own demons as well as those of the people she meets in the program. It was a moderate success at the box office, bringing in $62 million in ticket sales, and received mixed reviews. Critics were still quick to point out how much Sandra shined in the film, with many commending her for showing off her talents as a dramatic actress when she had become best known for comedies. The New York Post called it "Sandra Bullock's best film in years — perhaps even the best work she has ever done."

Later in 2000, Sandra Bullock displayed her versatility by also leading the comedy "Miss Congeniality" as a tomboy FBI agent who must go undercover as a Miss United States beauty pageant contestant when a terrorist threatens to bomb the event. It became one of the star's biggest hits, raking in $212 million worldwide, as well as one of the year's most popular comedies. It also served as one of Sandra's signature roles, with The Hollywood Reporter writing, "Bullock proves adept at tackling a more physical brand of comedy than she has attempted in the past." Her infectious performance earned the star her second Golden Globe Award nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy.

Sandra Bullock continued balancing laugh-out-loud comedies and unnerving dramas by next starring in the 2002 psychological thriller "Murder by Numbers." She plays a tenacious homicide detective trying to solve the killing of a young woman in a small California coastal town who eventually stumbles upon a trail of shrewdly concealed evidence that links two brilliant young men to the death. The film premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and received mixed reviews, with the Chicago Tribune writing, "The outline of 'Murder by Numbers' may be familiar, but the filmmakers and Bullock do an expert job of filling in the colors." It became another modest success for the actress and let fans know there's no genre she can't tackle.

"Murder by Numbers" also led to another on-set romance for Sandra Bullock: this time with much younger co-star Ryan Gosling. Following production on the film, the pair remained loved-up for a year, eventually calling it quits in 2003. The two did not speak about their relationship at the time, but they did make a few red carpet appearances together, like at the 2002 premiere of his acclaimed film "The Believer." During a 2003 interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, Sandra played coy about her bond with the actor 16 years her junior: When asked whether she and Ryan were "just friends," she responded by saying, "If you were to add the word 'just,' it would probably be a bit of a lie. So I'd say we're friends." Long after their split, Ryan referred to Sandra as one of the "greatest girlfriends of all time" in a 2011 interview with The Times.

Sandra Bullock closed out 2002 with the release of another romantic comedy: "Two Weeks Notice" opposite Hugh Grant. She plays a dedicated environmental lawyer who goes to work for a playboy billionaire as part of a deal to preserve a community center. That is, until he drives her to quit the job, a decision they both soon regret as they develop romantic feelings for one another. It marked another money-making smash for Sandra, grossing nearly $200 million worldwide, and confirming her status as a queen of the genre. It received mixed reviews, but most noted the two stars' undeniable charm despite the predictable material. Entertainment Weekly wrote that it "knows what it needs to do for both its stars, does it, and doesn't make a federal case about it. I'd watch these two together again in a New York minute."

Sandra Bullock got back on the case as beloved FBI agent Gracie Hart in the 2005 sequel "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous." The follow-up to the 2000 hit finds the star teaming up with Regina King as they uncover the disappearance of one of her former fellow beauty pageant contestants. The pair head to Vegas in an effort to solve the kidnapping of the current Miss United States while battling their comedic differences as partners. Sandra also served as a producer on the film and received a reported $17.5 million salary. Unfortunately, her bad luck with sequels continued when the comedy received a far more muted response than the original with both critics and moviegoers. It barely crossed the $100 million mark at the box office, which is less than half as much as the first film, and Variety called it both "lame and inoffensive."

In early 2005, Sandra Bullock received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, forever solidifying her spot as one the industry's all-time great talents. Located directly outside the Kodak Theater, the longtime venue of the Academy Awards, it serves as an example of her hard work in entertainment. By this point in her career, Sandra had also launched her own production company, Fortis Films, which was behind the hit sitcom "George Lopez" in 2002, with the actress serving as an executive producer. The show ran for six seasons and garnered a $10 million syndication deal. Expanding her empire as entrepreneur, she also founded her own Austin, Texas, restaurant in 2006, Bess Bistro.

While reaching new heights in her career, Sandra Bullock began dating motorcycle builder and "Monster Garage" host Jesse James. The two met in 2003 when she arranged for her 10-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present. They took a tour of his West Coast Choppers garage and the pair quickly hit it off. The lovebirds kept their relationship private for the first couple of years, but Jesse eventually began supporting Sandra and her projects at various red carpet events. They married on July 16, 2005, making her a loving stepmom to his three kids from previous relationships. They newlyweds are seen here at the 2006 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Sandra Bullock also spent 2005 as part of the all-star ensemble featured in the acclaimed drama "Crash." The film interweaves several connected stories about tensions surrounding the social issues of race, class, family and gender in Los Angeles in the aftermath of 9/11. It marked a rare villainous turn for the star, who plays the prejudiced wife of Brendan Fraser's district attorney, among a cast that also boasts Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandiwe Newton, Michael Peña and Ryan Phillippe. Despite the big names attached, the indie film retained a low production budget and made a killing at the box office as a result. The New Yorker called it "hyper-articulate and often breathtakingly intelligent and always brazenly alive." It remains one of Sandra's bravest performances to date.

The glowing response to "Crash" led to a very busy award season for Sandra Bullock in early 2006. The entire ensemble won the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, marking Sandra's first nomination — and win — at the award show decided by her peers. The film went on to receive six Academy Award nominations and three Oscars including the best picture trophy.

Sandra Bullock reunited with her "Speed" co-star Keanu Reeves in the 2006 romantic drama "The Lake House." The film revolves around an architect living in 2004 and a doctor living in 2006 who meet via letters left in the mailbox of a lake house where both lived at separate points in time. The pair carry on a two-year correspondence while remaining separated by the time difference. The reteaming excited moviegoers, who showed up to theaters in droves and gave the tearjerker a $114 million gross at the box office. Critics were less enthusiastic about the film, although many noted the winning chemistry between the two leads. As Time Out wrote, "'The Lake House' demands a serious suspension of disbelief, but if you accept it as a romantic bit of nonsense, it has its pleasures."

In 2009, Sandra Bullock landed her most successful romantic comedy to date: "The Proposal" with Ryan Reynolds. She stars as a Canadian executive working in America who learns that she may face deportation because of her expired visa and convinces her assistant to temporarily act as her fiancé to retain her position as editor-in-chief of a publishing house. Naturally, the two fall deeply in love by the end. It debuted with the biggest opening weekend of Sandra's career and went on to gross a total of $317 million worldwide. Critics weren't as in love with the adorable flick but were quick to point out the incredible chemistry between its leads. The Huffington Post wrote that "the two are so adept at comedy and have so much fun with one another, viewers watching 'The Proposal' won't be able to resist their charms, even when some of the plot veers in to unnecessarily silliness." Sandra went on to receive her third Golden Globe Award nomination for best performance by an actress in a musical or comedy.

Later in 2009, Sandra Bullock delivered the most acclaimed performance of her career in the biographical drama "The Blind Side." She plays the adoptive mother of football offensive lineman Michael Oher, whom she helps to overcome an impoverished upbringing that sees him eventually play in the NFL. The inspirational flick was a runaway success at the box office that grossed more than $309 million worldwide and became one of the biggest hits of Sandra's career. The New York Times commented that "Ms. Bullock is convincing enough as an energetic, multitasking woman of the New South who knows her own mind and usually gets her own way. And Tim McGraw, as Leigh Anne's affable husband, Sean, inhabits his character comfortably and knows how to get out of Ms. Bullock's way when necessary."

Sandra Bullock spent the first half of 2010 racing between award shows, hitting the stage at almost every single one to claim trophies for her work in "The Blind Side." She was awarded the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award for best actress. To top it all off, she received her first Academy Award nomination — and win — for the touching drama, which also nabbed a mention in the best picture category. "Did I really earn this or did I just wear you down," she exclaimed as she accepted her Oscar before saluting each of her four co-contenders. "I have so many people to thank for my good fortune in this lifetime and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I know."

Unfortunately for Sandra Bullock, she hit her biggest career low at the same time she was claiming her first Oscar. The 2009 comedy "All About Steve" saw her playing a crossword puzzle creator who falls head over heels for a news cameraman she follows around the country in a bid to win his love. Critics ripped the movie apart, with The Guardian calling it "a film that looks as if it's been through 1,001 test screenings, script drafts and reshoots, each unfunnier and more muddled than the last." It was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards in 2010 including worst picture and ultimately won two. The day before her Oscar win, Sandra attended the Razzies ceremony to claim her worst actress trophy, giving out a copy of the film to each member of the audience and promising to attend the following year if they all watched to consider if it was "truly the worst performance." Showing she takes even the bad reviews in stride, she became the only actor in history to win both an Oscar and a Razzie during the same year.

Sandra Bullock and Jesse James' seemingly happy union blew up in the spring of 2010 when media reports began circulating about his alleged cheating with model Michelle "Bombshell" McGee. Soon other women also came forward with stories of infidelity. Jesse (seen here with his wife at the Screen Actors Guild Awards a few months before their split) issued a public apology to Sandra and his kids and sought treatment at a rehabilitation facility. By April of 2010, however, Sandra had filed for divorce. While she's never explicitly discussed the breakup or the allegations, she told Vogue in 2013 that she believes everything happened as it was supposed to. "We're all where we're supposed to be. I am exactly where I want to be now," she told the outlet. "You can't go backward. I'm not going backward. I'm grateful that I'm here, blessed to have what I have. Nobody can be prepared for anything."

Sandra Bullock revealed a happy secret shortly after her split from Jesse: During her epic awards season run, and in the months before she learned Jesse was unfaithful, she'd quietly become a mother to son Louis Bardo Bullock, who born in New Orleans. She moved forward with his adoption as a single mom and three years later opened up about her life to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "Work was my life before. Now I have no reason to leave home." She also spoke about prioritizing her child over her work, adding, "I think this business can take the child out of kids so quickly. I don't want him to have pressures brought on by what I do. I will quit. I will leave. If I see whatever I'm doing affecting him negatively, I will pack up and move to Alaska."

Sandra Bullock returned from a two-year break from the screen with a starring role in the 2011 drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" alongside Tom Hanks. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, it follows a young boy who lost his father in the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center and believes his dad left a final message for him somewhere in the city. Reviews for the adaptation were mixed, with Rolling Stone calling it "solidly crafted, impeccably acted and self-important in the way that Oscar loves, 'Extremely Loud' is also incredibly close to exploitation." It also had a fairly underwhelming box office performance, especially compared to Sandra's previous hits. Regardless, it still managed to nab two Academy Award nominations, for best picture and best supporting actor.

Sandra Bullock made another major comeback in 2013, starting with the comedy "The Heat," which sees her acting alongside Melissa McCarthy as an FBI agent who must team up with a local Boston detective to take down a major mobster. Critics fell for the dynamic duo, praising the film's non-stop hilarity, with The Guardian commenting that the film is "lean, mean and completely uninterested in anything that isn't funny." It also received a massive response from moviegoers who helped the buddy comedy gross a worldwide total of $230 million. Both stars received Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations while Sandra also snagged another People's Choice Award for her performance.

That same year, 2013, Sandra Bullock turned in one of her greatest dramatic performances ever in the sci-fi thriller "Gravity." She and George Clooney play American astronauts stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their Space Shuttle who attempt to return to Earth. It premiered at the 70th Venice Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation and countless rave reviews. The Hollywood Reporter called it "the most realistic and beautifully choreographed film ever set in space" and numerous critics considered Sandra's performance the best of her entire career. Upon its release in theaters, "Gravity" became her second most successful film, grossing $716 million worldwide. It also snagged the star nominations at nearly every award show including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

After her double shot of hits in 2013, Sandra Bullock took a small step back from acting to focus on her family. She and son Louis are seen here trick-or-treating on Halloween in 2013.

More big changes were ahead. In early 2015, Sandra started dating model-turned-photographer Bryan Randall, who remains her partner to this day. Later that same year, the actress revealed she'd made son Louis a big brother with the adoption of daughter Laila, who was then 3. "When I look at Laila, there's no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here," Sandra told People magazine at the time. "I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time." She described the difference in her children's personalities during an interview with InStyle magazine in 2018. "Lou is super sensitive. I call him my 78-year-old son… He's wise and kind," she told the outlet. "Laila is just unafraid. She's a fighter, and that's the reason she's here today. She fought to keep her spirit intact. Oh my God, what she is going to accomplish. She's going to bring some real change." The whole family is seen here together in 2019.

Sandra Bullock made a splashy return to the big screen in 2018 as part of the A-List cast of "Ocean's 8." The all-female spinoff of the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise also stars Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter. Sandra plays the criminal sister of George Clooney's character from the original films who, after getting out of prison, helps plan a sophisticated heist at the annual Met Gala in New York City. It grossed a show-stopping $297 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised the acting ensemble. Rolling Stone called it "a heist caper that looks gorgeous, keeps the twists coming and bounces along on a comic rhythm that's impossible to resist. What more do you want in summer escapism?" Thirty years into her career, Sandra was still ruling the box office.

Sandra Bullock also ended up starring in one of the year's biggest surprises in 2018: the Netflix horror film "Bird Box." It follows a woman who must find a way to guide herself and her children to safety amid a potential threat from an unseen adversary, all while remaining blindfolded for their own protection. It quickly became a massive hit for the streaming platform and one of the year's most buzzed-about releases. It was watched by 89 million households over its first four weeks of release, making it the most watched Netflix original film at the time.

Sandra Bullock returned to Netflix in December 2021 in the drama "The Unforgivable," in which she plays a woman who attempts to rebuild her life after serving time in prison for committing a violent crime. Next up for Sandra is the big-budget action flick "Bullet Train" opposite Brad Pitt. It follows five assassins who find themselves on a Japanese bullet train and realize that their individual assignments are all interconnected. To date, her films have grossed more than $5.3 billion worldwide, making her one of Hollywood's most profitable names.