While the majority of his six siblings followed in their parents' footsteps and went into medicine, Bill Pullman was drawn to acting from an early age onwards. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he taught acting at Montana State University, until his students talked him into trying his hand at acting himself.
Bill worked as a stage actor in New York and Los Angeles in the eighties. In 1987 he was cast as the lead in the Star Wars parody Spaceballs. The cult comedy was his big breakthrough and he went on to star in films such as The Serpent and the Rainbow, Wyatt Earp, and Lost Highway.
Bill Pullman in Independence Day
The romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping was the New York native's biggest success. Pullman and Sandra Bullock played the soon-to-be couple "Lucy" and "Jack", and Bullock even received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Bill Pullman went on to star in numerous other films, including Independence Day and The Grudge. He returned to the silver screen in the drama Walking Out in 2017.
Bill Pullman then and now
It’s been more than two decades since While You Were Sleeping premiered in 1995 and Bill Pullman has changed dramatically. His blonde head of hair has become grey and he now sports a fashionable beard. But, what hasn’t changed a bit, is his cheeky and charming smile, which never fails to captivate audiences, even at sixty-six years old! One person who definitely thinks he's a hit is his wife Tamara. They've been happily married for over thirty years and have three children together.
Lately, you can watch Bill as "Harry" in the Sinner! He's starred in 24 episodes of the show from 2017-2020. We can't wait to see more of Bill Pullman on our screens soon!