Bruce Willis
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Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955 as Walter Bruce Willis in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard series of films.
Biography
Early life
Bruce Willis was born in an American military base in Idar-Oberstein, Germany to an American father and Marlene Willis, a German Lutheran mother. His father, David, was a welder and factory worker who took his family back to Penns Grove, New Jersey after being discharged from the military in 1957. Willis, who was the eldest of four children, was always an outgoing youngster, although he grew up with a stutter. Finding it easy to express himself on stage, Willis began performing on stage and his high school memberships were marked by such things as the drama club and school council president.Rather than go to college after graduation, Willis took after his father and became a blue-collar worker, transporting work crews at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, NJ. He decided to quit after a colleague was killed on the job, and thereafter became a regular at several bars. Willis also discovered an innate knack for playing the harmonica, and did so for an R&B group, Loose Goose. After a stint as a bodyguard (which he actually plays in his 1991 movie, The Last Boy Scout), Willis returned to his original passion of acting. He enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University, where he was cast in the class production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The ambitious junior finally decided to leave school in pursuit of more lucrative movie roles by heading for New York.
Willis returned to the bar scene, only this time for a part-time job and as a way to meet New York celebrities. After countless auditions, Willis finally made his theater debut in the off-Broadway production of Heaven and Earth. He gained more experience and exposure in Fool for Love, a stint on television's Miami Vice, and a Levi's campaign.
He was involved in an incident in high school that got him expelled. He was readmitted after his father hired a lawyer. #redirect
Career
He first found fame with his starring role in the hit TV series Moonlighting (1985–89) establishing himself as a comedic actor. However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the Die Hard series that catapulted him to fame. He also was successful in his turn as the voice of little Mikey in the Look Who's Talking series.
In the late-1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording artist, recording an album of blues entitled The Return of Bruno, which included the hit single "Respect Yourself." Follow-up recordings were not as successful, though Willis does return to the recording studio from time to time.
In the early 90s, Willis' career suffered a moderate slump starring him in flops like The Bonfire of the Vanities and Hudson Hawk, among others. However, in 1994 he had a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed Pulp Fiction, which gave a new boost to his career. He went on to play the lead roles in Twelve Monkeys and Armageddon. However, by the end of the '90s, his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films like The Jackal, Mercury Rising and Breakfast of Champions.
In 1999, Willis achieved what could be considered the biggest success of his career with his starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's debut film, The Sixth Sense. The film was both a commercial and critical success and launched Willis career to a new level of stardom.
He once had to appear in the hit sitcom Friends without pay, because he lost a bet to Matthew Perry, his costar in The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards.
Willis also appeared on a Japanese Subaru Legacy commercial, optimising the car for sale, with the backing music of Jade from Sweetbox, Addicted and Hate Without Frontiers.
He is currently filming the thriller Perfect Stranger, opposite Halle Berry, and will appear as an unscrupulous farmer in the film version of Fast Food Nation.
Personal life
Willis was married to actress Demi Moore from November 21, 1987 to October 18, 2000. The couple gave no public reason for their breakup. Willis and Moore had three children during their thirteen-year union: Rumer Glenn Willis (born 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (1994). Since their breakup, rumors have persisted that the couple planned to re-marry, but Moore has since married Ashton Kutcher. They are still on friendly terms, and continue to share a home and several businesses in Blaine County, Idaho.Currently, Willis is reportedly dating Days of Our Lives actress Nadia Bjorlin.
Bruce was, at one point, Lutheran (specifically Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod); however, he is believed by some to now be an atheist, mostly because of a statement he made in the July 1998 issue of George magazine, in which he said:
"Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms," he says. "They were all very important when we didn't know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened," he continues. "Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology. But there are people who interpret the Bible literally. Literally!" he says incredulously. "I choose not to believe that's the way. And that's what makes America cool, you know?"
Some reports from military officials suggest that Willis tried to enlist in the military to help fight the second Iraq war, but he was turned away because of his age. [link] He has offered $1 million to any civilian who turns in terrorist leaders Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or (now the late) Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[link] Willis has said that he wants to "make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy." [link] The film will follow members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, who spent considerable time in Mosul and were decorated heavily for it. The film is to be based on the writings of blogger Michael Yon, a former United States Army Special Forces Green Beret who was embedded with Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their heroics.
Willis was one of few Hollywood celebrities to publicly support the Iraq War in 2003. He has endorsed every Republican presidential candidate except Bob Dole in 1996, because Dole had criticized Demi Moore for her role in the movie Striptease. Willis has attempted to play down his status as one of Hollywood's most outspoken Republicans, although he continues to vocally support the Iraq war and gun ownership. In February 2006, Willis appeared in Manhattan to talk about his new movie 16 Blocks with reporters. One reporter attempted to ask Willis about his opinion on current events but was interrupted by Willis in mid-sentence;
- "I'm sick of answering this [expletive] question. I'm a Republican only as far as I want a smaller government, I want less government intrusion. I want them to stop [expletive] on my money and your money and tax dollars that we give 50 percent of... every year. I want them to be fiscally responsible and I want these [expletive] lobbyists out of Washington. Do that and I'll say I'm a Republican... I hate the government, OK? I'm apolitical. Write that down. I'm not a Republican."[link]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2007 | Morgan's Summit | Unknown | (attached, pre-production) |
| 2006 | Die Hard 4.0 | John McClane | (producer, pre-production) |
| Black Water Transit | Earl Pike | (pre-production) | |
| Perfect Stranger | Harrison Hill | (filming) | |
| The Astronaut Farmer | Unknown | (post-production) | |
| Over the Hedge | RJ | (voice only) | |
| Lucky Number Slevin | Mr. Goodkat | ||
| 16 Blocks | Jack Mosley | (producer) | |
| Alpha Dog | Sonny Truelove | (post-production) | |
| 2005 | Sin City | John Hartigan | |
| Hostage | Jeff Talley | (producer) | |
| 2004 | Ocean's Twelve | Himself | (cameo) |
| The Whole Ten Yards | Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski | ||
| 2003 | William Rose Bailey | (cameo) | |
| Rugrats Go Wild! | Spike | (voice only) | |
| Tears of the Sun | Lieutenant A.K. Waters | ||
| 2002 | Grand Champion | CEO | (cameo) |
| Hart's War | Col. William A. McNamara | ||
| 2001 | Bandits | Joe Blake | |
| 2000 | Unbreakable | David Dunn | |
| The Kid | Russell Duritz | ||
| The Whole Nine Yards | Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski | (producer) | |
| 1999 | The Story of Us | Ben Jordan | |
| The Sixth Sense | Dr. Malcolm Crowe | ||
| Breakfast of Champions | Dwayne Hoover | ||
| Franky Goes to Hollywood | Himself | (short subject) | |
| 1998 | The Siege | Major General William Devereaux | |
| Armageddon | Harry S. Stamper | ||
| Mercury Rising | Art Jeffries | ||
| 1997 | The Jackal | The Jackal | |
| The Fifth Element | Korben Dallas | ||
| 1996 | Beavis and Butt-head Do America | Muddy Grimes | (voice only) |
| Last Man Standing | John Smith | ||
| 1995 | Twelve Monkeys | James Cole | |
| Four Rooms | Leo | ||
| John McClane | |||
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Carl Roebuck | |
| Pulp Fiction | Butch Coolidge | ||
| Color of Night | Dr. Bill Capa | ||
| North | Narrator | ||
| 1993 | Striking Distance | Tom Hardy | |
| National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 | John McClane | (cameo) | |
| 1992 | Death Becomes Her | Dr. Ernest Menville | |
| The Player | Himself | (cameo) | |
| 1991 | The Last Boy Scout | Joseph Cornelius 'Joe' Hallenbeck | |
| Billy Bathgate | Bo Weinberg | ||
| Hudson Hawk | Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' Hawkins | ||
| Mortal Thoughts | James Urbanski | ||
| 1990 | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Peter Fallow | |
| Look Who's Talking Too | Mikey | (voice only) | |
| Die Hard 2 | John McClane | ||
| 1989 | Look Who's Talking | Mikey | (voice only) |
| In Country | Emmett Smith | ||
| That's Adequate | Himself | (cameo) | |
| 1988 | Die Hard | John McClane | |
| Sunset | Tom Mix | ||
| The Return of Bruno | Bruno Radolini | ||
| 1987 | Blind Date | Walter Davis | |
| 1985 | A Guru Comes | Unknown | (extra) |
| 1982 | The Verdict | Courtroom Observer | (extra) |
| 1980 | The First Deadly Sin | Unknown | (extra) |
Discography
- The Return of Bruno, 1987, Razor & Tie, ASIN B000002ZB0.
- If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger, 1989, Motown / Pgd, ASIN: B000008MAP.
- Classic Bruce Willis: The Universal Masters Collection, 2001, Polygram Int'l, ASIN B00004OCPA.
Miscellaneous
- Filled in for an ill David Letterman on his show on February 26, 2003 when he was supposed to be a guest. He interviewed Dan Rather in what he would later call "the most serious conversation of my entire life." On many of his appearances on the Letterman show, he stages elaborate jokes, such as wearing a day-glo orange suit in honor of the Central Park gates, or having one side of his face made up with simulated buckshot wounds after the Harry Whittington shooting.
- Supports the United States Republican Party.
- Owns The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater in Hailey, Idaho
- Judged the finals of the Miss Italy contest in 2005 in Salsomaggiore-Terme, Parma.
- Had the Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce automobile named in his honor in 1993 (due to his being a spokesperson for the Legacy in the Japanese market).
- Has appeared in four movies with Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1).
- In 2006 proposed that, the United States should invade Colombia in order to end the drug trafficking.[link]
- Is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood.
- Insisted that he perform his own 'stunts' in the erotic-thriller, Color of Night.
- His name is featured in an episode of Full House. Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) says "Bruce Willis has a record deal" in the pilot episode.
- Won a 2000 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends (in which he played the father of Ross Gellar's much-younger girlfriend. Was also nominated for a 2001 American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work on Friends. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000246/awards
- Won a 1987 Emmy in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for an episode of Moonlighting which was largely comedic.
References
Footnotes
Web sites
- [Official website] Shutdown since Thanksgiving 2005-no word on relaunch as of June 2006.
- [Bruce Willis] Timeline
- [About Bruce at LG2S]
- [Bruce Willis interview] on the Tavis Smiley show
- [Bruce Willis Info]
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