( 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 . 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 . 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 was n't good for her son in any way . `` I do n'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 . ''
Sandra Bullock turns 50 on July 26 . The actress has been married to actor Ryan Reynolds since 2009 and they have two children together. The actress has said she would give it all up for her son .