Bruce Willis Biography

BRUCE WILLIS

Date of Birth: March 19, 1955

DuPont's loss was Hollywood's gain when Bruce Willis left behind life at the chemical factory for a life as a bartender and struggling actor in New York. A few small theater roles ensued as well as a gig as a Levi's jeans model before a little show called Moonlighting called looking for someone to star opposite Cybill Shepherd.

Born in West Germany and raised in New Jersey, Bruce was the natural foil for Shepherd on the hit TV Series, but he soon tired of the TV grind and wanted out of his long-term contract playing the cocky David Addison. "I'm sure there are people who can't understand how a job that gives you fame and wealth and all the other things that come along with that, can become a drudge or a choking, strangling experience. But I think everyone can relate to feeling trapped: Trapped in a factory job for five bucks an hour or trapped in a high visibility TV job, trapped is trapped."

Bruce was finally able to extract himself from the show just as his career zoomed into the stratosphere as audiences ate up his performance as the New York cop named John McClane who has to take on the baddies all by himself in Die Hard. Later, Willis gravitated into non-tough guy lead roles but said, "It was a little confusing to do a whole film without a gun in my hand." He also broadened his career by taking on smaller character roles in such films as Pulp Fiction and Nobody's Fool that showcase his acting ability.

Never one to talk much about what he does for a living, he says, "I like what Thelonius Monk said: 'Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.' That's basically how I feel, talking about acting."

Nonetheless, the actor has some big titles under his belt. He was seen with Sigourney Weaver and Henry Cavill in the thriller The Cold Light of Day (2012), in the role of Captain Sharp in Wes Anderson's film Moonlight Kingdom (2012) and as the target of a mob hit in Looper (2012). Bruce also starred in several big sequels: G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012), The Expendables 2 (2012), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and RED 2 (2013).

Bruce has also appeared in Marauders (2016), playing Hubert, the president of a Cincinnati bank that gets robbed, as well as Precious Cargo (2016).

Most recently, Bruce appeared in Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017), the reboot Death Wish (2018) and Glass (2019), the sequel to the hit thriller Unbreakable (2000), in which he co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson (in both films). He also played a supporting role in Edward Norton's crime drama, Motherless Brooklyn (2019).

Bruce married actress Demi Moore in 1987, but the marriage ended in divorce in 2000. They shared custody of their three daughters, who were minors at the time. He married second wife, top fashion model Emma Heming, on March 21, 2009. The couple have two daughters together.

Filmography:

Death Wish (2018)
Split (2017)
Marauders (2016)
Precious Cargo (2016)
Extraction (2015)
Rock the Kasbah (2015)
Vice (2015)
Assassination of a High School President (2014)
Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
The Prince (2014)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
Lay the Favorite (2013)
RED 2 (2013)
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
Looper (2012)
The Expendables 2 (2012)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
The Cold Light of Day (2012)
Fire with Fire (2012)
Lay the Favorite (2012)
Catch .44 (2011)
Setup (2011)
The Last Full Measure (2011)
Kane & Lynch (2011)
Red (2010)
The Expendables (2010)
Cop Out(2010)
Surrogates (2009)
Assassination of a High School President (2009)
What Just Happened (2008)
Nancy Drew (2007) (uncredited)
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Perfect Stranger (2007)
Grindhouse (2007)
The Astronaut Farmer (2007)
Fast Food Nation (2006)
Alpha Dog (2007)
16 Blocks (2006)
Over the Hedge (2006) (voice)
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Sin City (2005)
Hostage (2005)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Rugrats Go Wild (voice) (2003)
Tears of the Sun (2003)
Hart's War (2002)
Bandits (2001)
Unbreakable (2000)
Disney's The Kid (2000)
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
The Story of Us (1999)
Breakfast of Champions (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Siege (1998)
Armageddon (1998)
Mercury Rising (1998)
The Jackal (1997)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Last Man Standing (1996)
12 Monkeys (1995)
Four Rooms (1995)
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
Color of Night (1994)
Nobody's Fool (1994)
North (1994) (narrator)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
Striking Distance (1993)
Death Becomes Her (1992)
The Player (1992)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Mortal Thoughts (1991)
Billy Bathgate (1991)
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Look Who's Talking Too (1990) (voice)
In Country (1989)
Look Who's Talking (1989) (voice)
That's Adequate (1989)
Die Hard (1988)
Sunset (1988)
Blind Date (1987)