His recording of "Respect Yourself" reached #5 in January of 1987.
Bruce and Demi announce they are ending their marriage of eleven years. No reasons given. [24 June 1998]
Ranked #22 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Has three daughters with Moore: Rumer Willis (b. 1988), 'Scout Larue Willis' (b. 1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. 1994).
His mother Marlene was born in Kassel, Germany.
Appeared on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) to advertise for Demi Moore's Striptease (1996) by doing his own undressing act. [1996]
As a young man his personality was very much like that of the character that he portrayed on "Moonlighting" (1985). He was always getting into trouble because of this and was bodily ejected from parties by the hosts for being obnoxious.
Has been very vocal in his support of almost every major Republican candidate in recent history except Bob Dole. He felt that presidential candidate Dole was out of line in his attacks on Demi Moore and her part in the movie Striptease (1996).
Was the first actor to ever "act" in a video game. No one before has ever done voice work along with having their movements digitally added to the game.
Stated he will no longer be doing violent action or "save-the-world" movies. [2001]
Wears his watch upside down with the face on the inside of his hand. This is also visible in many movies he's done (_Die Hard with a Vengeance_ , -Mercury Rising_ , etc.) where they haven't requested him to flip it over.
Memorial Day weekend, 1987: Was arrested after reportedly disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer who was called to quiet a raucous party at his home. The charges were dropped after Willis agreed to apologize to his neighbors.
According to friends, he had a terrible stammer as a child.
Younger brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 42. [2001]
Was originally cast as Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven (2001) but dropped out.
Attended Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey.
Set a new benchmark for actors' salaries when he was paid $5 million for Die Hard (1988) in 1988. Eight years later, his wife, Demi Moore, set a benchmark of 12 million with Striptease (1996).
His ineptness as a waiter forced him to become a bartender.
Was named Man of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. [February 2002]
Was born on a military base in Germany.
Was president of a drama club at school.
Worked in a chemical factory before going to college.
He filled in as a last-minute host for David Letterman on February 26, 2003, a show he was supposed to be the guest for. It was Letterman's first "sick day" in 20 years (other than his time off for heart surgery).
Ranked #3 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)
Lives in Hailey, Idaho, where he owns The Mint bar and the Liberty Theater. He also owns the old Hailey Drug Store, but the building has been vacant and unused since the early 90s.
The scar on his right shoulder is from surgery due to complications from a broken arm when he was 17.
Has been in 7 movies with numbers in the title: _First Deadly Sin, The (1980)_ , Twelve Monkeys (1995), Four Rooms (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), The Sixth Sense (1999), The Whole Nine Yards (2000) and The Whole Ten Yards (2004).
Personally recommended Bonnie Bedelia for the role of his estranged wife in Die Hard (1988).
He is the hero of singer Nick Lachey.
Producers chose him for the role of John McClane in the "Die Hard" films because they felt he added a warmth and a sense of humor to an otherwise humorless character.
He ad-libbed many of John McClane's one-liners in the "Die Hard" films.
Graduate of Penns Grove High School, Penns Grove, New Jersey. Class of 1973 who voted him "Most School Spirit."
He was the only celebrity that attended Julia Roberts' wedding to 'Danny Moder' .
Recommended Michael Clarke Duncan to play the part of John Coffey in The Green Mile (1999).
20 October 2004 - Sued Revolution Studios for unspecified damages related to a blow to his forehead that he received during "ultrahazardous activity" involved in the filming of _Tears of the Sun (2003)_ . He claims that it has caused him extreme mental, physical and emotional pain & suffering.
Attended the Stella Adler Conservatory / Theatre program in New York City for three years.
Plays the harmonica.
France made him an officer in Order of Arts and Letters (April 2005). "France pays homage to an actor who represents the force of American cinema and the power of emotions that he invites us to share on screens throughout the world", Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said. "I'm nervous. Bonjour Paris," he replied.
After dating Brooke Burns for ten months and finally being engaged to her they decided to split because of the difficulties with maintaining a long-distance relationship. (2 June 2004)
Was chosen to play John McClane in Die Hard (1988) because the producers felt he brought warmth and humor to an otherwise cold and humorless character.
He has been special ambassador of his birth town Idar-Oberstein since his 50th birthday.
Was a guest at Demi Moore's and Ashton Kutcher's wedding.
8 directors cast him twice in their films: Blake Edwards, Amy Heckerling, Rob Reiner, Robert Benton, John McTiernan, Alan Rudolph, M. Night Shyamalan and Quentin Tarantino.
Bruce Willis has demonstrated incredible versatility in a career that has included such diverse characterizations as the prizefighter in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the philandering contractor in Robert Benton's Nobody's Fool, the heroic time traveler in Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, the traumatized Vietnam veteran in Norman Jewison's In Country, the compassionate child psychologist in M. Night Shyamalan's Oscar-nominated The Sixth Sense (for which he won the People's Choice Award) and his signature role, detective John McClane, in the Die Hard trilogy.
Following studies in Montclair State College's prestigious theater program, the New Jersey native honed his craft in several stage plays and countless television commercials, before landing the leading role in Sam Shepard's 1984 stage drama Fool for Love, a run which lasted for 100 performances off-Broadway.
Willis achieved international stardom and garnered several acting awards (including an Emmy and a Golden Globe) for his starring role as private eye David Addison in the hit TV series Moonlighting, a role that he won over 3,000 other contenders. He made his motion picture debut opposite Kim Basinger in Blake Edwards' romantic comedy Blind Date. In 1988, he created the role of John McClane in the blockbuster Die Hard and reprised the character in two sequels: Die Hard 2 and 1995's global box office champ Die Hard: With A Vengeance.
His wide array of film roles includes collaborations with such respected filmmakers as Michael Bay (Armageddon), M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable), Alan Rudolph (Mortal Thoughts, Breakfast of Champions), Walter Hill (Last Man Standing), Robert Benton (Billy Bathgate, Nobody's Foo,), Rob Reiner (The Story of Us), Ed Zwick (The Siege), Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) Barry Levinson (Bandits), Robert Zemeckis (Death Becomes Her) and Antoine Fuqua (Tears of the Sun).
Other motion picture credits include The Jackal, Mercury Rising, The Whole Nine Yards and Disney's The Kid. He also voiced the character of the wise-cracking infant, Mikey, in Look Who's Talking and Look Who's Talking Too. He recently voiced the character of Spike in the animated Rugrats Go Wild!
In addition to his work before the cameras, Willis produced The Whole Nine Yards and executive produced Breakfast of Champions, an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's best selling novel. With longtime agent, and now partner, Arnold Rifkin, he co-founded Cheyenne Enterprises, LLC, a film and television production company based in Los Angeles and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In January 2000, the partners signed a film production deal with Joe Roth's Revolution Studios.
Willis also maintains a hand in the theater. In 1997, he co-founded A Company of Fools, a non-profit theater troupe committed to developing and sustaining stage work in the Wood River Valley of Idaho, and throughout the U.S. He recently starred in and directed a staging of Sam Shepard's dark comedy True West at the Liberty Theater in Hailey, Idaho. The play, which depicts the troubled relationship between two brothers, was aired on Showtime and dedicated to Willis' late brother Robert.
An accomplished musician, Willis recorded the 1986 Motown album The Return of Bruno, which went platinum and contained the #5 Billboard hit Respect Yourself. Three years later, he recorded a second album If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger. Last year, he launched a U.S. club tour with his new musical group The Accelerators.
