Over the last few decades, Hollywood actresses Helen Mirren and Sandra Bullock have starred in so many diverse roles that’s it’s hard to typecast them, but we bet you didn’t know they have something else in common: a birthday!
Mirren, from west London, got her break at the age of 22 in “The Extravaganza of Golgotha Smuts,” a television movie. As for Bullock, her career kicked off with the movie, “Hangmen,” but it wasn’t until “Speed” in 1994 that Bullock had the chance to shine in her breakout role.
If Mirren and Bullock’s longevity and diverse roles aren’t enough, they both have taken home several awards.
Mirren has won one Academy Award, one British Academy Film Award, two Critics’ Choice Awards, one European Film Award, one Golden Globe Award, one Satellite Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three British Academy Television Awards, and four Emmys.
Bullock has won one Academy Award, three Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, one Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and several audience and critics’ awards.
Whew! That’s quite a list of accolades!
To celebrate these remarkable actresses’ shared birthday, we’ve put together a list to reminisce and celebrate some of their most iconic performances.
Helen Miren (1945)
“Prime Suspect” (1991-2006)
Mirren starred as Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect,” a British police procedural television drama series. Mirren’s character, Tennison, is one of the first female inspectors in Greater London’s Metropolitan Police Service. Tennison also faces institutionalized sexism as she rises through the ranks to Detective Superintendent. Mirren’s performance on the television series led her to win two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, and three British Academy Television Awards.
“The Madness of King George” (1994)
Children’s history books claim that George III was the “mad king who lost America.” This film was a biographical historical comedy-drama based on the story of the king’s deteriorating mental health. The film also focused on his declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales. Mirren played Queen Charlotte and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.
“Calendar Girls” (2003)
“Calendar Girls,” was a British comedy directed by Nigel Cole, and produced by Buena Vista International and Touchstone Pictures. The movie is based on the true story of a group of women from Yorkshire who produced a nude calendar to help raise money for Leukaemia Research. Chris Harper, played by Mirren, was the driving force behind the creation of the calendar.
“The Queen” (2006)
“The Queen,” directed by Stephen Frears, was a British fictional drama portraying the British Royal Family’s response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on Aug. 31, 1997. Mirren starred in the title role of Queen Elizabeth II. The film received general, critical, and popular acclaim, and Mirren won numerous awards for her role, include the Academy Award for Best Actress. HM The Queen herself invited Mirren to dinner at Buckingham Palace — but Mirren was not able to attend due to filming commitments in Hollywood.
“Woman in Gold” (2015)
https://youtu.be/9bx3KTGBEaI
The story of Gustav Klimt’s painting “Adele Block-Bauer I” is an intriguing one. The mesmerizing gold-flecked painting, worth more than $100 million, was seized by the Nazis in the midst of World War II. Mirren portrays Maria Altmann, a relative of Bloch-Bauer, in her fight to retrieve the family heirloom from the Austrian government.
Sandra Bullock (1964)
“Speed” (1994)
Bullock portrayed a charming woman, named Annie, who helped SWAT agent Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) drive a booby-trapped bus through the streets of Los Angeles. Her believable portal of Annie launched Bullock’s career on the silver screen. Bullock’s chemistry with Reeves helped imbue the action-adventure with a mix of intelligence, humor, and humanity.
“While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
In Jon Turtletaub’s charming romantic comedy “While You Were Sleeping,” Lucy, played by Bullock, pretends to be the fiance of a man who is in a coma, but ends up falling for his brother. Bullock brings out the true potential of the film with her endearing performance.
“Practical Magic” (1998)
Who doesn’t want midnight margaritas? Bullock plays Sally, a woman with magical powers who just wants to lead a normal life, in “Practical Magic.” The film follows two sisters who band together to confront the past and end a curse that condemns every man that they have ever loved to death. The supernatural comedy is a mixture of romance, slapstick, magic, and drama. One of Bullock’s most iconic moments in the film comes while drinking margaritas at midnight with costars Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest: a family-centric, positive scene played out by true powerhouse actresses.
“Miss Congeniality” (2000)
What happens when you send a female FBI agent undercover to a beauty pageant? You get Gracie Hart. Bullock’s character, Hart, infiltrates the beauty pageant to prevent a bombing. Hart doesn’t work well with her coworkers, kicks back with her pageant costars, and even has a shot at love.
“The Blind Side” (2009)
Bullock plays Leigh Ann Tuoghy, adoptive mother to Michael Oher, a homeless young black man who earns a college scholarship and eventually is drafted by the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. While the real Michael Oher had mixed feelings about the film, Bullock’s endearing performance earned her the SAG, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards for Best Actress that year, and is a testament to her ability to find humanity in any character she portrays.
What is your favorite performance by Helen Mirren or Sandra Bullock? Let us know below!