Sandra Bullock

One of many actresses who vied for the title of America's Sweetheart in the '90s, this spunky brunette distinguished herself with an adorably goofy persona and a girl-next-door beauty. After working onstage, Bullock started to land film and TV parts in the late '80s. She came to prominence in 1993 with a number of flashy movie roles, including an aspiring country singer in The Thing Called Love (in which she performed her own song "Heaven Knocking on My Door") and a perky police officer in the big-budget sci-fi flick Demolition Man. The next year, she was the female lead in the blockbuster Speed. However, it was her performance as a lovelorn token-booth clerk in the surprise 1995 hit While You Were Sleeping that turned her into a romantic comedy queen (if never a critical darling). In an attempt to shake that image, Bullock made some missteps (Two if by Sea, Practical Magic, the underrated 28 Days). And even when she started producing her own vehicles, she quickly learned that the public was more interested in seeing her brandish a gun in a fluffy comedy (Miss Congeniality) than in a gritty thriller (Murder by Numbers). So she returned to her comfort zone (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous) and took on the occasional dramatic supporting role (Crash). Off screen, the winsome actress had a string of high-profiles boyfriends (often her costars) including Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill), Tate Donovan (Love Potion No. 9) and Ryan Gosling (Murder by Numbers) before surprising fans by marrying tattooed motorcycle maven and Monster Garage star Jesse James in 2005.