Bill Pullman
Biography
William James Pullman was born on December 17, 1953, in Hornell, New York, USA. He is an American actor who graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre. Before pursuing a career in acting, he worked as an adjunct professor at Montana State University. Known professionally by names including Bill Pullman, William Pullman, and William James Pullman, he has built a prolific screen career with numerous known credits in both film and television.
Career overview
Bill Pullman made his feature film debut in Ruthless People in 1986. He followed this with roles in Spaceballs and The Accidental Tourist, both released in 1987. In 1988, he appeared in The Serpent and the Rainbow. His 1990s film work includes Newsies in 1992, Sleepless in Seattle in 1993, Wyatt Earp in 1994, and While You Were Sleeping in 1995. In 1996, he starred in Independence Day, followed by Lost Highway in 1997 and Lake Placid in 1999. In the year 2000, he provided the voice of Captain Joseph Korso in Titan A.E. Throughout his career, Pullman has appeared frequently on television, usually in television films, and has continued working in the industry into the 21st century.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Spaceballs: The New One (2027) as Lone Starr
- The Boroughs (2026) as Jack Willard
- Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (2026) as Self - Actor
- Everybody Digs Bill Evans (2026) as Harry
- Killing Faith (2025) as Ross
- Roland Emmerich - Weltenzerstörer, Weltenerbauer (2025) as Self - actor
- Murdaugh Murders: The Movie (2023) as Alex Murdaugh
- This Fool (2022) as Curtis
- American Horses (2022) as Narrator (voice)
- Halston (2021) as David Mahoney
- The High Note (2020) as Max
- Cursed Films (2020) as Self
- Yellowstone (2020) as (voice)
- Charlie Russell's Old West (2020) as Charles M. Russell
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- Dark Waters (2019) as Harry Dietzler
- The Coldest Game (2019) as Joshua Mansky
- Dark Waters: The Cost of Being a Hero (2019) as Self
- Epic Yellowstone (2019) as Narrator (voice)
- National Theatre Live: All My Sons (2019) as Joe Keller
- The Equalizer 2 (2018) as Brian Plummer
- Trouble (2018) as Ben
- Steve (2017) as Self
- The Sinner (2017) as Harry Ambrose
- Battle of the Sexes (2017) as Jack Kramer
- Walking Out (2017) as Clyde
- LBJ (2017) as Ralph Yarborough
- The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) as Lefty Brown
- A Thousand Junkies (2017) as Bill Pullman
- Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) as President Whitmore
- Brother Nature (2016) as Jerry Turley
- Another Day: The Making of 'Independence Day: Resurgence' (2016) as Self
- The War of 1996: A United World News Special (2016) as President Whitmore
- American Ultra (2015) as Krueger
- Parables of War (2015) as Self
- The Equalizer (2014) as Brian Plummer
- Red Sky (2014) as John Webster
- Cymbeline (2014) as Sicilius Leonatus
- May in the Summer (2014) as Edward
- The Unbelievers (2013) as Self
- Mel Brooks: Make a Noise (2013) as Self (archive footage)
- 1600 Penn (2012) as President Dale Gilchrist
- Lola Versus (2012) as Lenny
- Kingdom Come (2012) as Self
- The Fruit Hunters (2012) as Narrator (voice)
- Innocent (2011) as Rusty Sabich
- Too Big to Fail (2011) as Jamie Dimon
- Bringing Up Bobby (2011) as Kent
- The Killer Inside Me (2010) as Billy Boy Walker
- Peacock (2010) as Edmund French
- Rio Sex Comedy (2010) as William
- Skavlan (2009) as Self - Guest
- The Cove (2009) Thanks
- Phoebe in Wonderland (2008) as Peter Lichten
- Surveillance (2008) as Sam Hallaway
- Bottle Shock (2008) as Jim Barrett
- Your Name Here (2008) as William J. Frick
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self - Guest
- Nobel Son (2007) as Max Mariner
- You Kill Me (2007) as Dave
- Torchwood (2006) as Oswald Danes
- Scary Movie 4 (2006) as Henry Hale
- Alien Autopsy (2006) as Morgan Banner
- Revelations (2005) as Dr. Richard Massey
- Spaceballs: The Documentary (2005) as Self
- Dear Wendy (2005) as Krugsby
- John Candy: Comic Spirit (2005) as Self
- The Grudge (2004) as Peter Kirk
- Tiger Cruise (2004) as Gary Dolan
- Rick (2003) as Rick O'Lette
- Igby Goes Down (2002) as Jason
- 29 Palms (2002) as The Ticket Clerk
- Ignition (2002) as Conor Gallagher
- Night Visions (2001) as Major Ben Darnell (segment "A View Through the Window")
- Night Visions (2001) Director
- Titan A.E. (2000) as Korso (voice)
- Lucky Numbers (2000) as Detective Pat Lakewood
- A Man Is Mostly Water (2000) as Parking Fascist
- The Guilty (2000) as Callum Crane
- The Virginian (2000) as The Virginian
- The Virginian (2000) Director
- Opening the Tombs of the Golden Mummies: Live (2000)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Kurt Moss
- The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999) as Self
- Lake Placid (1999) as Jack Wells
- Brokedown Palace (1999) as Hank Greene
- Spy Games (1999) as Harry Howe / Ernie Halliday
- Zero Effect (1998) as Daryl Zero
- Lost Highway (1997) as Fred Madison
- The End of Violence (1997) as Mike
- Merry Christmas, George Bailey (1997) as George Bailey
- Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch (1997) as Self
- Independence Day (1996) as President Thomas J. Whitmore
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996) as Self
- Mistrial (1996) as Steve Donohue
- Independence Day: The ID4 Invasion (1996) as Self
- Mr. Wrong (1996) as Whitman Crawford
- The Making of 'Independence Day' (1996) as Self
- Casper (1995) as Dr. James Harvey
- While You Were Sleeping (1995) as Jack Callaghan
- Wyatt Earp (1994) as Ed Masterson
- The Last Seduction (1994) as Clay Gregory
- The Favor (1994) as Peter
- Fallen Angels (1993) as Rich Thurber
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993) as Walter
- Sommersby (1993) as Orin Meecham
- Malice (1993) as Andy Sarafian
- Mr. Jones (1993) as Construction Site Foreman (uncredited)
- A League of Their Own (1992) as Bob Hinson
- Crazy in Love (1992) as Nick Symonds
- Singles (1992) as Dr. Jeffrey Jamison
- Phone (1992) as Duke
- Newsies (1992) as Bryan Denton
- Nervous Ticks (1992) as York Daley
- Liebestraum (1991) as Paul Kessler
- Going Under (1991) as Biff Banner
- Blood Drips Heavily on Newsie Square (1991) as Self
- Sibling Rivalry (1990) as Nicholas Meany
- Bright Angel (1990) as Bob
- Brain Dead (1990) as Dr. Rex Martin
- Home Fires Burning (1989) as Lt. Henry Tibbettes
- Cold Feet (1989) as Buck
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) as Dennis Alan
- The Accidental Tourist (1988) as Julian Hedge
- Rocket Gibraltar (1988) as Crow Black
- Spaceballs (1987) as Lone Starr
- Ruthless People (1986) as Earl James Mott
- Nature (1982) as Narrator (voice)
- Cagney & Lacey (1982)
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- The Oscars (1953) as Self - Presenter
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Henry Tibbetts
- Famous
- The Basics of Philosophy as Melvyn Jorrisen
- A Bridge Between as Bobby Verdun