Leading Ladies

Sandra Bullock                                                  Helen Mirren

Okay, this seems like an unlikely pairing for our blog. What do these two women have in common that would have me devote an entry to them? The only thing that they really have in common is that they were both born on the same date, July 26th. But they are both women who have created successful careers for themselves with style, grace, and quite a bit of humor!


Helen Mirren, born in London, began her career at the age of 19 with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she stayed for several years before exploring other acting opportunities. This led her to parts of Africa and even to a Native American reservation.

After a few years of wandering, she decided to pursue film work. Some of her early film roles were in The Long Good Friday with Bob Hoskins, and as Morgana in Excalibur. Her first big Hollywood role came in 1985, when she starred with Mikhail Baryshnikov in White Nights. There were also a quite a few very forgettable films, which she acknowledges were bad, but were great learning opportunities.

In 1992, she took a part that is, perhaps, one of her most iconic roles -- Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. This BBC series ran for a total of seven seasons (it also was a smash hit in America on PBS). In the first season, Tennison is in charge of a serial murder case. She is also dealing with her male colleagues' gender biases as well. The show ran from 1992 until 1996, and then returned again in 2003 and 2006.

Also in 2006, she appeared as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. Her portrayal of the the Queen during the complicated and very emotional time following the death of Princess Diana won her many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.

While mostly known for her very dramatic roles, she is not one to shy away from comedy or even action films. She starred in Red in 2010 alongside Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich, as one of group of retired undercover agents who come out of retirement to help one of their own. This was so successful that a sequel, Red 2, is currently playing in theaters.

Mirren has recently made some waves in the pop culture world with her comments concerning who should be the next Doctor in Doctor Who. Many sci-fi critics have suggested she would make an excellent Doctor. While Mirren has declined an interest in the part, she does thinks it's time for a female Doctor. We'll see later this year whether the producers of Doctor Who have taken her suggestion!

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Sandra Bullock has had a shorter career than Helen Mirren, although just as successful. Bullock was born in Virginia to an American father and a German mother. Her father was a voice teacher and her mother was an opera singer. As a young child, Bullock spent quite a lot of time in Germany visiting with her grandmother, and became fluent in German.

Bullock's acting career started in New York City, working as an actress in the theater. A few successful appearances helped her get an agent, which led to movie roles. Many of these early films were supporting parts in television movies and direct-to-video releases. Like Mirren, Bullock does not apologize for these early career choices, seeing them as all part of the learning process for an actor.

Her big break came in 1994 with the release of Speed, starring Keanu Reeves. Her portrayal of plucky Annie, who is forced into driving the bus, won the hearts of movie-goers around the world. This success landed her the leading role in While You Were Sleeping, a romantic comedy in 1995.

The following years saw Bullock make many more films. Several were hits and some were misses. But even with the misses, Bullock is still one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. Fans seem drawn to her down-to-earth nature and unpretentious personality. A few of these films were even turns at more dramatic fare. One of these was 28 Days, where she plays a woman struggling to overcome her alcohol addiction in a rehab program.

In 2004, she appeared in the Academy-Award-winning Best Picture Crash. Her small role won her rave reviews, which allowed her to continue her desire to not be typecast as the girl next door. Also during this time, she began her own production company, Fortis Films, which produced George Lopez (2002-2007) for ABC television. She even had a small, recurring part on the show.

The role that finally got her major recognition for her acting was as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009). The film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a young, black high school football player being taken in by the wealthy, white Tuohy family. Her strong and moving performance as a woman trying to take care of her family and this troubled young man made The Blind Side a box office smash.

Bullock's latest box office success is the comedy The Heat co-starring Melissa McCarthy.


Click here to check out Helen Mirren DVDs at the library.

Click here to check out Sandra Bullock DVDs at the library.


-- Post by Tracy