BILL PULLMAN
Date of Birth: December 17, 1953
Bill Pullman was born in Delphi, New York, the sixth of seven children. There's a connection to the size of the family he grew up in to the career choice he pursued since, as he says, "My parents were getting older by the time I came along. They were too tired to object to my choice of career."
But that career choice didn't happen overnight. In fact, Pullman was studying building construction at a New York technical institute when a drama teacher at the school changed his life by casting him in a play. He liked the experience so much he transferred schools and earned a B.A. in theater arts before going on to do graduate work in directing at the University of Massachusetts. He even accepted a position in the drama department at Montana State University before finally heading off to New York to pursue a stage career.
After good reviews in an off-Broadway production of Curse of the Starving Class alongside Kathy Bates, Pullman decided to try his luck in Hollywood. The rest, as they say, is history. From the beginning, he became a working actor which is a step above most who venture out to the left coast in search of fame and fortune.
But he's become much more than just a working actor, upping his casting credibility with an excellent turn as a romantic lead in While You Were Sleeping and then going on to play the President of the United States in the huge blockbuster, Independence Day. He even used his old carpentry skills to build a house for himself, his wife and three children in Los Angeles and remains by all accounts a down-to-earth all round nice guy. "I'm not sure you should get points just for doing what's right," he says. "And that's not to say that I can't be disrespectful and ungracious. But I think you have to know in your soul what you're doing."
Filmography:
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Kerosene Cowboys (2009)
Surveillance (2009)
Peacock (2009)
Phoebe in Wonderland (2009)
Bottle Shock (2008)
Your Name Here (2007)
Nobel Son (2007)
You Kill Me (2007)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Alien Autopsy (2006)
Nobel Son (2006)
Dear Wendy (2006)
The Orphan King (2004)
Rick (2003)
29 Palms (2002)
Igby Goes Down (2002)
Lucky Numbers (2000)
Titan A.E. (2000) (voice)
Brokedown Palace (1999)
Lake Placid (1999)
The Guilty (1999)
History Is Made at Night (1999)
A Man Is Mostly Water (1999)
The Virginian (1999)
Zero Effect (1998)
Independence Day (1996)
Lost Highway (1996)
Mr. Wrong (1996)
Casper (1995)
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
The Favor (1994)
The Last Seduction (1994)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Malice (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Sommersby (1993)
Crazy in Love (1992)
A League of Their Own (1992)
Nervous Ticks (1992)
Newsies (1992)
Singles (1992)
Bright Angel (1991)
Liebestraum (1991)
Brain Dead (1990)
Going Under (1990)
Sibling Rivalry (1990)
Cold Feet (1989)
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Rocket Gibraltar (1988)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Spaceballs (1987)
Ruthless People (1986)