Born in Arlington County, Virginia, in 1964 and raised in West Germany and Austria, Sandra Bullock was a high school cheerleader with big dreams before she headed to East Carolina University, graduating in 1987 with a BFA in drama. Then it was off to New York City, where, after taking classes in the Meisner Technique, Bullock landed a string of gigs on television and in independent films before booking her breakout role as Annie Porter in 1994’s Speed.

Nabbing her first Golden Globe nomination in 1995 for her performance in While You Were Sleeping, Bullock has gone on to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award, a whopping seven People’s Choice Awards, and more accolades, gaining worldwide recognition for her roles in films including The Proposal, The Blind Side, and Gravity.

Here, in honor of her 61st birthday—Sandra, if you’re reading this, drop the skincare routine posthaste!—a roundup of deepy charming photos from the early years of Bullock’s storied career.