| Co-starred with Tom Hanks and newcomer Thomas Horn in the 9/11 drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," based on Jonathan Safran Foer's 2005 novel |
| Formed Fortis Films |
| Moved to Los Angeles |
1972 | Began performing at age eight while traveling with her mother on her opera tours |
1986 | Moved to New York City to pursue acting |
1987 | Had a one-line role in her film debut, "Hangmen" |
1988 | Praised by critic John Simon for her off-Broadway performance in "No Time Flat" |
1989 | First leading role in a film, "Who Shot Patakango?" |
1989 | TV acting debut, "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" (NBC) |
1990 | Series regular debut, playing Tess McGill on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Working Girl" |
1992 | Offered a superb turn as cynical feminist artist in "When the Party's Over" |
1993 | Gained a wider following as Sylvester Stallone's partner in "Demolition Man" |
1993 | Portrayed an aspiring country Western singer in "This Thing Called Love"; film debut as singer |
1994 | Breakthrough screen role as Annie, the woman recruited by Keanu Reeves' character to drive a bomb-planted bus in "Speed" |
1995 | First starring role in the surprise hit romantic comedy, "While You Were Sleeping" |
1995 | Proved her star status with "The Net" |
1996 | Played a supporting role opposite Matthew McConaughey in "A Time to Kill" |
1997 | Reprised breakthrough role in the disappointing sequel "Speed 2: Cruise Control" |
1997 | Signed three-year production deal at Warner Bros. |
1997 | Wrote, co-produced (with Matthew McConaughey), directed and starred in the 40-minute short "Making Sandwiches" |
1998 | Co-executive produced (with Mary McLaglen) and starred in "Hope Floats" |
1998 | Co-starred with Nicole Kidman as sisters practicing witchcraft in "Practical Magic"; also executive produced with McLaglen |
1999 | Teamed with Ben Affleck in "Forces of Nature" |
2000 | Played an FBI agent who goes undercover at a beauty pageant in "Miss Congeniality" |
2000 | Starred as a party-loving writer who undergoes rehab in the comedy "28 Days" |
2001 | Made a cameo role as herself in "Lisa Picard Is Famous" |
2002 | Cast as an FBI profiler in "Murder by Numbers"; also produced the film |
2002 | Played one of the female leads in the feature adaptation of "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" |
2005 | Played a supporting role in Paul Haggis' directorial debut "Crash" |
2005 | Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (March) |
2005 | Reprised the role of an FBI agent in "Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous" |
2006 | Co-starred with Keanu Reeves in "The Lake House," a remake of the enchanting Korean film "Il Mare" (2000) |
2006 | Portrayed author Harper Lee in the Truman Capote biopic "Infamous" |
2007 | Starred in the psychological thriller "Premonition" |
2009 | Co-starred with Bradley Cooper in the comedy "All About Steve"; also served as a producer |
2009 | Co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in the comedy "The Proposal"; also served as a producer; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress |
2009 | Nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role ("The Blind Side") |
2009 | Nominated for the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama ("The Blind Side") |
2009 | Nominated for the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy ("The Proposal") |
2009 | Nominated for the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role ("The Blind Side") |
2009 | Portrayed Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film adaptation of "The Blind Side"; based on the 2006 book by Michael Lewis |
