Bill Pullman |
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William James "Bill" Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American film, television, and stage actor.
Pullman was born in Hornell, New York, the son of Johanna (née Blaas), a nurse, and James Pullman, a physician. His father's family descends from England and his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Holland. After graduating from Hornell High School in 1971, he attended the State University of New York at Delhi and the State University of New York at Oneonta in the 1970s. He eventually received his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Pullman taught theater at SUNY Delhi and Montana State University (where he was convinced by his students to attempt film). When he was 28, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.
During the 1980s, he primarily worked with theatre companies around New York and Los Angeles, California. His first prominent movie role was in the film Ruthless People (which starred Danny DeVito and Bette Midler). Other notable films included the lead in Spaceballs (1987), The Serpent and the Rainbow (opposite Zakes Mokae), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Independence Day (1996), and Lost Highway (1997). Pullman continues to act in both theatre and in movies, independent and big budget. His more recent films have been The Grudge and Scary Movie 4 (the latter ironically heavily spoofing The Grudge though Pullman's part spoofed The Village).