Bill Pullman is helping to usher in the next generation of Hollywood’s leading men — starting with his own son.
Pullman’s film career began with 1986’s Ruthless People, and he starred in Spaceballs one year later. From comedies to thrillers and beyond, Pullman has proven his range on the big screen — and has played more than one president. As he continues to take on new roles, he’s also turning the spotlight on his son Lewis Pullman.
Along with Lewis, the Sleepless in Seattle star shares daughter Maesa and son Jack with wife Tamara Hurwitz.
“All three [of my kids] have evolved into these people that are making their way in the world, doing what they love. How great is that, to feel like they’ve got a fire for something and are committed?” Bill gushed in a 2021 interview with Fatherly. “My oldest daughter is a singer, musician, songwriter. She’s a teacher. … The middle son makes puppets and masks, and even that ended up being something he can make his way with, and he’s so creative.”
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When it comes to Lewis, the proud dad said at the time that he “never pushed” him to pursue acting. The father-son duo have shared the screen together in The Ballad of Lefty Brown, and Lewis has since starred in Bad Times at the El Royale, Top Gun: Maverick and Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
Lewis has no problem acknowledging the “pressure” he’s felt to live up to his father’s fame. “Once I realized that it was an impossible pair of shoes to fill, I kind of found a sense of relief in knowing that if there was any future for me in film that it would be by doing it my own way and trying to blaze my own trail,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2025. “So that really freed me up in a lot of ways.”
Lewis’ Hollywood career is reaching new heights, but what has his dad been up to in recent years? Keep reading to find out:
Recent and Future Projects
Fans saw Bill reprise his role as President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day: Resurgence, the 2016 sequel to his iconic sci-fi action movie Independence Day. He later appeared in 2017’s Battle of the Sexes and 2018’s The Equalizer 2. While he hasn’t appeared on the big screen since 2020’s The High Note, Bill has two projects in the works, including a thriller titled Famous, which also stars Zac Efron, Nicholas Braun and Phoebe Dynevor, and a supernatural flick titled Killing Faith.
Following another (short-lived) presidential role on NBC’s 1600 Penn from 2012 to 2013, Bill returned to the TV world in 2017 on USA Network’s The Sinner. He starred as Detective Harry Ambrose for four seasons until 2021. Two years later, Bill portrayed convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh in Lifetime’s Murdaugh Murders: The Movie. He is also involved in Netflix’s The Boroughs, a new series produced by Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers.
Support for His Son
Lewis launched his acting career alongside his father in the 2017 movie The Ballad of Lefty Brown, and the pair have been a dynamic duo in the spotlight ever since. As his son’s star continues to rise, Bill has frequently voiced his support.
While promoting his own work in Murdaugh Murders in May 2024, Bill gave a shout-out to Lewis’ show Lessons in Chemistry. “Billboards in L.A., you’d go down [the street and] it’d be Lewis, me, Lewis, me. All the Pullmans!” Bill gushed to Entertainment Tonight at a Lifetime For Your Consideration event. “It’s been great to see!”
Lewis, meanwhile, has spoken candidly about following in his father’s footsteps. “We have always been such a close-knit family,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in a May 2025 interview. “But it’s great to be able to confide in my pops about certain issues or certain questions. For a long time, I was like, ‘I’m gonna do this on my own’ and was very stubborn, and I’m so glad that I got over whatever that was because now it’s such a gift to be able to share different experiences with my dad and get advice from him. … Every set I go to, somebody has worked with my dad and they love him so much … it’s a hard reputation to follow, you know, flying in his wake.”
The praise goes both ways. In 2019, Bill told People that he thought Lewis was the better actor. “If I steal from him, I’ll be able to get as good,” he teased.
Public Appearances
Along with supporting his son at the Hollywood premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts in April 2025, the actor stepped out on the East Coast, attending the New York Philharmonic’s Spring Gala at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in May 2025.
