Bruce Willis has demonstrated incredible versatility in a career that has included such diverse characterization 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.
Willis, whose films in the 21st century include Hostage, Sin City, 16 Blocks, Lucky Number Slevin and Over the Hedge, also starred in the feature films Alpha Dog, directed by Nick Cassavetes, and Perfect Strangers co-starring Halle Berry.
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 originated the role of John McClane in the blockbuster Die Hard. He reprised the character in two sequels, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with A Vengeance, 1995’s global box office champ.
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 Fool), 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 its sequel The Whole Ten Yards) and Disney’s The Kid. He also voiced the
characters of the wise-cracking infant, Mikey, in Look Who’s Talking and Look Who’s Talking Too, and Spike in the animated Rugrats Go Wild!
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 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. Willis also performed on a U.S. club tour with his musical group Bruce Willis Blues Band.
