Bruce Willis

Born on: 19 March, 1955

Born in: Idar-Oberstein, West Germany

Nationality: American

Education: Montclair State University (Drama Program)

Career: Actor & Producer

 

Bruce Willis, best known for his role as John McClane in the ‘Die Hard’ series, is a leading man of Hollywood. Winner of high-status awards like Golden Globe and Emmy, he has acted in over 60 movies. Some of his best known movies are ‘Die Hard’, ‘Sin City’, ‘Armageddon’, ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘The Sixth Sense’. His supporting role in Quentin Tarantino’s much-acclaimed ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994) gave a major boost to his film career. Willis has also appeared in cameo roles for various movies like ‘National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon I’, ‘Charlies Angels: Full Throttle’ and ‘Ocean’s Twelve’, and has earned success in his turn as the voice of ‘Mikey’ in the ‘Look Who's Talking’ series.

 

Bruce Willis was born as ‘Walter Bruce Willis’ on 19^th March 1955, in an American military base, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. He is the eldest child of David Willis, an American soldier, and Marlene Willis, a German bank employee. His younger siblings are Florence, David, and Robert. For two years, Bruce grew up in Germany. However, in 1957, after David Willis retired from military, the family moved to Penns Grove in New Jersey and Bruce’s father started working as a welder and factory worker.

 

As a youngster, Bruce was of a gregarious nature. Although he grew with a stammer, he found that he could express himself with ease on stage. This led to his active involvement in the high school drama club. He attended the Penns Grove High School, where he was also the school council president. However, fate took a new turn for young Bruce, when his parents divorced in 1972. After he completed graduation, he worked as a bodyguard and opted for a blue-collar job at the DuPont Chambers Works Factory, in New Jersey.

 

However, Bruce quit his job when a colleague suffered an accidental death at work. Thereafter, he learnt to play the harmonica and joined an R&B group named ‘Loose Goose’. After a brief flirting as a private investigator, he finally took his innate acting skills seriously and enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University, starring in the class production of ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’. Finally, during his junior year, Bruce left school and moved to New York City, in search of lucrative movie roles.

 

While in New York, Bruce worked as a part-time bartender, with the hope of meeting celebrities. Finally, after giving n-number of auditions, he earned his theatre debut in the off-Broadway production ‘Heaven and Earth’. At this period, he appeared in ‘Fool for Love’, ‘Miami Vice’ and was also a part of a Levi's campaign. However, it was his role as ‘David Addison Jr.’ in the popular TV series ‘Moonlighting’ (1985–89) that first established him as a known actor. In 1987, he starred in the movie ‘Blind Date’, alongside Kim Basinger and John Laroquette, which opened floodgates of his film career.

 

The following year, in 1988, his role as John McClane in ‘Die Hard’ propelled him to international fame and made him a Hollywood icon. During the late 1980’s, Bruce tried his hands as a recording artist, achieving average success. Moreover, in the early 1990’s, his film career took a backseat with several flops to his credit, including the highly sexualized thriller ‘Color of Night’ (1994). It was in 1994 that he gained back his indomitable status with his supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's ‘Pulp Fiction’. In the year 1996, Bruce produced the cartoon ‘Bruno the Kid’, which also featured a CGI representation of himself.

 

In 1998, he starred in ‘Armageddon’ the highest grossing film worldwide that year. The following year, Willis was seen in M. Night Shyamalan's film, ‘The Sixth Sense’, which grossed both commercial and critical success. He also appeared in the popular sitcom ‘Friends’ and won a 2000 Emmy for ‘Outstanding Guest Actor’ in a Comedy Series for his work. He also earned a nomination for the 2001 American Comedy Award for the same. Apart from his flourishing acting career, Bruce has also produced and co-produced a couple of projects, including ‘Sunset’ (1988), ‘The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course’ (2002), The Hip Hop Project (2007) and ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ (2007).

 

Bruce Willis married popular American actress Demi Moore on 21^st November 1987. After spending thirteen years of marital bliss, the couple finally separated in October 2000. They are parents to three daughters - Rumer Glenn Willis (born 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (born 1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (born 1994). Though brewing rumors indicated that the couple intended to remarry, Moore has finally married actor Ashton Kutcher. Today, Willis has an apartment in New York City, a home in Malibu, a ranch in Montana and multiple properties in Sun Valley, Idaho.

 

1980 - The First Deadly Sin

1982 - The Verdict

1985 - A Guru Comes

1987 - Blind Date

1988 - The Return of Bruno

1988 - Sunset

1988 - Die Hard

1989 - That's Adequate

1989 - In Country

1989 - Look Who's Talking

1990 - Die Hard 2

1990 - Look Who's Talking

1990 - The Bonfire of the Vanities

1991 - Mortal Thoughts

1991 - Hudson Hawk

1991 - Billy Bathgate

1991 - The Last Boy Scout

1992 The Player

1993 - Death Becomes Her

1993 - National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1

1993 - Striking Distance

1994 - North

1994 - Color of Night

1994 - Pulp Fiction

1994 - Nobody's Fool

1995 - Die Hard with a Vengeance

1995 - Four Rooms

1995 - Twelve Monkeys

1996 - Last Man Standing

1996 - Beavis and Butt-head Do America

1997 - The Fifth Element

1997 - The Jackal

1998 - Mercury Rising

1998 - Armageddon

1998 - The Siege

1998 - Apocalypse

1999 - Franky Goes to Hollywood

1999 - Breakfast of Champions

1999 - The Sixth Sense

1999 - The Story of Us

2000 - The Whole Nine Yards

2000 - The Kid

2000 - Unbreakable

2001 - Bandits

2002 - Hart's War

2002 - Grand Champion

2003 - Tears of the Sun

2003 - Rugrats Go Wild!

2003 - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

2004 - The Whole Ten Yards

2004 - Ocean's Twelve

2005 - Hostage

2005 - Sin City

2006 - Alpha Dog

2006 - 16 Blocks

2006 - Fast Food Nation

2006 - Lucky Number Slevin

2006 - Over The Hedge

2007 - The Astronaut Farmer

2007 - Perfect Stranger

2007 - Grindhouse

2007 - Nancy Drew

2007 - Live Free or Die Hard

 

1984 - Miami Vice

1985 - The Twilight Zone

1985 -1989 - Moonlighting

1996-1997 - Bruno the Kid

1997 - Mad About You

1999 - Ally McBeal

2000 - Friends

2002 - True West