We know you don't need another reason to love Sandra Bullock. The acclaimed actress has earned the title of "America's sweetheart" by being charming and self-deprecating; grounded, but also a talented Hollywood star. As she celebrates her 50th birthday on July 26, here's a look at the life and career of Sandy B.
In 1992, Bullock costarred with Tate Donovan in the comedy "Love Potion #9." The pair dated for a bit after filming ended.
The actress portrays Agnes von Kurowsky in the 1996 drama "In Love and War."
Bullock and John Travolta have some fun in Las Vegas after being named the 1996 National Association of Theatre Owners' female and male stars of the year.
Bullock plays a single mom embarking on a new romance in the 1998 movie, "Hope Floats."
Also in 1998, Bullock and Nicole Kidman star as witches in the film "Practical Magic."
Bullock and Ben Affleck star in "Forces of Nature" in 1999.
A role in "28 Days" in 2000 allows Bullock to further display her acting chops as a woman forced to enter rehab.
Michael Caine walks with Bullock in a scene from the 2000 film "Miss Congeniality."
"Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" brought Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan, Bullock and Shirley Knight together in 2002.
Hugh Grant and the actress have chemistry in 2002's "Two Weeks Notice."
Bullock suffers as Jean Cabot in the critically acclaimed 2004 drama ''Crash."
In 2005, Bullock reprises her role as Gracie Hart in "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous."
Former "Speed" co-stars Keanu Reeves and Bullock reunite in 2006 for the romantic drama "The Lake House."
In 2007, Bullock steps out with her then-husband, Jesse James, at the premiere of "Premonition" in Hollywood, California.
The actress stars as Linda in the psychological thriller "Premonition."
Ryan Reynolds and Bullock shake things up in 2009's "The Proposal."
Mary Horowitz (Bullock) thinks she's in love with cable news cameraman Steve (Bradley Cooper) in the 2009 film "All About Steve." The film went on to be nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards in 2010, with Bullock winning for "worst actress" -- ironically, the same year she won the best actress Oscar for "The Blind Side."
Lily Collins, Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head and Quinton Aaron say grace in a scene from "The Blind Side."
Bullock accepts the best actress award for "The Blind Side" during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in March 2010 in Hollywood, California.
Bullock stars as Linda Schell and Thomas Horn as Oskar Schell in the 2011 drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."
Bullock and her son, Louis, are spotted on the streets of Manhattan in 2011.
Melissa McCarthy and Bullock bring the funny as law enforcement partners in 2013's "The Heat."
Bullock is set adrift in space in the 2013 thriller "Gravity" which earned her several accolades including a best actress Oscar nomination.
- Sandra Bullock turns 50 on July 26
- She continues to be beloved
- The actress has said she would give it all up for her son
Editor's note: A version of this article was originally published on October 4, 2013.
(CNN) -- If there were ever a contest for "America's sweetheart," Sandra Bullock would be tough to beat.
The daughter of an Army employee and a German vocal coach, Bullock has continually struck a chord with fans over her nearly 30-year career. At turns charming and relatable, she comes across as extremely genuine in a field that makes its magic through pretending.
As the actress celebrates her 50th birthday on July 26, her stock as the long-standing favorite is as solid as ever.
Happy birthday Richie Sambora! The Bon Jovi rocker turns 55 on July 11. He's not the only one who has held up with age -- take a look at these other stars who are sexy in their 50s:
Not much investigation is needed to figure out that "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" star Vincent D'Onofrio is making his 50s look good. The actor turned 55 on June 30.
Model Elle Macpherson celebrated her 50th birthday on March 29, and she still looks exactly like the fresh-faced, leggy Australian beauty we came to know in the '80s.
Dare we say, Ian Ziering is more popular (and hotter) at 50 than when he was playing Steve Sanders on "Beverly Hills, 90210." The actor, who celebrates his birthday on March 30, has found a second life after that soapy '90s drama with a stint working for Chippendales. (Yep, you read that correctly.)
Rob Lowe turned 50 on March 17, and he doesn't look much different than he did from his Brat Pack days back in the 1980s.
You wouldn't know it by looking at Sharon Stone but the 55-year-old has struggled with accepting her looks as she ages. Stone said she went into the bathroom with a bottle of wine while in her 40s and "cried and cried and cried. Then I said to myself, 'You're going to get old now. How do you want to do that?' And I thought, 'I'd like to age like a dancer.'" Obviously she's held true to that goal.
Madonna turned 55 on August 16, and she hardly looks it.
Actress Ellen Barkin is still turning heads at 59.
Oh George Clooney, you make 52 look so good.
At 58, Iman could still easily book modeling gigs.
Michelle Pfeiffer is still fabulous at 55.
Valerie Bertinelli may be 53, but she hasn't changed that much from her "One Day at a Time" days.
Actress Vanessa L. Williams is a stunner at 51.
Gina Gershon could still easily don her skimpy "Showgirls" outfits at 51.
We have no problem with 53-year-old David Duchovny's nude scenes in "Californication."
Like the legendary Tina Turner she portrayed, Angela Bassett, 55, is aging splendidly.
Antonio Banderas is still a stunner at 53.
Demi Moore has been the patron saint of cougars everywhere for some time (even though it didn't work out with Ashton Kutcher). She is 51.
Daniel Day-Lewis (seen here with wife Rebecca Miller arriving at the 2013 Oscars) is still dashing at 56.
That dapper chap Hugh Grant is 53.
It's hard to believe Johnny Depp is 50.
Brazilian director Walter Salles, left, adjusts Viggo Mortensen's bow tie at the 65th Cannes film festival in May 2012. Moretensen is 55.
Kelly Preston is a youthful 51.
Denzel Washington is still a bona fide sex symbol at 59.
At 53, Colin Firth still reminds us why we fell in love with him in "Bridget Jones's Diary."
Eddie Murphy is 52.
Heather Locklear hardly looks 52.
Julianne Moore is a ginger haired beauty at 53.
Dylan McDermott just keeps getting better and better looking with age. He's 52.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an adorable 53.
At 59, Kevin Costner is still booking leading man roles.
Sexy celebs in their 50s
Examine the evidence: She is firmly in the top 10 list of Hollywood's highest paid actresses, and her films tend to make money. Her 2013 sci-fi thriller "Gravity," which starred Bullock as an astronaut lost in space, earned $716 million worldwide.
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And in her personal life, Bullock has managed to remain pretty scandal-proof. At the height of a devastating marital breakup from Jesse James in 2010, when lurid tabloid headlines appeared about his alleged affairs, Bullock shocked the world with news that she had secretly adopted an African-American son from New Orleans.
Not only was it surprising that the Oscar-winning actress had such a tight circle that she was able to conceal a monumental personal moment, but unlike some other celebs who had been criticized in the black community for transracial adoptions, Bullock and her decision were mostly embraced.
Even other celebrities adore her. "Avengers" star Chris Evans has been quoted as saying Bullock was his first celebrity crush.
"I saw 'Speed' when I was in seventh grade, and I was like, that's my lady," Evans said. "I literally had a big poster (of her)."
It's easy to see why a preteen Evans fell for Bullock. In interviews Bullock can be funny, self-deprecating and just downright cool. During an appearance on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" to promote her 2013 buddy cop comedy, "The Heat," she and the host good-naturedly took verbal swipes at each other. When Ferguson mentioned the film "Dumb and Dumber" (in an apparent reference to the way their interview was going), Bullock volleyed back about that movie.
"Poop humor is fun," she said jokingly. "If you do the toilet scenes well and commit to them they can be really, really powerful."
Not many Academy Award winners would tackle such a subject, but it's not surprising from Bullock, who proudly told Us Weekly that her now-3-year-old son, Louis, is fully potty-trained. While the actress has almost always been tagged as more girl next door than vixen, motherhood has clearly helped settle her even more.
She's been very outspoken about the fact that she would give it all up, the career and the fame, if it wasn't good for her son in any way.
"I don't want him to have pressures brought on by what I do. I will quit. I will leave," she told Vogue last year. "If I see whatever I'm doing affecting him negatively, I will pack up and move to Alaska."
That probably helps explain why the self-professed homebody would much rather be spending time with her kid than working the press. Eschewing the Hollywood scene, the "Blind Side" star has made paparazzi literally chase her outside the usual city limits, choosing to build her life in cities like Austin, Texas, and New Orleans.
Being on the red carpet, she told CNN at a 2013 premiere of "Gravity," is extreme enough for her.
"Being in front of a camera, in a nice dress, getting all dressed up is extreme," Bullock said. "There's a lot of other extreme situations, you know, just getting out of bed sometimes is extreme -- but I do it. Just got to do it, just got to get up. Put your sweatpants on, brush off the dog hair and just get out of the house!"
Part of what Bullock does when she gets "out of the house" is give back to the city of New Orleans. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Bullock "adopted" Warren Easton Charter High School, and has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the institution.
In May 2014, she surprised the graduating class with a commencement speech.
"They're infections, they inspire me," Bullock said of the students. "They make me get off my butt and try to do better. ... I've been taking and taking from (the city of New Orleans), and when everything happened with Katrina, that's when you realize you have to put back."
