Bill Pullman
(Andy Safian)

Actor Bill Pullman is a native New Yorker who graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in theater and went on to study at the University of Massachusetts. He ventured out West to teach at the University of Montana, but at age 28 he grew restless and returned to New York City. Pullman was cast in Sam Shepard's off-Broadway hit Curse of the Starving Class, and the success from that production encouraged the actor to move to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. In 1986, Pullman starred in the Bette Midler comedy vehicle Ruthless People as a bumbling kidnapper. He took a dramatic turn when he was cast as an anthropologist in the cult classic The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988). In 1992, Pullman landed a small role in the ensemble cast of A League of Their Own, starring Geena Davis, Madonna and Tom Hanks. Small, memorable roles followed in hits like Singles (1992) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). In 1995, Pullman made the leap to leading man in While You Were Sleeping, co-starring Sandra Bullock. He was so effective playing the U.S. president in the box-office blockbuster Independence Day (1996) that during publicity appearances in Latin America audiences thought he really was the president. He stretched his acting abilities in the comic thriller Zero Effect(1998) and Edward Albee's Tony-winning play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?. Pullman is scheduled to star in the comedy Igby Goes Down(2002), with Susan Sarandon and Kieran Culkin.