Bruce Willis is a retired American actor, producer, and singer born on March 19, 1955. He became famous for his role in the TV show “Moonlighting” from 1985 to 1989. He’s best known as an action hero for playing John McClane in the Die-Hard movies from 1988 to 2013.
Aside from Die Hard Willis starred in many films like “The Last Boy Scout” (1991), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), and “The Sixth Sense” (1999). In recent years he appeared in lower-budget films that weren’t well-received. Willis retired from acting in 2022 due to aphasia a condition affecting speech and language. He was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023.
Willis also released albums starting with “The Return of Bruno” in 1987 and appeared on Broadway in “Misery” in 2015. Over his career, he won awards including a Golden Globe two Primetime Emmys, and two People’s Choice Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. His films earned between US$2.64 billion and US$3.05 billion at North American box offices making him one of the highest-grossing actors by 2010.
| Full Name | Bruce Willis |
| Date of Birth | March 19, 1955 |
| Place of Birth | Idar-Oberstein, West Germany |
| Occupation | Actor, Producer, Singer |
| Height | 6 feet (1.83 meters) |
| Spouse | Emma Heming Willis Demi Moore |
| Children | Rumer Willis, Scout Willis, and Tallulah Willis |
| Net Worth | $250 million |
Bruce Willis’s Early Life and Education
Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein West Germany. His mother Marlene was from Kassel Germany and his father David Willis was an American soldier. He grew up with a younger sister named Florence and two younger brothers Robert (who has passed away) and David.
In 1957 after leaving the military his father moved the family to Carneys Point New Jersey his hometown. Willis comes from a family with a strong working-class background – his mother worked in a bank and his father had jobs as a welder master mechanic and factory worker.
During his school years at Penns Grove High School in Carneys Point Township Willis dealt with a stutter which earned him the nickname “Buck-Buck” among his classmates. He discovered that acting in the drama club helped him control his stutter and even became the student council president before graduating in 1973.
After high school, Bruce Willis took various jobs including working as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and transporting crew members at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater. Later he transitioned into acting after a stint as a private investigator a role he would later portray in the TV series Moonlighting and the movie The Last Boy Scout.
Bruce Willis then enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University where he performed in plays like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. Leaving school in 1977 he moved to New York City where he worked as a bartender at Kamikaze an art bar in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood to support himself in the early 1980s.
Career
Bruce Willis was chosen from a pool of 3000 actors to play David Addison Jr. in the TV show Moonlighting (1985–1989). His role alongside Cybill Shepherd made him known for comedy. During the show’s run, he won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series. Willis also starred in ads for Seagram’s Golden Wine Coolers earning $5–7 million over two years. He quit the campaign in 1988 when he stopped drinking alcohol.
In 1987, Bruce Willis starred in his first major role in the movie Blind Date with Kim Basinger and John Larroquette directed by Blake Edwards. He also played cowboy actor Tom “Mix in Sunset” (1988) and gained fame as John McClane in “Die Hard” (1988) where he did many of his stunts. Die Hard earned over $138 million worldwide. Willis voiced a talking baby in “Look Who’s Talking” (1989) and its sequel.
In the late 1980s, Willis had a music career with an album called The Return of Bruno featuring the hit “Respect Yourself” with the Pointer Sisters. He released other singles like a cover of “Under the Boardwalk”. Willis returned to the Die Hard series with sequels in 1990 and 1995 which together grossed over $700 million.
Willis faced some career setbacks in the early 1990s with movies like The Bonfire of the Vanities and Hudson Hawk but found success with films like “The Last Boy Scout” and “Striking Distance”. He starred in “Pulp Fiction” (1994) boosting his career. Willis also worked on animated projects like “Bruno the Kid and Beavis” and “Butt-head Do America”. He starred in “12 Monkeys” (1995) and “The Fifth Element” (1997).
By the late 1990s, some of Willis’s films received mixed reviews like “The Jackal” and “Mercury Rising” but he had a major hit with Armageddon (1998). He also starred in “The Sixth Sense” (1999) which was a critical and commercial success.
Bruce Willis achieved a notable career milestone in 2000 by winning an Emmy for his role on Friends as the father of Ross Geller’s much younger girlfriend. He was also recognized with a nomination for an American Comedy Award that same year for his work on the show. In addition to his television success, Willis played Jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards alongside Matthew Perry. Although originally cast in Ocean’s Eleven he dropped out to focus on recording an album but later made a cameo in its sequel Ocean’s Twelve.
In subsequent years, Bruce Willis appeared in various films including “Sin City” (2005), and lent his voice to the character RJ the Raccoon in “Over the Hedge” (2006). He also took on the role of a mutant soldier in the Robert Rodriguez-directed “Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse” (2007) marking his second collaboration with Rodriguez following Sin City.
Throughout his career, Willis made memorable appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman sometimes substituting for an ill Letterman. He often participated in comedic sketches such as wearing unique costumes or staging elaborate jokes. In addition to his television and film work, Willis appeared in Japanese commercials for Subaru Legacy which even led to a special edition named after him.
He has also starred in multiple films alongside Samuel L. Jackson including “Pulp Fiction” and “Die Hard” with a Vengeance. Willis’ versatility extends to working with family; he acted with his daughter Rumer in “Hostage” (2005). His roles in films like Live Free or Die Hard and RED (2010) further solidified his status as a leading actor.
Bruce Willis was set to portray U.S. Army general William R. Peers in Oliver Stone’s Pinkville a film about the My Lai massacre investigation but the project was canceled due to a writers’ strike in 2007. Outside of acting Willis contributed a spoken word performance to the Blues Traveler album “North Hollywood Shootout” (2008) and appeared in an advertising campaign for the insurance company Norwich Union which later rebranded as Aviva.
Bruce Willis starred in various films including the comedy “Cop Out” (2010) alongside Tracy Morgan and made a cameo in “The Expendables” (2010) where he appeared with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He reprised his role as John McClane in “A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013) and has continued to entertain audiences with his enduring portrayal of the iconic character.
Beyond film, Willis made his Broadway debut in “Misery” (2015) received a Comedy Central roast in 2018, and appeared in a cameo role in “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” (2019).
Bruce Willis starred in several low-budget independent thrillers and sci-fi films. He mainly worked with Emmett/Furla Oasis and 308 Entertainment Inc. where he appeared in 20 films produced by Emmett/Furla Oasis alone. These movies often described as a safe bet for older actors like Willis were similar to “The Expendables” but were mostly released straight to video and received poor reviews.
Despite this Willis typically earned $2 million for just two days of work appearing on screen for an average of 15 minutes per film. Even though these films were not well-regarded Willis was heavily featured in their advertising campaigns leading to them being mockingly called “geezer teasers.” His performances in these films were criticized to the point that the Golden Raspberry Awards which highlights the worst in film created a special category just for him in 2021.
Reports from those involved in these films suggest that Willis often seemed confused on set needing lines fed to him through an earpiece. For example during the production of “Out of Death” in 2021 changes were made to reduce his role and streamline his dialogue with the director instructed to finish all of Willis’s scenes in a single day.
In March 2022, Bruce Willis’s family revealed he was retiring due to aphasia a condition affecting his ability to understand and express language often caused by brain damage. Following this announcement the Golden Raspberry Awards decided to withdraw their dedicated category for Willis citing the inappropriateness of critiquing performances impacted by medical conditions.
Later in February 2023, Willis’s family disclosed that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia which affects language skills and comprehension among other symptoms. This diagnosis marked a significant decline in his condition highlighting the challenges Willis faced with communication due to the disease. His family hoped that the attention on Willis’s health would raise awareness about frontotemporal dementia.
Net Worth
Bruce Willis has an estimated net worth of $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Bruce Willis’s net worth comes primarily from his successful acting career in Hollywood. He has starred in numerous blockbuster movies, including the “Die Hard” series, which catapulted him to fame. Willis has also appeared in a variety of other films, from action to comedy genres, contributing significantly to his earnings.
In addition to acting, he has ventured into producing films and has endorsements and investments that bolster his financial portfolio. His enduring presence in the entertainment industry has solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, contributing significantly to his overall net worth.
Personal life
At the premiere of the movie “Stakeout”, Bruce Willis met Demi Moore an actress. They got married on November 21, 1987, and had three daughters including Rumer born in August 1988. Willis and Moore separated on June 24, 1998, and divorced on October 18, 2000. Willis felt he had failed as a father and husband for not making their marriage work.
He found support from actor Will Smith during this tough time. Interestingly Willis has remained good friends with Moore and her later husband Ashton Kutcher even attending their wedding.
After a brief engagement with actress Brooke Burns ended in 2004, Bruce Willis married model Emma Heming on March 21, 2009, in Turks and Caicos. Their ceremony wasn’t legally binding so they tied the knot again six days later in Beverly Hills. They have two daughters together born in 2012 and 2014.
The military has always been close to Willis’s heart. Growing up in a military family he’s portrayed military characters in movies like Tears of the Sun and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. In 2002, Willis bought 12000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for U.S. troops inspired by his daughter’s idea. He even visited Iraq in 2003 performing for soldiers with his band The Accelerators.
Willis was raised Lutheran but no longer practices. He once critiqued organized religion saying it’s outdated. Despite this, he’s grateful for the good things in his life thanking God daily.
In politics, Bruce Willis supported both Democrats and Republicans over the years. He campaigned for Michael Dukakis in 1988 endorsed George H. W. Bush in 1992 and spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2000. He’s been vocal about issues like gun rights and government spending.
Other Ventures
Bruce Willis owns houses in Los Angeles and Penns Grove New Jersey. He also rents apartments at Trump Tower and in Riverside South Manhattan.
In 2000, Willis and his business partner Arnold Rifkin started a movie production company named Cheyenne Enterprises. After “Live Free or Die Hard” in 2007 Willis stepped back leaving Rifkin to run the company alone.
Bruce Willis also owns several small businesses in Hailey Idaho such as The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater. He was among the early promoters of Planet Hollywood alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Willis and the other actors were compensated through an employee stock ownership plan.
In 2009, Willis signed a deal to be the global face of Sobieski Vodka by Belvedere SA in exchange for a 3.3% ownership stake in the company.
