Bruce Willis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bruce Willis
Willis in 2018
Born	Walter Bruce Willis (1955-03-19) March 19, 1955 (age 70) Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	1980–2022
Works	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Demi Moore ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2000)​ Emma Heming ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	5, including Rumer
Awards	Full list

Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a famous American actor who is now retired. He became well-known for his main role in the TV show Moonlighting (1985–1989). Bruce Willis has been in over 100 movies! He is especially famous as an action hero, playing John McClane in the exciting Die Hard movies (1988–2013).

Some of his other popular movies include The Last Boy Scout (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), and The Sixth Sense (1999). He also starred in Unbreakable and The Whole Nine Yards (both 2000), Sin City (2005), The Expendables (2010), and Looper (2012). In his last years of acting, he appeared in many smaller movies. Bruce Willis retired in 2022 because of a health condition called aphasia. In 2023, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Besides acting, Bruce Willis also sang. He released his first music album, The Return of Bruno, in 1987. He released two more albums in 1989 and 2001. He also performed on Broadway in a play called Misery in 2015. Bruce Willis has won many awards, including a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His movies have earned billions of dollars, making him one of the highest-grossing actors.

Bruce Willis's Early Life

Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, which was then in West Germany. His mother, Marlene, was German, and his father, David Willis, was an American soldier. He has a younger sister, Florence, and two younger brothers, Robert (who passed away) and David. In 1957, his family moved to Carneys Point, New Jersey, in the United States. Bruce Willis has said his family came from a "long line of blue-collar people," meaning they worked in jobs that often involve manual labor. His mother worked in a bank, and his father was a welder and factory worker.

When he was young, Bruce Willis had a stutter, which made it hard for him to speak smoothly. He went to Penns Grove High School in Carneys Point Township. There, his friends called him "Buck-Buck." He joined the drama club and found that acting on stage helped him with his stutter. He even became the student council president. He finished high school in 1973.

After high school, Willis worked as a security guard and drove workers at a factory. He later became a private investigator, which is a job he would play in his TV show Moonlighting and the movie The Last Boy Scout.

He then studied drama at Montclair State University. He left college in 1977 and moved to New York City. In the early 1980s, he worked as a bartender in Manhattan while trying to become an actor.

Becoming a Star

Starting with Moonlighting and Die Hard

Willis at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989

Bruce Willis got his big break playing David Addison Jr. in the TV show Moonlighting (1985–1989). He was chosen for the role over 3,000 other actors! Starring alongside Cybill Shepherd, this show made him famous as a comedic actor. During the five seasons of Moonlighting, he won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

His first main role in a movie was in 1987 in Blind Date. But it was his unexpected role in the movie Die Hard (1988) that made him a huge movie star and action hero. He played John McClane, a tough police officer. He did many of his own stunts in the film. Die Hard was a massive success worldwide. After Die Hard, Willis also voiced a talking baby in Look Who's Talking (1989) and its sequel Look Who's Talking Too (1990).

In the late 1980s, Bruce Willis also had some success as a singer. He released a pop-blues album called The Return of Bruno. It included a hit song called "Respect Yourself" with the Pointer Sisters. He also released a song called "Under the Boardwalk" which was very popular in the UK.

Die Hard Sequels and Other Big Movies

Bruce Willis became even more famous by playing John McClane again in the Die Hard sequels: Die Hard 2 (1990) and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995). These first three Die Hard movies earned over $700 million around the world. This made Willis one of the top action stars in Hollywood.

In the early 1990s, some of Willis's movies didn't do as well, like The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991). However, he had success with The Last Boy Scout. He also did well with Striking Distance (1993).

In 1994, Willis had a major role in Quentin Tarantino's highly praised movie Pulp Fiction. The success of this film helped his career a lot. He also starred in the animated film Beavis and Butt-head Do America with his then-wife Demi Moore. He then played lead roles in 12 Monkeys (1995) and The Fifth Element (1997). Toward the end of the 1990s, some of his films like The Jackal and Mercury Rising were not well-received by critics. However, Armageddon was a huge hit in 1998, becoming the highest-grossing film worldwide that year. In 1999, Willis starred in M. Night Shyamalan's movie The Sixth Sense, which was a big success both with audiences and critics.

2000s: More Successes

Willis after a ceremony where he was named Hasty Pudding Theatrical's Man of the Year in 2002

In 2000, Bruce Willis won another Emmy Award for his guest role on the TV show Friends. He played the father of one of the main characters' girlfriends. Also in 2000, he starred in The Whole Nine Yards with Matthew Perry. In 2005, he appeared in the movie Sin City. In 2006, he voiced RJ the Raccoon in the animated movie Over the Hedge.

Willis often appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. In 2007, he reprised his role as John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard. He also appeared in films like Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry and Alpha Dog with Sharon Stone. Willis also worked with his oldest daughter, Rumer, in the 2005 film Hostage.

Willis at a Live Free or Die Hard premiere in June 2007

Bruce Willis has acted in five movies with Samuel L. Jackson, including Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Unbreakable, and Glass.

2010s: Action and Drama

By 2010, Bruce Willis was one of the highest-earning actors. In 2010, he starred with Tracy Morgan in the comedy Cop Out. He also made a cameo appearance in The Expendables with other famous action stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was the first time these three action heroes appeared on screen together. Willis played a CIA agent named "Mr. Church." He then starred in RED, an action-comedy based on a comic book.

Willis with The Expendables co-star Sylvester Stallone, 2010

Willis also appeared in the movie Moonrise Kingdom (2012), directed by Wes Anderson. He returned for an expanded role in The Expendables 2 (2012). He also starred alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi action film Looper (2012), playing an older version of Gordon-Levitt's character.

In 2013, Bruce Willis played John McClane for the fifth time in A Good Day to Die Hard. He said he loves playing John McClane and enjoys the challenge of trying to improve his performance each time. In 2015, Willis made his Broadway debut in a play based on Stephen King's novel Misery.

2020s: Health Challenges and Retirement

In the last few years of his career, Bruce Willis acted in many smaller, independent thrillers and science fiction movies. Many of these films were released directly to video and did not receive good reviews. People working on these films later said that Willis sometimes seemed confused and needed help with his lines.

On March 30, 2022, Bruce Willis's family announced that he was retiring from acting. He had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects how a person communicates. It can make it hard to speak, understand language, read, or write. Because of this, an award for "Worst Bruce Willis Performance" was taken back, as it was understood his acting was affected by his health. At the time of his retirement, he had 11 movies waiting to be released.

On February 16, 2023, his family shared that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This condition affects parts of the brain that control language and behavior. His family hopes that sharing his story will help raise awareness about FTD.

Bruce Willis's Businesses

Bruce Willis owns homes in Los Angeles and New Jersey. He also used to own several small businesses in Hailey, Idaho, including The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater. He was also one of the first people to promote Planet Hollywood, a restaurant chain, along with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

In 2009, Willis signed a deal to be the international face of Sobieski Vodka. In 2018, he became the brand ambassador for the Hungarian company Hell Energy Drink.

Bruce Willis's Family Life

Willis in June 2006

Bruce Willis looks up to actors like Gary Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne. He is left-handed. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.

On November 21, 1987, Bruce Willis married actress Demi Moore. They have three daughters: Rumer (born 1988), Scout (born 1991), and Tallulah (born 1994). Willis and Moore announced their separation in 1998 and finalized their divorce in 2000. Bruce Willis has remained good friends with Demi Moore and her later husband, Ashton Kutcher.

Willis married model Emma Heming on March 21, 2009. They have two daughters, one born in 2012 and another in 2014.

Military Interests

Throughout his career, Bruce Willis has played many military characters in movies like In Country, The Siege, and Tears of the Sun. He grew up in a military family, as his father was a soldier.

Willis has shown support for the United States armed forces. In 2002, his daughter Tallulah suggested he buy Girl Scout cookies to send to troops. Willis bought 12,000 boxes, which were sent to sailors and other troops overseas.

Willis meets with Brigadier General Albert Bryant Jr. and deployed soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, in Tikrit, Iraq, during his 2003 USO tour.

In 2003, Willis visited Iraq as part of a USO tour, where he sang for the troops with his band. He even thought about joining the military himself to help in the Iraq War, but he was too old.

Religious Beliefs

Bruce Willis was raised Lutheran, but he has said he no longer practices that religion. In an interview, he explained that he believes organized religions are changing. He said, "Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology." However, he has also expressed gratitude, saying, "I just thank God every day for...everything great that's come my way."

Political Views

Bruce Willis has shared his political views over the years. In 1988, he and his then-wife Demi Moore supported Michael Dukakis, a Democratic candidate for president. However, in the 1992 election, he supported President George H. W. Bush. Willis was an invited speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention and supported George W. Bush that year.

Willis has said he supports better pay for teachers and police officers. He has also expressed concern about the United States foster care system and how Native Americans are treated. Bruce Willis has also supported gun rights, stating, "Everyone has a right to bear arms."

Bruce Willis's Movies

Bruce Willis's Music

Studio Albums

Other Music Appearances

• 1986: Moonlighting soundtrack; song "Good Lovin'"
• 1991: Hudson Hawk soundtrack; songs "Swinging on a Star" and "Side by Side" (duets with Danny Aiello)
• 2003: Rugrats Go Wild soundtrack; "Big Bad Cat" and "Lust for Life"
• 2008: North Hollywood Shootout by Blues Traveler; spoken word on "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)"

Singles

Awards and Honors

Willis's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Willis's hands and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Bruce Willis has won many awards and received special honors for his work in TV and movies.

• 2000: He received the American Cinematheque Award for being an amazing artist in entertainment.
• 2002: He was named "Man of the Year" by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals for his lasting contributions to entertainment.
• 2002: President George W. Bush appointed him as a national spokesman for Children in Foster Care. Willis wanted to help kids who were in the government's care.
• 2006: The French government honored him for his contributions to film. He was named an Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters. The French Prime Minister said this was France's way of celebrating an actor who shows the strength of American cinema.
• 2006: He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 16. His star is the 2,321st one given. He said he was still excited to be an actor.
• 2011: He was added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
• 2013: He was promoted to Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

See Also

In Spanish: Bruce Willis para niños