Lewis Pullman and His Famous Dad, Bill Pullman, Will Share the Screen in ‘Spaceballs 2’—All About the Young Star’s Rising Career

Watching the Academy Awards, you might’ve thought you were seeing double when Bill Pullman and his lookalike son, Lewis Pullman, took to the stage to present the Oscar for Best Film Editing. Father and son will be costarring in the highly anticipated sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1987 sci-fi parody Spaceballs (which gave Bill his breakthrough role) next year, and in the meantime, Lewis has built up an impressive résumé
of his own. Read on to learn about his recent projects and see the charming things he’s said about his famous father.

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A surprising origin story outside the spotlight

Lewis Pullman was born to Bill Pullman, the star of ’90s favorites like The Last Seduction (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Independence Day (1996) and Lost Highway (1997), and his wife, modern dancer Tamara Hurwitz, in 1993. He has two older siblings, Maesa, a musician, and Jack, a puppeteer.

Though Bill was already an established actor when he was raising his children, the family split their time between L.A. and a quiet ranch in Montana, so Lewis grew up outside of the Hollywood spotlight. During his formative years on the ranch, Lewis worked the land and experienced a grounded, hands-on upbringing that defied showbiz stereotypes.

Instead of heading to a big-city college or jumping straight into acting, Lewis chose a different path. He attended Warren Wilson College, a small school in rural North Carolina, where he worked on the school’s farm and graduated with a degree in social work in 2015. That year, he was cast as the lead in the series Highston, though the show was canceled after just one episode. He then appeared in a few short films before making his feature debut opposite his dad in the 2017 Western The Ballad of Lefty Brown. The two shared the screen again in Battle of the Sexes, and he appeared in the 2018 thriller Bad Times at the El Royale and the 2019 miniseries adaptation of Catch-22.

From blockbuster sequels to buzzy literary adaptations

In 2022, Lewis Pullman had a supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick, and the blockbuster sequel, which earned over $1 billion at the box office, raised his profile considerably. After that, he appeared in the Western series Outer Range (2022 to 2024) and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the miniseries adaptation of Lessons in Chemistry (2023), based on the popular ’50s-set novel.

Pullman starred in the 2024 Stephen King adaptation Salem’s Lot and joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a troubled superhero in Thunderbolts (2025)—a role he’s set to reprise in Avengers: Doomsday, later this year. Most recently, he appeared in the 18th-century musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee.

Pullman has a busy year ahead, starring opposite Maya Hawke (daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke) in the supernatural rom-com Wishful Thinking and playing Sally Field’s grandson in the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the whimsical bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures.

A private love life with Hollywood connections

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Offscreen, Pullman is in a relationship with Kaia Gerber, the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, and he previously dated Rainey Qualley, the daughter of model turned actress Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley. He’s chosen not to speak publicly about his love life, preferring to keep the focus on his work as an actor.

Lewis Pullman on his famous dad: ‘It’s all really supportive’

Lewis Pullman called playing his father’s son in Spaceballs 2 “a dream come true,” and he’s always spoken highly about his influence. While famous parents often discourage their kids from following in their footsteps in hopes that they’ll avoid getting caught up in a cutthroat industry, Lewis looked back fondly on how his dad reacted to his decision to be an actor. “Once I decided that’s what I wanted to do, my dad was never like, ‘You’ve got to do it,’ or ‘You shouldn’t do this,'” Lewis told People. “He was just like, ‘Give it a shot. Whatever kaleidoscope you want to look at life through, if it feels good, do it.’ ”

In his People interview, Lewis admitted he was initially reluctant to take his dad’s advice. But over time, he said, “I quite quickly realized it was incredibly foolish not to utilize this remarkable resource that I had who happened to be my dad.” He called his father’s guidance “pretty invaluable because he knows me so well as a person,” adding, “I don’t know where I’d be without it.”

Lewis has also revealed that he’s never felt overshadowed by his dad’s fame. In a recent Esquire profile, he said, “It’s all really supportive. We’re both like, ‘How awesome is this that we both love the same thing and we can learn from each other?’” Rather than being competitive with one another, the father-son duo shares a sweet rapport—and we can’t wait to see them bring that bond to the screen in Spaceballs 2.