If you have ever searched “Is Lewis Pullman related to Bill Pullman?”, congratulations. You have arrived at the very reasonable conclusion that two people with the same last name, both actors, and both named Pullman might possibly know each other.
The answer is much simpler than the internet mystery suggests: yes. Lewis Pullman is Bill Pullman’s son.
Lewis, born in 1993, is the youngest of Bill Pullman and dancer Tamara Hurwitz’s three children. His siblings are Maesa Pullman and Jack Pullman. Lewis eventually followed his father’s path into acting, appearing in The Ballad of Lefty Brown alongside Bill before landing roles in Bad Times at the El Royale, Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry and Marvel’s Thunderbolts*.
So, naturally, we decided to conduct the interview nobody officially asked for.
The Pullman Interview
Q: Lewis, let’s start with the obvious one. Are you related to Bill Pullman?
Lewis: Yes. He’s my dad.
Q: So this isn’t one of those Hollywood situations where two actors happen to have the same surname?
Lewis: No. Although I appreciate the detective work. You could have just asked my family.
Q: Bill, were you surprised when Lewis became an actor?
Bill: Not particularly. There were three children in the family and somehow all of them ended up doing creative things. Maesa went into music, Jack went into puppetry and design, and Lewis decided acting sounded like a good idea.
Q: So acting was basically the family business?
Bill: Let’s call it a family hobby that got wildly out of hand.
Bill and Tamara met while involved in theater and dance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and married in 1987. They raised three children, all of whom pursued creative careers in different ways.
Q: Lewis, did you grow up watching your dad’s movies?
Lewis: Eventually, yes. When I was younger, he was just Dad. Then at some point I realized, “Wait, other people know this guy.”
Lewis has spoken about going back through his father’s movies and studying his performances. He has also described his family as a creative one, with both his parents influencing the way he approached his own work.
Q: Was there ever a moment when you thought, “I should probably do something completely different from my father”?
Lewis: I actually studied social work at Warren Wilson College. So technically, I did try.
Q: And then Hollywood called?
Lewis: Something like that.
Lewis graduated from Warren Wilson College in 2015 with a degree in social work before pursuing acting more seriously.
Q: Bill, did you give Lewis acting advice?
Bill: I’m his father, so I’m allowed to give advice whether he asks for it or not.
Q: And did he listen?
Bill: That’s a separate interview.
Bill has publicly praised Lewis’s acting and spoken positively about the choices his son has made in his career.
Q: Lewis Pullman wife: are you married?
Lewis: No.
Q: So who is Lewis Pullman’s wife?
Lewis: There isn’t one.
As of August 2026, Lewis Pullman is not publicly known to be married. He has been romantically linked to model and actress Kaia Gerber since 2025, with the two continuing to be seen together in 2026.
Q: So if someone searches “Lewis Pullman wife,” what should they find?
Lewis: Probably a reminder that dating and marriage are two different things.
Q: Bill Pullman has a son. Is that son Lewis?
Bill: Yes.
Q: Just checking.
Bill: I respect the commitment to accuracy.
Bill and Tamara Hurwitz have three children: Maesa, Jack and Lewis. Lewis is their youngest child.
Q: What about Lewis Pullman and Stranger Things?
Lewis: That’s another one of those internet questions.
Q: So you’re not in Stranger Things?
Lewis: Correct.
Lewis Pullman is known for projects including Outer Range, Lessons in Chemistry, Top Gun: Maverick, Salem’s Lot and Thunderbolts*. Stranger Things is not among his acting credits.
Q: Let’s talk about Bill Pullman’s movies. Which one gets mentioned the most?
Bill: Probably Independence Day.
Q: Because you played the President?
Bill: That may have helped.
Bill Pullman’s film career includes Spaceballs, While You Were Sleeping, Casper, Lost Highway, Lake Placid and, most famously, Independence Day.
Q: Lewis, did you ever think about trying to escape the Pullman comparison?
Lewis: Sure. Then people kept putting “Pullman” after my first name.
Q: Tough break.
Lewis: Terrible branding problem.
Lewis has nevertheless built a substantial career of his own. His feature-film debut came alongside his father in The Ballad of Lefty Brown, and he later gained attention for Bad Times at the El Royale, Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry and his role as Robert Reynolds/Sentry in Thunderbolts*.
Q: Bill Pullman kids: how many do you have?
Bill: Three.
Q: Names?
Bill: Maesa, Jack and Lewis.
Q: And Lewis is the actor?
Bill: Yes. Maesa is a musician and Jack is a puppeteer and mask designer.
The Pullman children have all pursued creative work, although Lewis is the one who followed his father most directly into acting.
Q: Bill Pullman young: what was he like before Hollywood?
Bill: Younger.
Q: That’s it?
Bill: You asked about age, not personality.
Before becoming a familiar Hollywood face, Bill Pullman studied theater, earned an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and taught theater before pursuing acting professionally. His film career began with Ruthless People in 1986.
Q: Lewis, do people assume your career was handed to you because your father is famous?
Lewis: I’m sure some people do. Having a famous father certainly means people know who your father is. It doesn’t mean they have to like your performance.
Q: Fair.
Lewis: Also, if Dad had a magic Hollywood button that automatically made people successful, I’m sure he’d have kept it somewhere safe.
Lewis has acknowledged the influence of his family while developing his own career and has received recognition for performances that have taken him well beyond simply being “Bill Pullman’s son.”
Q: So, once and for all, is Lewis Pullman related to Bill Pullman?
Lewis: Yes.
Bill: He’s my son.
Q: Father and son?
Bill: Correct.
Q: Not cousins?
Bill: No.
Q: Not distant relatives?
Bill: No.
Q: Just checking one final time.
Lewis: At this point, I think you’ve checked enough.
The Short Answer
Yes, Lewis Pullman is Bill Pullman’s son. Bill Pullman and modern dancer Tamara Hurwitz have three children, Maesa, Jack and Lewis. Lewis followed his father into acting but has established his own career through movies and television, including Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry, Outer Range and Thunderbolts*.
So the family tree is actually less complicated than the Google search results make it look:
Bill Pullman + Tamara Hurwitz → Lewis Pullman
Mystery solved.
And yes, they really are related.
Just don’t ask them for the family tree again. They may start charging by the Pullman.