Bruce Willis is an American actor, producer and singer. His career began on the Off-Broadway stage in the 1970s. He has since appeared in over 70 films and is widely regarded as an action hero, due to his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise and other such roles. His credits also include Death Becomes Her, 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element and The Jackal, Armageddon and Mercury Rising, The Sixth Sense, Sin City, Red, Moonrise Kingdom, The Expendables 2, Looper and as David Dunn in the Unbreakable film series: Unbreakable, Split and Glass. Willis is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two People’s Choice Awards.
Birth Name
Walter Bruce Willis
Nickname
Bruno, Buck-Buck
Profession
Actor, Singer, Producer
Genre
R&B, Pop
Instruments
Vocals, Harmonica
Labels
Motown Records
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Bruce Willis was born on the 19th of March 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany.
Age
He’s currently 68 years old.
Sun Sign
Pisces
Ethnicity
White
Willis has German ancestry on his mother’s side while he is of English, Dutch, French, Welsh and Irish descent on his father’s side.
Religion
Christianity
Education
Willis attended Penns Grove High School in his hometown, where he encountered issues with a stutter. He was nicknamed “Buck-Buck” by his schoolmates. Willis joined the drama club in high school and acting on stage reduced his stutter. He was eventually appointed student council president. He attended college at Montclair State University.
After he graduated from high school in 1973, Willis took a job as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and transported work crews at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, New Jersey. 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. Willis left school in his junior year in 1977 and moved to New York City, where in the early 1980s he supported himself as a bartender at the West 19th Street art bar Kamikaze.
Family Details
- Father – David Andrew Willis (American Soldier)
- Mother – Marlene
- Siblings – Florence Willis (Younger Sister), David Willis (Younger Brother), Robert Willis (Younger Brother)
- Relatives – Edgar George Willis (Paternal Grandfather), Martha Florence Tingle (Paternal Grandmother)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Bruce Willis has dated –
- Demi Moore (1987-1998) – Willis met actress, producer and director Demi Moore at Emilio Estevez‘s film Stakeout (1987) screening in mid-1987 and soon started dating (Although she was dating Estevez at that time). After dating for 4 months, the couple got married at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas on November 21, 1987. The couple has 3 children together, daughters Rumer Willis (b. August 16, 1988), Scout Willis (b. July 20, 1991) and Tallulah Willis (b. February 3, 1994). They split in June 1998 but filed for divorce in 2000.
- Maria Bravo (1999-2001) – Willis started dating actress-producer Maria Bravo in 1999. They separated in 2001 after dating for about 2 years.
- Brooke Burns (2003-2004) – Bruce had a long distance relationship with actress-singer Brooke Burns. They got engaged after dating for 10 months and due to the difficulties in maintaining a long distance relationship, the couple got separated in 2004.
- Aida Yespica (2005) – Willis also had a fling with Venezuelan showgirl, Aida Yespica in 2015. The couple was seen and photographed together a few times.
- Karen McDougal (2007) – In 2007, former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and Bruce were dating and were seen together at the exclusive Cala Di Volpe hotel having lunch with friends. It was reported that the tough actor actually enjoyed the company of McDougal.
- Emma Heming (2009-Present) – In March 2009, Bruce married actress-model Emma Heming in Turks and Caicos. The couple has 2 children together, daughters Mabel Ray Willis (b. April 1, 2012) and Evelyn Penn Willis (b. May 5, 2014).
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 0 inches
- In centimeters – 183 cm
- In meters – 1.83 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 84 kg
- In Pounds – 185 lbs
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Green
Hair Color
Dark Brown (Natural)
Shoe Size
His shoe size is 12.5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Willis played a private detective in the television comedy drama, Moonlighting (1985–1989) which not only showcased his acting skills to the world but also won him numerous awards and nominations and his role as police officer John McClane in Die Hard series, which established him as an action hero, made him highly popular as an actor. The movie was a super hit and spawned five sequels- all of which had Willis reprising the same role.
Album Debut
In 1987, Bruce released his first studio solo album, The Return of Bruno by Motown Records. The album contained 10 songs.
Film Debut
In 1980, Willis made his theatrical film debut in a thriller film The First Deadly Sin. His role was uncredited. Bruce made his first credited theatrical film appearance in a romantic comedy film Blind Date in 1987.
Television Debut
In 1984, Bruce made his first television show appearance as Tony Amato in crime drama series, Miami Vice.
Brand Endorsements
Willis has appeared in these television commercials- First series of Levi’s 501 Blues commercials (1986), Seagram’s 7 Golden Wine Cooler (with Sharon Stone) (1996), Subaru Legacy (Japan) (1992-1994), VISA credit cards (2001), Eneos Service Stations (Japan), NTT DoCoMo Mova (Japan) (1991), Subaru Legacy Outback (Japan) (2005), Sky Broadband with Jessica Ransom (2013), Sobieski Vodka (Poland) (2010) & Honda – Super Bowl 2014 (February 2013).
Bruce Willis Net worth
Bruce Willis has an estimated net worth of $250 million dollars as of 2023.
Social Media Profiles
Bruce doesn’t have any official social media page.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Bruce Willis
- Willis owns a band known as Bruce Willis & The Accelerators (formerly The Blue Devils).
- While growing up, Bruce worked as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant.
- He is a spokesperson for Children in Foster Care.
- He had to work in a chemical factory before going to school.
- When he was 17, he had a surgery for his broken arm and his scar can still be seen on his right shoulder.
- In 1987, his debut album The Return of Bruno sold more than a million copies in the UK.
- In May 1987, Bruce was arrested after reportedly assaulting a police officer who was called by his neighbors to quiet a loud party which was going on at his home. Later, he apologized and his charges were dropped.
- In 1991, Bruce co-founded a restaurant company Planet Hollywood with Demi Moore, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Willis was arrested at the age of 19 for possessing 2 joints which he revealed in 1996 to Playboy magazine.
- In 1998, he starred in Armageddon which became the highest-grossing film of the year. Along with Willis, the film’s cast included Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson and Keith David.
- In 1999, Willis then played the starring role in M. Night Shyamalan’s film, The Sixth Sense, which was both a commercial and critical success.
- He is left-handed.
- Willis is a good friend of Don Johnson, Julia Roberts and Sylvester Stallone.
- Nicki Minaj‘s song Your Love mentions his name.
- He is a big follower of NFL team, New York Jets.
- In 2000, he appeared as Paul Stevens in three episodes of the television sitcom Friends. His role in the series earned him much appreciation and an Emmy Award.
- In February 2002, Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals named him Man of the Year.
- Willis’s acting role models are Gary Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen and John Wayne.
- In July 2002, Willis was given the post of national spokesman for Children in Foster Care by President George W. Bush.
- Willis publicly supported the Iraq war. He also visited the troops in 2003 and offered $1 million of his own money for the man who would capture Saddam Hussein.
- In 2007, he appeared in the Planet Terror half of the double feature Grindhouse as the villain, a mutant soldier.
- In 2009, Willis signed a contract to become the international face of Belvedere SA’s Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.
- In 2010, Bruce made an appearance on Gorillaz’s music video Stylo.
- In February 2013, Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters award was given to him, which is the highest French culture award in Paris, France.
- In October 12, 2013, Willis hosted Saturday Night Live with Katy Perry as a musical guest.
- In 2015, he made his Broadway debut in William Goldman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Misery opposite Laurie Metcalf at the Broadhurst Theatre.
- In 2018, Willis would be the next to be roasted by Comedy Central.
- In 2019, Bruce starred in the last instalment of M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy movie Glass, alongside James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson and Sarah Paulson.
