Ann Richards
45th Governor of Texas
In office January 15, 1991 – January 17, 1995
Lieutenant	Bob Bullock
Preceded by	Bill Clements
Succeeded by	George W. Bush
Texas State Treasurer
In office 1983–1991
Governor	Mark White (1983-1987) Bill Clements (1987-1991)
Preceded by	Warren G. Harding
Succeeded by	Kay Bailey Hutchison
Travis County Commissioner
In office 1977–1983
Personal details
Born	Dorothy Ann Willis (1933-09-01)September 1, 1933 Lakeview, Texas
Died	September 13, 2006(2006-09-13) (aged 73) Austin, Texas
Resting place	Texas State Cemetery Austin, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	David Richards (1953–1984; divorced)
Alma mater	Baylor University
Profession	Teacher
Religion	United Methodist

Dorothy Ann Willis Richards (September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was defeated for re-election in 1994 by George W. Bush.^[1] Ann Richards was the second female governor of Texas, and the 39th Democratic governor to serve.

Early life[link]

Dorothy Ann Willis was born in Lakeview (now part of Lacy-Lakeview), McLennan County, the only child of Robert Cecil Willis and Mildred Iona Warren. She grew up in Waco, participated in Girls State, and graduated from Waco High School in 1950. She attended Baylor University on a debate scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree. After marrying high school sweetheart David "Dave" Richards, she moved to Austin, where she earned a teaching certificate from the University of Texas. David and Ann Richards had four children named Cecile, Daniel, Clark, and Ellen.

Richards taught social studies and history at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin from 1955–1956. She campaigned for Texas liberals and progressives such as Henry B. Gonzalez, Ralph Yarborough, and future U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes.

Political career[link]

Early political career[link]

By the 1970s, Richards was an accomplished political worker, having worked to elect liberal Democrats Sarah Weddington and Wilhelmina Delco to the Texas Legislature, and having presented training sessions throughout the state on campaign techniques for women candidates and managers. She supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, presenting the amendment to the delegates of the National Women's Conference, held in Houston (1978). (The amendment was never ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution.)

In 1976, Richards ran against and defeated a three-term incumbent on the four-member Travis County, Texas Commissioners' Court; she took 81.4 percent of the vote against Libertarian opponent Laurel Freeman to win re-election in 1980. During this time, her marriage ended, in part because of the strain of politics on the relationship. Richards' drinking became more pronounced, and she sought and completed treatment for alcoholism in 1980.

State Treasurer[link]

After the incumbent Texas State Treasurer, Warren G. Harding (no relation to the former U.S. president of the same name), became mired in legal troubles in 1982, Richards won the Democratic nomination for that post. Winning election against a Republican opponent in November that year, Richards became the first woman elected to statewide office in more than fifty years. In 1986, she was re-elected treasurer without opposition. Richards was a popular and proactive treasurer who worked to maximize the return of Texas state investments. Richards said that when she took office, the Treasury Department was run something like a 1930s country bank, with deposits that didn't earn interest.^{[citation needed]} At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Richards delivered one of the nominating speeches for nominee Walter Mondale, and she campaigned actively for the Mondale/Ferraro ticket in Texas, even though President Ronald Reagan enjoyed great popularity in her state.

1988 Democratic National Convention[link]

Richards's keynote address to the 1988 Democratic National Convention put her in the national spotlight. The speech was highly critical of the Reagan Administration and then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. Her address was notable for including several humorous remarks displaying her down-home Texas charm^{[citation needed]} such as: ""I'm delighted to be here with you this evening, because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like" or "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth,^[2] " "…two women in 160 years is about par for the course. But if you give us a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels,^[3] " and "When we pay billions for planes that won't fly, billions for tanks that won't fire, and billions for systems that won't work, that old dog won't hunt. And you don't have to be from Waco to know that when the Pentagon makes crooks rich and doesn't make America strong, that it's a bum deal." Richards' convention address has been cited by rhetorical experts as a historically significant speech. ^[4] The speech set the tone for her political future. In 1989, with co-author Peter Knobler, she wrote her autobiography, Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places.

Governorship[link]

In 1990, Texas' Republican governor, Bill Clements, decided not to run for re-election to a third nonconsecutive term. Richards painted herself as a sensible progressive, and won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against Attorney General (and former U.S. representative) James Albon "Jim" Mattox of Dallas and former Governor Mark Wells White of Houston. Mattox ran a particularly abrasive campaign against Richards, accusing her of having had drug problems beyond alcoholism. The Republicans nominated colorful multi-millionaire rancher Clayton Wheat Williams, Jr., of Fort Stockton and Midland. After a brutal campaign and a series of legendary gaffes by Williams (most notably a "joke" about the crime of rape), Richards narrowly won on November 6, 1990 by a margin of 49-47 percent (Libertarian Jeff Daiell drew 3.3% in an effort that included TV spots and considerable personal campaigning); she was inaugurated governor the following January.^{[citation needed] [5]}

Ann Richards in 1992.

Although officially she was the second woman to hold Texas's top office, Richards is considered the first woman elected governor of Texas in her own right, since twice-elected Miriam "Ma" Ferguson is often discounted as having been a proxy for impeached governor James E. "Pa" Ferguson, her husband.

The economy of Texas had been in a slump since the mid-1980s, compounded by a downturn in the U.S. economy. Richards responded with a program of economic revitalization, yielding growth in 1991 of 2 percent when the U.S. economy as a whole shrank.^{[citation needed]} Richards also attempted to streamline Texas's government and regulatory institutions for business and the public; her efforts in the former tried but failed to help revitalize Texas's corporate infrastructure for its explosive economic growth later in the decade, and her audits on the state bureaucracy saved $6 billion.^{[citation needed]}

As governor, Richards reformed the Texas prison system, establishing a substance abuse program for inmates, reducing the number of violent offenders released, and increasing prison space to deal with a growing prison population (from less than 60,000 in 1992 to more than 80,000 in 1994). She backed proposals to reduce the sale of semi-automatic firearms and "cop-killer" bullets in the state.^{[citation needed]}

Richards speaking at a 1992 University of Houston commencement

She signed into law the amendment of the Texas Financial Responsibility Law where renewal of a motor vehicle's registration (also covers initial registration of a motor vehicle), safety inspection sticker, driver's license, and/or obtaining new license plates require that a motorist must have a valid auto insurance policy. The law, which passed on September 1, 1991, broadens the 1982 law where a police officer will request a driver's license and proof of insurance during a traffic stop.^{[citation needed]}

She appointed then State Representative Lena Guerrero of Austin to a vacancy on the Texas Railroad Commission. The Hispanic Guerrero (1957–2008) was the first non-Anglo to serve on the commission in history. However, problems over falsification of her resume led to her resignation from the commission and defeat by the Republican Barry Williamson in the 1992 general election.

The Texas Lottery was also instituted during her governorship—advocated as a means of supplementing school finances; Richards purchased the first lottery ticket on May 29, 1992, in Oak Hill, near Austin. ^[6]

School finance remained one of the key issues of Richards' governorship and of those succeeding hers; the famous Robin Hood plan was launched in the 1992–1993 biennium and attempted to make school funding more equitable across school districts. Richards also sought to decentralize control over education policy to districts and individual campuses; she instituted "site-based management" to this end.

She was famous for her personal charisma, for her ease with the public, and even for her see-through wispy white hairdo. It was said that many people who knew her personally saw little if any difference between her public and private personas.^{[citation needed]} Her sense of humor was often part of her day-to-day political life. Regarding a concealed weapons bill, she was asked if she didn't think the women of Texas might feel safer if they could carry guns in their purses. She replied, "Well I'm not a sexist, but there is not a woman in this state who could find a gun in her handbag, much less a lipstick."^{[citation needed]}

She was defeated in 1994 by George W. Bush, having polled 46% of the vote to Bush's 53% (Libertarian Keary Ehlers drew the remainder), despite spending 23% more than the Bush campaign.^[7] The Richards campaign had hoped for a misstep from the relatively inexperienced Republican candidate, but none appeared, and Richards created one of her own in calling Bush "some jerk."^[8]

Karl Rove, the Bush campaign strategist, listed three specific reasons that may have contributed to Richards's defeat: (1) her opposition to the concealed weapon bill authored by State Representative Suzanna Hupp, which was adopted and signed by Governor Bush in 1995; (2) her attempt and then her reversal on a proposal to place five Texas waterways under federal instead of state control, a move that could have halted development in Central Texas, and (3) her remarks at a Girl Scouts conference in Austin in which she warned the young women to beware of "Prince Charming on a motorcycle with a beer gut and a wandering eye."^[9]

Post governorship[link]

Richards was defeated in the 1994 Republican landslide that also unseated New York Governor Mario Cuomo, and brought a Republican majority to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. Richards and Cuomo appeared in a series of humorous television commercials for the snack food Doritos^[10] shortly afterward, in which they discussed the "sweeping changes" occurring. The changes they are discussing turn out to be the new Doritos packaging.

Beginning in 2001, Richards was a senior advisor to the communications firm Public Strategies, Inc.^[11] in Austin and New York. From 1995 to 2001, Richards was also a senior advisor with Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, a Washington, D.C.-based international law firm. Richards sat on the boards of the Aspen Institute, J.C. Penney, and T.I.G. Holdings.

One of her daughters, Cecile Richards, became president of Planned Parenthood^[12] in 2006. Ann Richards demonstrated interest in social causes such as equality, abortion, and women's rights.

She was a tireless campaigner for Democratic candidates throughout the United States. In the 2004 presidential election, Richards endorsed Howard Dean^[13] for the Democratic nomination, and campaigned on his behalf. Richards later stumped for Democratic nominee John Kerry,^[14] highlighting the issues of health care and women's rights. Some political pundits mentioned her as a potential running mate to Kerry; however, she did not make his list of top finalists, and he selected North Carolina Senator John Edwards. Richards for her part said she was "not interested" in any degree of a political comeback.

Teaching[link]

Ann Richards had taught social studies and history at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin (1955–1956). She continued teaching in later years.

Richards served at Brandeis University as the Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Visiting Professor of Politics from 1997 to 1998. In 1998 she was elected as a trustee of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, she was reelected in 2004, and continued to hold the position until her death.

She was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 1996, having lost ¾ inch in height and broken her hand and ankle. She changed her diet and lifestyle, and then her bone density stabilized. She spoke frequently about this experience, teaching or advocating a healthier lifestyle for women at risk of the disease. In 2004, she authored I'm Not Slowing Down, with Dr. Richard U. Levine (M.D.), which describes her own battle with osteoporosis and offers guidance to others with the disease.

In a review of I'm Not Slowing Down by Steve Labinski, ^[15] the book was described as inspiring women to fight the disease with various tactics, such as:

• identifying factors that might increase vulnerability to osteoporosis including lack of estrogen, menopause, and usage of drugs related to caffeine, tobacco and alcohol;^[15]
• emphasizing the impact of bone-density tests and explaining the process using Ann Richard's own bone test as an example;
• supplying an extensive list of calcium-enriched foods which are beneficial, plus noting some foods to avoid;
• listing everyday tips to improve muscle condition and prevent bone injuries.^[15]

Reviewer Labinski also noted that in the mission to help women overcome osteoporosis, Ann Richards had created a useful, and often humorous, book that would inspire many.^[15]

In the fall of 2005, Ann Richards taught a class called "Women and Leadership" at the University of Texas at Austin: twenty-one female students were selected for that class.

Arts and film[link]

One of Governor Richards' first legislative requests was to move the Texas Music Office (created in 1990 during the administration of Governor Bill Clements) and the Texas Film Commission (created in 1971 during Governor Preston Smith's term) from the Texas Department of Commerce to the Office of the Governor. Richards' longtime personal interest in Texas film and music greatly raised the public profile of both industries, and bringing these two programs into the Governor's Office institutionalized these industries as key, high profile parts of Texas' future economic growth plans. Other Richards music milestones include publishing the first Texas Music Industry Directory (1991), and her "Welcome to Texas" speech to the opening day registrants of the 1993 South By Southwest Music and Media Conference. ^[16] She was involved with the Texas Film Hall of Fame from the beginning. At the first ceremony, she inducted Liz Smith. She was emcee every subsequent year but had to cancel at the last minute in 2006 because of her diagnosis with cancer.

Ann Richards

Richards said, "I’ve been a friend to Texas film since the number of people who cared about Texas film could have fit in a phone booth." She was an advocate for the Texas film industry, and traveled to Los Angeles to market her state. Gary Bond, director of the Austin Film Commission, noted, "She was far from being the first governor to appoint a film commissioner; I think she was the first that really brought the focus of Hollywood to Texas."

She was also a mentor to other women. She advised Rebecca Campbell, executive director of the Austin Film Society, "Whenever you speak in public you’ve got to tell them what you need from them."

She put the spotlight on film as a genuine industry, brought more focus to Texas, and had a tremendous network of people in the entertainment industry. She brought the Film Commission into the Governor’s office, where it remains today. She gave more focus to film as a business than had been done in the past.

Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly Magazine and president of the Austin Film Society board of directors, commented about Ann Richards and the film industry:

• "I came to know Ann first as a moviegoer. I’d walk into various movie theaters and see the white hair up above the stadium seating. That’s how you’d know she was there. People do all kinds of things to get noticed in politics, but Ann wasn’t there for anyone but Ann. She was someone who loved the movies, loved the tactile experience of being in the movie theater, loved talking about movies, loved meeting filmmakers – I think she was more excited to meet filmmakers than foreign dignitaries. At the Texas Film Hall of Fame, she was as much as celebrity at that event as anyone honored. People paid money to see her as much as anyone else there. She would often ride down to Austin on the New York plane with the celebrities being honored. One year it was with Ethan Hawke. All she wanted to talk about, at the pre-party, was that “Ethan Hawke is so cute.” She loved him. This was not something that could be faked. She was starstruck. She loved these guys … (Watching a clip from Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven” at a Hall of Fame ceremony), she is mesmerized by this image. I mean, her eyes are glued to that screen. Again this is not something that you can fake. And she looked at me and she said “I love the movies” with this childlike voice, this passion. Standing next to me at that moment was not the former governor, a political swordsman... she was like all the rest of us, just someone who loved the movies. It’s a terrible loss for Texas in so many ways, but for the cultural community to have an advocate in that position, you don’t have that but once a generation, if you’re lucky." – Evan Smith^[16]

Ann Richards also lent her trademark voice and command of language to the screen. She narrated the popular and humorous documentary film "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story" for young Austin director Chris Elley, going as far as holding a big BBQ rib in front of her face for publicity photos. During the voice session, she even helped revise the script. In the audio booth, she pointed out a phrase in the original script that was too vague in her opinion by joking "What does that mean?! It doesn't mean anything. It sounds like something George Bush would say." Richards also voiced parts in the Disney film "Home on the Range" and the Fox TV series King of the Hill. Richards also appeared in the 1996 The West (documentary).

It is believed her last appearance in film was in a short public announcement used at the Alamo Drafthouse asking patrons to not be disruptive during the film.^[17] The Alamo Drafthouse still uses it today, with an addition at the end in honor of Ann Richards.

Ann Richards was active in the Austin City Limits Festivals, and the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival: the interactive, music, and film festival, held each year in Austin.

Death[link]

Ann Willis Richards monument at Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas

In March 2006, Richards disclosed that she had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She received treatment at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.^[18] She died from the cancer on the night of September 13, 2006, at her home in Austin, surrounded by her family. Richards is interred at Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

^[19] She was survived by her four children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren. Three memorial services were held.^[20]

Awards and recognitions[link]

During her career, Ann Richards received many awards and honors including: Baylor Distinguished Alumna, the Texas NAACP Presidential Award for Outstanding Contributions to Civil Rights, the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the Orden del Aguila Azteca (Order of the Aztec Eagle) presented by the government of Mexico, the Maurice N. Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame honoree for Public Service.

The Ann Richards Middle School in Austin, Texas is named for Governor Richards. The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, a college preparatory school for girls in grades 6-12, opened in the fall of 2007 in Austin.

On November 16, 2006, the City of Austin changed the official name of Congress Avenue Bridge to "Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge."

In popular culture[link]

In 2001, Governor Richards guest starred as herself in a fifth season episode of the Texas-based animated TV series King of the Hill. In the episode entitled "Hank and the Great Glass Elevator", she gets mooned by Hank Hill and then enters into a brief relationship with Bill Dauterive. She is also seen in the closing credits of King of the Hill Season 1 Episode 4, playing tether ball with Willie Nelson's roadie.

Ann Richards was a topic in the film Bush's Brain (by Joseph Mealey and Michael Shoob), in a long segment regarding her defeat in the 1994 election for Texas Governor. The film presents the case that the defeat of Richards involved a whisper campaign that the governor (mother of four children) was a lesbian because she had allegedly hired many gays and lesbians to work on her re-election campaign.

In the 2008 film W., Richards is mentioned during George Bush's campaign as "Ms. Big Mouth, Big Hair". ^[21]

Ann Richards is one of the characters portrayed by Anna Deavere Smith in her play, "Let Me Down Easy," which explores the meaning of the word "grace." The show opened in 2008, played in cities around the country, and was featured as part of PBS's Great Performances series on January 13, 2012.

In 2010, actress Holland Taylor debuted in a one-woman show called "ANN: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards" at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater in San Antonio, Texas.^[22]

Electoral history[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Texas portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ann Richards

• Texas State Library: Governors of Texas
• Ann Richards' 1988 Democratic Convention Keynote Address
• 1995 Commencement speech, Mount Holyoke College
• 2002–2003 Fiscal Size-up by the Texas Legislative Budget Board
• Biography of Ann Richards from Northeastern University
• Ann Richards at the Internet Movie Database
• Remembering Ann Richards by Molly Ivins
• "Ann Richards". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15724992. Retrieved August 9, 2010. 
• Texas State Cemetery listing

v t e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Texas Governors J. P. Henderson Wood Bell J. W. Henderson Pease Runnels Houston Clark Lubbock Murrah Hamilton Throckmorton Pease Davis Coke Hubbard Roberts Ireland Ross Hogg Culberson Sayers Lanham Campbell Colquitt J. Ferguson Hobby Neff M. Ferguson Moody Sterling M. Ferguson Allred O'Daniel Stevenson Jester Shivers Daniel Connally Smith Briscoe Clements White Clements Richards Bush Perry Lieutenant Governors Horton Greer Henderson Dickson Runnels Lubbock Clark Crockett Stockdale Jones J. W. Flanagan Campbell D. W. Flanagan Fountain Pickett Hubbard Sayers Storey Martin Gibbs Wheeler Pendleton Crane Jester Browning Neal A. B. Davidson Mayes Hobby, Sr. Johnson L. Davidson T. W. Davidson Miller Witt Woodul Stevenson J. L. Smith Shivers Ramsey P. Smith Barnes Hobby, Jr. Bullock Perry Ratliff Dewhurst

Holland Taylor
Taylor circa 1994
Born	Holland Virginia Taylor (1943-01-14) January 14, 1943 (age 69)[1] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[1]
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1969–present

Holland Virginia Taylor (born January 14, 1943^[1]) is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half Men.

Early life[link]

Taylor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1943, the daughter of Virginia, a painter, and C. Tracy Taylor, an attorney.^[2] She is the youngest of three girls in the family; her sisters are Patricia and Pamela. Taylor attended high school at Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She then majored in drama at Bennington College^[3] graduating in 1964, before moving to New York City to become an actress.^[4]

Career[link]

Taylor's long career began in the theater. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s she appeared in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including starring roles in Simon Gray's Butley and A. R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour; for the latter she was nominated for a Drama Desk award. Taylor also has the dubious distinction of having starred in Broadway's most infamous flop, Moose Murders, where she filled in, with less than a week's rehearsal, for veteran character actress Eve Arden who had jumped from the sinking ship.^[5]

In 1983 Taylor had one of her greatest theatrical moments in Breakfast with Les and Bess, which prompted the New York magazine theater critic John Simon to sing, "...Miss Taylor is one of the few utterly graceful, attractive, elegant and technically accomplished actresses in our theater...seeing her may turn you, like me, into a Taylor freak..."^[6]

Concentrating on theater, television took a backseat but she did take on the role of Denise Cavanaugh on the long running soap opera, The Edge of Night, who was so evil, she killed herself just to frame her husband. Then encouraged by her acting coach, the legendary Stella Adler, Taylor took a role that would make her well known: Tom Hanks' sexy, demanding boss in the 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies.^[7]

The actress' rising fame, built slowly over many years, led her to roles that made her a well known name in the industry. She proved herself to be equally adept both at comedy and at drama.^[4] From 1992 to 1993 she starred in Norman Lear's The Powers That Be with John Forsythe and David Hyde Pierce; and from 1995 to 1998 on The Naked Truth.

She played the part of rapacious Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice. Originally intended to be a one-time appearance,^[8] the role lasted from 1998 to 2003. She won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in 1999; in her acceptance speech, she brought the house down when she lifted the Emmy over her head and said, "Overnight!" Taylor thanked David E. Kelley, The Practice's producer/writer and creator, for "giving me a chariot to ride up here on: A woman who puts a flag on the moon for women over 40—who can think, who can work, who are successes, who can cook, and who can COOK!".

Taylor was also nominated for an Emmy for her recurring role on AMC's The Lot, and has been nominated four times since 2003, for best supporting actress for her role on the TV series Two and a Half Men, playing Evelyn Harper, the snobbish, overbearing mother of Charlie Sheen's and Jon Cryer's characters. Taylor's television movie and series guest roles have been extensive and include appearances on ER, Veronica's Closet, and recurring roles on Ally McBeal; Monk and as billionaire Peggy Peabody on The L Word.

Taylor's movie roles have included Reese Witherspoon's tough Harvard law professor in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde; Tina Fey's mother in Baby Mama; The Truman Show; Happy Accidents; Next Stop Wonderland; George of the Jungle; The Wedding Date; How to Make an American Quilt; Romancing the Stone; and D.E.B.S..

Taylor's animated roles include that of Prudence, the castle's majordomo and love interest of the Grand Duke, in Disney's Cinderella II and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. She also played a role in the animated show American Dad! as Francine's biological mother.

Holland Taylor in 2008.

Taylor's first love remains the theater and she began researching, writing and producing a one-woman play about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards in 2009.^[4] The two-act play, originally titled Money, Marbles, and Chalk, starring Taylor as Richards, was first workshopped in May 2010 at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas.^[9] It was later retitled Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards^[10] and opened in Chicago November 16, 2011 and was billed as a "pre-Broadway" engagement. It is scheduled to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. December 17, 2011 through January 15, 2012.^[11]

Charitable work[link]

Taylor has been a long-time, major supporter of Aid For AIDS in Los Angeles, serving on their Honorary Board and as an ongoing participant in their largest annual fundraiser, Best In Drag Show, among other fundraising efforts.^[12]

Emmy Award nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Theater[link]

Broadway

• Breakfast with Les and Bess
• Moose Murders
• Murder Among Friends
• Butley (Alan Bates)
• Something Old, Something New
• We Interrupt this Message
• The Devils (Anne Bancroft)

Off-Broadway

• Vagina Monologues
• The Cocktail Hour
• Drinks Before Dinner
• Children
• Fashion
• Colette (Zoe Caldwell)
• Love Letters
• Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards

Regional

• Kindertransport
• A Delicate Balance
• Passion Play (Galati)
• The Philanthropist
• Black Comedy

Los Angeles

• The Unexpected Man, The Geffen Playhouse
• Kinder Transport, The Tiffany Theatre
• Narrator – LA Philharmonic "Persephone, Stravinsky, Essa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor"
• Narrator – LA Philharmonic "Ahknaten, Philip Glass, John Adams, Conductor"

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Holland Taylor

• Holland Taylor at the Internet Movie Database
• Holland Taylor at the Internet Broadway Database
• Holland Taylor at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Holland Taylor Bio at CBS - Two and a Half Men

Sandra Bullock
Bullock at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011
Born	Sandra Annette Bullock (1964-07-26) July 26, 1964 (age 47) Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, comedian, producer
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	Jesse G. James (2005–2010)
Children	1
Parents	John Bullock Helga Meyer (deceased)

Sandra Annette Bullock ( /ˈbʊlək/; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. In the new millennium she appeared in such films as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House, and Crash, the third of which received critical acclaim. In 2007, she was ranked as the 14th richest female celebrity with an estimated fortune of US$85 million.^[1] In 2009, Bullock starred in two of the more financially successful films of her career, The Proposal^[2] and The Blind Side.^[3] Bullock was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side. She is listed in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records as the highest-paid actress, with $56 million.^[4]

Early life[link]

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Her father, John W. Bullock (born 1925), was a United States Army employee and part-time voice coach from Birmingham, Alabama, and her mother, Helga D. Meyer (1942–2000), was a German opera singer and voice teacher.^[5][6][7] Bullock's maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg, Germany. John Bullock, then in charge of the Army's Military Postal Service in Europe, was stationed in Nuremberg when he met his wife. They married in Germany, soon moving to Arlington, where John Bullock worked with the Army Materiel Command, before becoming a contractor for The Pentagon.^[8][9]

Bullock frequently accompanied her mother on her opera tours throughout Europe. She spent time in Salzburg and Nuremberg, where she stayed with her aunt and grandmother and became fluent in German. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother's opera productions.^[5] She sang in the operas children's choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg.^[10]

Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School, where she was a cheerleader and performed in high school theater productions. After she graduated in 1982, she entered East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. However, she dropped out in her fourth year in spring of 1986, just three credits short of graduating, to become an actress. She moved to Manhattan and supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and coat checker. She later completed her coursework and graduated from East Carolina University.^[11]

Acting[link]

This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2010)

Bullock at the 2010 SAG Awards red carpet.

While in New York, Bullock took acting classes with Sanford Meisner.^{[citation needed]} She appeared in several student films, and later landed a role in an Off-Broadway play No Time Flat. Director Alan J. Levi was impressed by Bullock's performance and offered her a part in the TV movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989). Afterward, she was cast in a series of small roles in several independent films as well as in the lead role of the short-lived NBC television version of the film Working Girl (1990). She later appeared in several films, such as Love Potion No. 9 (1992), The Thing Called Love (1993) and Fire on the Amazon. A prominent supporting role in the science-fiction/action movie Demolition Man (1993) led to her breakthrough performance in Speed the following year. She became a movie star in the late 1990s, carrying a string of successes, including While You Were Sleeping, and Miss Congeniality in 2000. Bullock received $11 million for Speed 2: Cruise Control, which she agreed to star in for financial backing for her own project, Hope Floats,^[12] and has revealed she regrets making the sequel.^[13] She later received $17.5 million for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.^{[citation needed]}

Bullock was selected as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996 and 1999, and was also ranked #58 in Empire magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list. She was presented with the 2002 Raúl Juliá Award for Excellence^[14] for her efforts, as the executive producer of the sitcom George Lopez, in helping expand career openings for Hispanic talent in the media and entertainment industry. She also made several appearances on the show as Accident Amy, an accident-prone employee at the factory Lopez's character manages. In 2002, she starred opposite Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice and in the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

In 2004, Bullock had a supporting role in the film Crash. She received positive reviews for her performance, with some critics suggesting that it was the best performance of her career.^[15] In 2005, she was a co-recipient of the Women in Film Crystal Award.

In 2008, Sandra Bullock was announced as "the face" of prestigious cosmetic brand Artistry.

Bullock later appeared in The Lake House, a romantic drama also starring her Speed co-star, Keanu Reeves; it was released on June 16, 2006. Because their film characters are separated throughout the film (due to the plot revolving around time travel), Bullock and Reeves were only on set together for two weeks during filming.^[16] The same year, Bullock appeared in Infamous, playing author Harper Lee. Bullock also starred in Premonition with Julian McMahon, which was released in March 2007.^[17] 2009 proved to be especially good for Bullock, giving the actress two record highs in her career, as earlier in the year she released The Proposal, with co-star Ryan Reynolds, a huge hit that took in more than $314 million at the box office worldwide, making it her most successful picture to date.^[18]

In November 2009, Bullock starred in The Blind Side, which opened at #2 behind New Moon with $34.2 million, making it her highest opening weekend ever. The Blind Side is unique in that it had a 17.6% increase at the box office its second weekend, and it took the top spot of the box office in its third weekend. The movie cost $29 million to make according to the Box Office Mojo. It has grossed over $309 million to date, making it her domestic highest grossing film and the first movie in history to pass the $200 million mark with only one top-billed female star.^[19][20] She won the award for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in The Blind Side.^[21] Bullock had initially turned down the role three times due to a discomfort with portraying a devout Christian.^[22] Winning the "Oscar" also gave her another unique distinction — since she won two "Razzies" the day before, for her performance in All About Steve, she is the only performer ever to have been named both "Best" and "Worst" for the same year.^[23] Sandra was asked to return her 2009 "Worst Actress of the Year" Razzie award; however, this wasn't because of a change of heart for Bullock's performance but because Bullock personally accepted her Razzie and accidentally took the original one-of-a-kind prototype Razzie, as opposed to the cheap trinket normally handed out to celebrities.^[24]

Recognition[link]

Sandra Bullock's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As of 2009, Bullock's films have grossed over $3.1 billion worldwide.^[25] According to The Numbers, her total domestic gross stands at $1.7 billion, placing her among the Top 100 Stars at the Box Office.^[26]

Critics, while praising her screen persona,^[27] have been less receptive to her films. As of the 2009 release of The Proposal, Mark Kermode said she's made only three "good" films in her career—Speed, While You Were Sleeping, and Crash, and says "she's funny, she's gorgeous, it's impossible not to love her and yet she makes rotten film after rotten film after rotten film."^[28] As of December 2009, Bullock has appeared on three Entertainment Weekly covers. She was selected by People Magazine as its "Woman of the Year" for 2010.^[29] She was ranked #12 on People's Most Beautiful 2011 list.^[30]

Entrepreneurship[link]

Bullock runs her own production company, Fortis Films. Bullock was an executive producer of The George Lopez Show, which garnered a lucrative syndication deal that banked her some $10 million (co-produced with Robert Borden). Bullock tried to produce a film based on F.X. Toole's short story, Million-Dollar Baby, but could not interest the studios in a female boxing drama. The story was eventually adapted and directed by Clint Eastwood as the Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby (2004). Bullock's production company, Fortis Films, also produced All About Steve, which was released in September 2009. Her father, John Bullock, is the company's CEO,^[31] and her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, is the former president.

Since November 2006, Bullock founded a popular Austin, Texas restaurant, Bess Bistro.^[32] She later opened another business across the street in a building she extensively renovated downtown called Walton's Fancy and Staple^[33] a bakery, upscale restaurant and floral shop that also offers services such as event planning.

Personal life[link]

Relationships and children[link]

Bullock was once engaged to actor Tate Donovan, whom she met while filming Love Potion No. 9; their relationship lasted four years. She previously dated football player Troy Aikman, Austin musician Bob Schneider (for two years), and actors Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Gosling.^[34][35]

Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. They first met when Bullock arranged for her ten-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present.

In November 2009, Bullock and James entered into a custody battle with James' second ex-wife, former pornographic actress Janine Lindemulder, with whom James had a child. Bullock and James subsequently won full legal custody of James' five-year-old daughter.^[36]

Bullock at the 2010 Golden Raspberry Awards accepting her Razzie for "Worst Actress" for All About Steve

In March 2010, a scandal arose when several women claimed to have had affairs with James during his marriage to Bullock.^[37][38][39] Bullock cancelled European promotional appearances for The Blind Side citing "unforeseen personal reasons".^[40][41] On March 18, 2010, James responded to the rumors of infidelity by issuing a public apology to Bullock. He stated, "The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded" and "Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment."^[42] James declared that "There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me", and asked that his wife and children one day "find it in their hearts to forgive me" for their current "pain and embarrassment".^[42] James’ publicist subsequently announced on March 30, 2010, that James had checked into a rehab facility "to deal with personal issues" and "save his marriage" to Bullock.^[43] However on April 28, 2010, it was reported that Bullock had filed for divorce^[44] on April 23 in Austin.^[45] Their divorce was finalized on June 28, 2010, with "conflict of personalities" cited as the reason.^[46]

Bullock announced on April 28, 2010, that she had proceeded with plans to adopt a baby boy born in January 2010 in New Orleans.^[47] Bullock and James had begun an initial adoption process four years earlier. The child began living with them in January 2010, but they chose to keep the news private until after the Oscars in March 2010. However, given the couple's separation and then divorce, Bullock continued the adoption of the baby, named Louis Bardo Bullock, as a single parent.^[47]

Vehicular accidents[link]

On December 20, 2000, Bullock and another passenger survived the crash of a chartered business jet during an attempted night landing at Jackson Hole Airport. The pilots were unable to activate the runway lights due to having out-of-date approach plates, but continued the landing. The aircraft landed in the airport's graded safety area between the runway and parallel taxiway and hit a snowbank. The accident caused a separation of the nose cone and landing gear, partial separation of the right wing, and a bend in the left wing.^[48]

On April 18, 2008, while Bullock was in Massachusetts shooting the film The Proposal, she and her then-husband were in an SUV that was hit head-on (driver's side offset) at moderate speed by a drunken driver. Vehicle damage was not major and there were no injuries.^[49]

Legal matters[link]

In October 2004, Bullock won a multimillion-dollar judgment against Benny Daneshjou, the builder of her Lake Austin, Texas home; the jury ruled the house was uninhabitable. It has since been torn down and rebuilt.^[50]

Stalking[link]

On April 22, 2007, Marcia Diana Valentine was found lying outside James and Bullock's Southern California home in Orange County. When James confronted the woman, she ran to her 2004 silver Mercedes, got behind the wheel, and tried to run over James. The woman is said to be an obsessed fan of Sandra Bullock.^[51] The woman was charged with one felony count each of aggravated assault and stalking, while Bullock obtained a restraining order to bar Valentine from "contacting or coming near her home, family or work for three years."^[52] Valentine pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and stalking.^[53] Valentine was subsequently convicted of stalking and was sentenced to three years of probation.^[54]

Charity work[link]

Bullock has been a public supporter of the American Red Cross, having donated $1 million to the organization at least four times. Her first public donation of that amount was to the Red Cross's Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. Three years later, she sent money in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.^[55] In 2010, she donated $1 million to relief efforts in Haiti following the Haiti earthquake, and again donated the same amount following the 2011 Japan Earthquake.^[56]

Along with other stars, Bullock did a PSA urging people to sign a petition for clean-up efforts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sandra Bullock

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sandra Bullock

• Sandra Bullock at the Internet Movie Database
• Sandra Bullock at Yahoo! Movies
• Sandra Bullock: 2010's Triumphs – slideshow by Life magazine