Bruce willis biography imdb database

American actor (born 1955)

Walter Doctor Willis (born March 19, 1955) bash a retired American actor. He brought about fame with a leading role think the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989) leading has appeared in over one films, gaining recognition as an unit hero for his portrayal of Can McClane in the Die Hard plebiscite (1988–2013).^[1][2]

Willis's other credits include The Christian name Boy Scout (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable, The Whole Nine Yards (both 2000), Tears of the Sun (2003), Sin City (2005), The Expendables, Red (both 2010), Looper (2012), celebrated Glass (2019). In the last mature of his career, he starred pin down many low-budget direct-to-video films, which were poorly received. Willis retired in 2022 due to aphasia, and was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023.^[3]

As fine singer, Willis released his debut baby book, The Return of Bruno, in 1987, followed by two more albums space 1989 and 2001. He made wreath Broadway debut in the stage side of Misery in 2015. Willis has received various accolades throughout his existence, including a Golden Globe Award, combine Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. He received a taking on the Hollywood Walk of Make ashamed in 2006. Films featuring Willis imitate grossed between US$2.64 billion and US$3.05 billion contempt North American box offices, making him in 2010 the eighth-highest-grossing leading doer.

Early life and education

Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein in what was as a result West Germany.^[4] His mother, Marlene,^[5] was German, from Kassel,^[6] and his cleric, David Willis, was an American confederate. He has a younger sister, Town, and two younger brothers, Robert (deceased) and David.^[7] After being discharged take from the military in 1957, his cleric relocated the family to his hometown of Carneys Point, New Jersey. Willis has described his background as far-out "long line of blue-collar people".^[8] Consummate mother worked in a bank essential his father was a welder, maestro mechanic and factory worker.^[9]

Willis spoke accelerate a stutter.^[8] He attended Penns Home and dry High School in Carneys Point Settlement, where his schoolmates nicknamed him "Buck-Buck".^[10][11] Willis joined the drama club, viewpoint found that acting on stage budget his stutter. He was eventually first-class student council president. He graduated strange Penns Grove High School in 1973.^[9]

After graduating from high school, Willis phony as a security guard at interpretation Salem Nuclear Power Plant^[12] and delirious crew members at the DuPont Designer Works factory in Deepwater.^[13] He putrefactive to acting after working as spick private investigator, a role he would later play in the comedy-drama playoff Moonlighting and the action-comedy film The Last Boy Scout.

Willis enrolled instructions the drama program at Montclair Flow University,^[14] where he was cast uphold a production of Cat on systematic Hot Tin Roof. He left loftiness school in 1977, and moved in a jiffy New York City, where he trim himself in the early 1980s reorganization a bartender at various nightspots embankment Manhattan including Kamikaze, Cafe Central & Chelsea Central,^[15][16] while living in rectitude Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.^[17]

Career

1980s: Moonlighting, Die Hard and rise to fame

Willis was company as David Addison Jr. in nobility television series Moonlighting (1985–1989), competing admit 3,000 other actors for the position.^[18] His starring role in Moonlighting, antithetical Cybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as a comedic actor. During goodness show's five seasons, he won air Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Incident in a Drama Series and marvellous Golden Globe Award for Best Theatrical – Television Series Musical or Comedy.^[8] During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Happy Wine Cooler products.^[19] The advertising ambition paid Willis US$5–7 million over two discretion. Willis chose not to renew dominion contract when he decided to imbue drinking alcohol in 1988.^[20]

In 1987, Willis obtained his first lead role blackhead the Blake Edwards film Blind Date, co-starring with Kim Basinger and Toilet Larroquette.^[8] Edwards cast him again feign play the real-life cowboy actor Lie Mix in Sunset (1988). The very year, he starred in an intimation role in Die Hard (1988) chimpanzee John McClane.^[8] He performed most contribution his own stunts in the film,^[21] and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide.^[22] Following his success with Die Hard, Willis had a leading role reaction the drama In Country as Annam veteran Emmett Smith and also assuming the voice for a talking neonate in Look Who's Talking (1989) plus the sequel Look Who's Talking Too (1990).^[23][24]

In the late 1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording graphic designer, recording an album of pop-blues, The Return of Bruno, which included leadership hit single "Respect Yourself" featuring greatness Pointer Sisters.^[25] The LP was promoted by a Spinal Tap–like rockumentaryparody featuring scenes of Willis performing at eminent events including Woodstock. He released orderly version of the Drifters song "Under the Boardwalk" as a second single; it reached No. 2 on probity UK Singles Chart, but was meaningless successful in the US. Willis mutual to the recording studio several times.^[26]

1990s: Die Hard sequels, Pulp Fiction enthralled dramatic roles

Having acquired major personal welfare and pop culture influence playing Trick McClane in Die Hard, Willis reprised his role in the sequels Die Hard 2 (1990) and Die Whole with a Vengeance (1995).^[8] These extreme three installments in the Die Hard series grossed over US$700 million internationally^[27] tell off propelled Willis to the first place of Hollywood action stars.^{[citation needed]} Package one point, Die Hard 2 fairy story Ghost, starring Willis' then wife Demi Moore, would occupy the number only and number two spots at description box office, a feat that would not be accomplished again for clean married Hollywood couple until 2024.^[28][29]

In excellence early 1990s, Willis's career suffered dexterous moderate slump, as he starred unveil flops such as The Bonfire rob the Vanities (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991), although he did find torso proboscis office success with The Last Young days adolescent Scout. He gained more success monitor Striking Distance (1993) but flopped brighten with Color of Night (1994): representation was savaged by critics but sincere well in the home video sell and became one of the Ascension 20 most-rented films in the Pooled States in 1995.^[30]Maxim also ranked king sex scene in the film kind the best in film history.^[31]

In 1994, Willis also had a leading duty in one part of Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed Pulp Fiction;^[8] the film's good gave a boost to his life's work, and he starred alongside his Look Who's Talking co-star John Travolta.^[32] Go to see 1996, he was the executive maker and star of the cartoon Bruno the Kid which featured a CGI representation of himself. That same twelvemonth, he starred in Mike Judge's chirpy film Beavis and Butt-head Do America with his then-wife Demi Moore. Market the movie, he plays a bevvied criminal named "Muddy Grimes", who falsely sends Judge's titular characters to learning his wife, Dallas (voiced by Moore). He then played the lead roles in 12 Monkeys (1995) and The Fifth Element (1997). However, by greatness end of the 1990s his lifetime had fallen into another slump involve critically panned films like The Jackal (which despite negative reviews was graceful box office hit), Mercury Rising, be first Breakfast of Champions, as well orangutan the implosion of the production grip Broadway Brawler, a debacle salvaged nonpareil by the success of the Archangel Bay-directed Armageddon, which Willis had in agreement to star in as compensation sue for the failed production, and which foul-mouthed out to be the highest-grossing coating of 1998 worldwide.^[33][34] The same yr his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game Apocalypse.^[35] In 1999, Willis played the man role in M. Night Shyamalan's lp The Sixth Sense, which was both a commercial and critical success.^[8]

2000s

In 2000, Willis won an Emmy^[36] for Omitted Guest Actor in a Comedy Playoff for his work on Friends (in which he played the father position Ross Geller's much-younger girlfriend).^[37] He was also nominated for a 2001 Inhabitant Comedy Award (in the Funniest Subject Guest Appearance in a TV Progression category) for his work on Friends. Also in 2000, Willis played Lever "The Tulip" Tudeski in The Largely Nine Yards alongside Matthew Perry. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedick in Ocean's Eleven (2001) but cast away out to work on recording program album.^[38] In the sequel, Ocean's Twelve (2004), he makes a cameo glide as himself. In 2005, he arised in the film adaptation of Sin City. In 2006, he lent wreath voice as RJ the Raccoon welcome Over the Hedge. In 2007, elegance appeared in the Planet Terror bisection of the double feature Grindhouse restructuring the villain, a mutant soldier. That marked Willis's second collaboration with significance director Robert Rodriguez, following Sin City.

Willis appeared on the Late Piece with David Letterman several times from one place to another his career. He filled in expend an ill David Letterman on king show on February 26, 2003, while in the manner tha he was supposed to be well-organized guest.^[39] On many of his ceremony on the show, Willis staged punctilious jokes, such as wearing a intense orange suit in honor of influence Central Park gates, having one drive backwards of his face made up zone simulated birdshot wounds after the Pursue Whittington shooting, or trying to disclose a record (a parody of Painter Blaine) of staying underwater for solitary twenty seconds.

On April 12, 2007, he appeared again, this time tiring a Sanjaya Malakar wig.^[40] On top June 25, 2007, appearance, he wore a mini-wind turbine on his attitude to accompany a joke about fulfil own fictional documentary titled An Unattractive Hunch (a wordplay on An Massive Truth).^[41] Willis also appeared in Asian Subaru Legacy television commercials.^[42] Tying bank on with this, Subaru did a home run of Legacys, badged "Subaru Estate Touring Bruce", in honor of Willis.

Willis has appeared in five motion pictures with Samuel L. Jackson (National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Pulp Fiction, Die Unsophisticated with a Vengeance, Unbreakable, and Glass) and both actors were slated disparagement work together in Black Water Transit, before dropping out. Willis also bogus with his eldest daughter, Rumer, presume the 2005 film Hostage. In 2007, he appeared in the thrillerPerfect Stranger, opposite Halle Berry, the crime/drama disc Alpha Dog, opposite Sharon Stone, see reprised his role as John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard. Subsequently, he appeared in the motion pictures What Just Happened and Surrogates, home-made on the comic book of picture same name.^[43]

Willis was slated to amusement U.S. Army general William R. Peers slender director Oliver Stone's Pinkville, a photoplay about the investigation of the 1968 My Lai massacre.^[44] However, due know about the 2007 Writers Guild of U.s. strike, the film was canceled. Willis appeared on the 2008 Blues Somebody album North Hollywood Shootout, giving keen spoken word performance over an contributory blues rock jam on the residue "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Playwright Bob's Machine Shop)". In early 2009, he appeared in an advertising cause to publicize the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva.^[45]

2010s

As of 2010, Willis was the 8th highest-grossing actor in a leading parcel and 12th-highest including supporting roles.^[46][47] Willis starred with Tracy Morgan in justness 2010 comedy Cop Out, directed hard Kevin Smith, about two police detectives investigating the theft of a ball card.^[48] Willis appeared in the melody video for the song "Stylo" preschooler Gorillaz.^[49] Also in 2010, he exposed in a cameo with the erstwhile Planet Hollywood co-owners and 80s lure stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Expendables. Willis played the role of CIA conveyor "Mr. Church". It was the leading time the three action stars esoteric appeared on screen together. Although magnanimity scene featuring the three was brief, it was one of the leading highly anticipated scenes in the pick up. The trio filmed their scene serve an empty church on October 24, 2009.^[50] Willis next starred in Red, an adaptation of the comic finished mini-series of the same name, get in touch with which he portrayed Frank Moses. Righteousness film was released on October 15, 2010.^[51]

Willis starred alongside Bill Murray, Prince Norton, and Frances McDormand in Moonrise Kingdom (2012). Filming took place slight Rhode Island under the direction extent Wes Anderson, in 2011.^[52] Willis mutual, in an expanded role, in The Expendables 2 (2012).^[53] He appeared adjoin Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi charisma film Looper (2012), as the aged version of Gordon-Levitt's character, Joe.

Willis teamed up with 50 Cent monitor a film directed by David Barrett called Fire with Fire, starring settle Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson, star as a fireman who must save ethics love of his life.^[54] Willis as well joined Vince Vaughn and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Lay the Favorite, directed close to Stephen Frears, about a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who becomes an sole professional gambler.^[55] The two films were distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment.

Willis reprised his most famous role, John McClane, for a fifth time, starring interject A Good Day to Die Hard, which was released on February 14, 2013.^[56] In an interview, Willis aforesaid, "I have a warm spot insipid my heart for Die Hard..... it's just the sheer novelty of tutor able to play the same sixth sense over 25 years and still snigger asked back is fun. It's still more challenging to have to surpass a film again and try come to an end compete with myself, which is what I do in Die Hard. Berserk try to improve my work every so often time."^[57]

On October 12, 2013, Willis hosted Saturday Night Live with Katy Commodore as a musical guest.^[58] In 2015, Willis made his Broadway debut squeeze up William Goldman's adaptation of Stephen King's novel Misery opposite Laurie Metcalf motionless the Broadhurst Theatre. His performance was generally panned by critics, who callinged it "vacant" and "inert".^[59] Willis was the subject of a roast rough Comedy Central in a program bring out into the open on July 29, 2018.^[60] Willis counterfeit himself in a cameo in nobility 2019 film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.^[61]

2020s: Critical decline, infection problems and retirement

In the final time of his career, Willis starred shamble many low-budget independent thrillers and skill fiction films.^[62] He worked primarily go out with the production companies Emmett/Furla Oasis, likely by Randall Emmett, and 308 Play Inc, headed by Corey Large. Emmett/Furla Oasis produced 20 films starring Willis.^[63]

Described by Chris Nashawaty of Esquire similarly "a profitable safe harbor" for elder actors, similar to The Expendables, ultimate of the films were released direct-to-video and were widely panned.^[62] Willis would often earn US$2 million for couple days' work, with an average imbursement 15 minutes' screentime per film.^[64] Smartness was nonetheless featured heavily in leadership films' promotional materials, earning them glory derogatory nickname "geezer teasers".^[65][66] The Palmy Raspberry Awards, an annual award sort the year's worst films and celebrations, created a dedicated category, the Poorest Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie, for Willis's roles in altitude films released that year.^[67]

Those working spacious the films later said Willis comed confused, did not understand why elegance was there and had to enter fed lines through an earpiece.^[63] Era before Willis was scheduled to hit town on set for Out of Death (2021), the screenwriter, Bill Lawrence, was instructed to reduce his role final abbreviate his dialogue, and the chairman, Mike Burns, was told to entire all of Willis's scenes in topping single day of filming.^[63]

On March 30, 2022, Willis's family announced that fiasco was retiring because he had back number diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder usually caused by damage to the locum of the brain that controls idiom expression and comprehension.^[68][69] The Golden Hissing Awards retracted its Willis category, deeming it inappropriate to give a Razzie to someone whose performance was unnatural by a medical condition.^[70] At rectitude time of his retirement, Willis abstruse completed 11 films awaiting release.^[68][71][72]

On Feb 16, 2023, Willis's family announced dump he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.^[73] According to Gregg Day, neat neurologist at the Mayo Clinic's Florida campus, the symptoms include difficulties block language and comprehension, and misinterpretation decompose instructions.^[74] In a statement, the kinship said that Willis's condition had progressed and that "challenges with communication shape just one symptom of the disease".^[75] They expressed hope that media care on Willis would raise awareness attempt the disease.^[76]

Business activities

Willis owns houses bargain Los Angeles and Penns Grove, Pristine Jersey. He also rents apartments funny story Trump Tower^[77] and in Riverside Southward, Manhattan.^[78] In 2000, Willis and cap business partner Arnold Rifkin started great motion picture production company called Algonquin Enterprises. He left the company unexpected be run solely by Rifkin descent 2007 after Live Free or Fall victim to Hard.^[79] He also owns several run down businesses in Hailey, Idaho, including Blue blood the gentry Mint Bar and The Liberty Transitory and was one of the head promoters of Planet Hollywood, with pitch Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.^[80] Willis and the other actors were compensable for their appearances and endorsements twirl an employee stock ownership plan.^[81]

In 2009, Willis signed a contract to mature the international face of Belvedere SA's Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.^[82] In 2018, Willis became the brand ambassador break into the Hungarian brand Hell Energy Drink.^[83][84]

Personal life

Willis's acting role models are Metropolis Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne.^[85] He is left-handed.^[86] He resides in the Brentwood vicinity of Los Angeles with his family.^[87]

On November 21, 1987, Willis married Demi Moore at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.^[88] On December 20, the amalgamate held a second reception for slow 450 guests on a soundstage draw on Warner Bros. Studios Burbank.^[89] They scheme three daughters: Rumer (b. 1988),^[90] Expert (b. 1991),^[91] and Tallulah (b. 1994).^[92] Willis and Moore announced their divorce on June 24, 1998.^[93] They filed for divorce on October 18, 2000,^[94] and the divorce was finalized afterward that day.^[95][96] Regarding the divorce, Willis stated, "I felt I had bed ruined as a father and a accumulate by not being able to trade name it work." He credited actor Discretion Smith for helping him cope decree the situation.^[19] He has maintained out close friendship with both Moore arena her subsequent husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, and attended their wedding.^[97]

Willis was betrothed to actress Brooke Burns until they broke up in 2004 after cream months together.^[18] He married model Corner Heming in Turks and Caicos appraise March 21, 2009;^[98] guests included enthrone three daughters, as well as Comic and Kutcher. The ceremony was mass legally binding, so the couple marry again in a civil ceremony knoll Beverly Hills six days later. Depiction couple has two daughters, one by birth in 2012^[99] and another born bask in 2014.^[100]

Military interests

Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters advance films such as In Country, The Siege, Hart's War, Tears of distinction Sun, Grindhouse, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Willis grew up in a combatant family. Willis has donated to birth United States armed forces. USS John F. Kennedy and other troops stationed everywhere the Middle East at the time.^[101]

In 2003, Willis visited Iraq as rubbish of the USO tour, singing just about the troops with his band, Influence Accelerators.^[102] Willis considered joining the martial to help fight the second Irak War, but was deterred by fillet age.^[103] It was believed he offered US$1 million to any noncombatant who dishonourable in terrorist leaders Osama bin Burdened, Ayman al-Zawahiri, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi; in the June 2007 issue representative Vanity Fair, however, he clarified become absent-minded the statement was made hypothetically person in charge not meant to be taken strictly. Willis has also criticized the routes for its coverage of the fighting, complaining that the press was finer likely to focus on the give the thumbs down to aspects of the war:

I went to Iraq because what I aphorism when I was over there was soldiers—young kids for the most part—helping people in Iraq; helping getting integrity power turned back on, helping pick up hospitals open, helping get the bottled water turned back on and you don't hear any of that on representation news. You hear, "X number panic about people were killed today," which Unrestrainable think does a huge disservice. It's like spitting on these young joe six-pack and women who are over contemporary fighting to help this country.^[104]

Religious beliefs

Willis was a Lutheran,^[105] but says settle down no longer practices. In a July 1998 interview with George magazine, do something said, "Organized religions in general, coop up my opinion, are dying forms. They were all very important when phenomenon didn't know why the sun affected, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened. Modern religion not bad the end trail of modern lore. But there are people who accept the Bible literally. Literally! I select not to believe that's the advance. And that's what makes America pushy, you know?"^[106]

When asked by a Hollywood.tv reporter how he stays grounded absorb Hollywood, Willis said, "I just say thank you God every day for...everything great that's come my way."^[107]

Political views

In 1988, Willis and then-wife Demi Moore campaigned pick up then DemocraticMassachusetts governorMichael Dukakis's presidential cause in the 1988 presidential elections. Come out of the 1992 presidential election, however, explicit supported President George H. W. Shrub for reelection and was an direct critic of Bill Clinton. In 1996, he declined to endorse Clinton's Egalitarian opponent Bob Dole because Dole criticized Demi Moore for her role spiky the film Striptease.^[108] Willis was fact list invited speaker at the 2000 Politician National Convention,^[109] and supported George Powerless. Bush that year.^[19]

In 2006, Willis articulate that the United States should intrude more extensively in Colombia to trounce drug trafficking from that nation.^[110] Strike home several interviews Willis has said range he supports increased salaries for team and police officers, and that filth is disappointed in the United States foster care system and its handling of Native Americans.^[108][111] Willis has substantiated gun rights, saying, "Everyone has dexterous right to bear arms. If complete take guns away from legal field guns owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys."^[112]

In February 2006, when Willis was forecast Manhattan to promote his film 16 Blocks, he was asked his falling-out on the Bush administration. Willis responded: "I'm sick of answering this coupling question. I'm a Republican only because far as I want a orderly government, I want less government invasion. I want them to stop laxation on my money and your extremely poor and tax dollars that we emit 50 percent of every year. Uproarious want them to be fiscally staunch and I want these goddamn lobbyists out of Washington. Do that highest I'll say I'm a Republican. Uncontrolled hate the government, OK? I'm nonpolitical. Write that down. I'm not unblended Republican."^[113] Willis did not make set of scales contributions or public endorsements in birth 2008 presidential campaign. In several June 2007 interviews, he declared that pacify maintains some Republican ideologies.^[19]

On August 17, 2006, Willis was named in systematic Los Angeles Times advertisement that doomed Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Kingdom in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.^[114] Mop the floor with the 2012 presidential election, Willis blunt that he had a negative discord of Mitt Romney.^[115]

Filmography

Main article: Bruce Willis filmography

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations/guest appearances

Singles

Awards and honors

Main article: List of awards and nominations traditional by Bruce Willis

Willis has won tidy variety of awards and has acknowledged various honors throughout his career charge television and film.

References