Bruce willis obituary

American actor (born )

Bruce Willis
Willis in
Born	Walter Bruce Willis () March 19, (age&#;69) Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
Citizenship	United States
Occupations
Years&#;active	–
Works	Filmography
Spouses	Demi Moore &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;
Children	5, including Rumer
Awards	Full list

Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, ) is a retired American actor.

He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (–) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (–).^[1][2]

Willis's other credits include The Last Boy Scout (), Pulp Fiction (), 12 Monkeys (), The Fifth Element (), Armageddon (), The Sixth Sense (), Unbreakable, The Whole Nine Yards (both ), Tears of the Sun (), Sin City (), The Expendables, Red (both ), Looper (), and Glass ().

In the last years of his career, he starred in many low-budget direct-to-video films, which were poorly received. Willis retired in due to aphasia, and was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in ^[3]

As a singer, Willis released his debut album, The Return of Bruno, in , followed by two more albums in and He made his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Misery in Willis has received various accolades throughout his career, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Films featuring Willis have grossed between US$&#;billion and US$&#;billion at North American box offices, making him in the eighth-highest-grossing leading actor.

Early life and education

Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, , in Idar-Oberstein in what was then West Germany.^[4] His mother, Marlene,^[5] was German, from Kassel,^[6] and his father, David Willis, was an American soldier.^{[citation needed]} He has a younger sister, Florence, and two younger brothers, Robert (deceased) and David.^[7] After being discharged from the military in , his father relocated the family to his hometown of Carneys Point, New Jersey.

Willis has described his background as a "long line of blue-collar people".^[8] His mother worked in a bank and his father was a welder, master mechanic and factory worker.^[9]

Willis spoke with a stutter.^[8] He attended Penns Grove High School in Carneys Point Township, where his schoolmates nicknamed him "Buck-Buck".^[10][11] Willis joined the drama club, and found that acting on stage reduced his stutter.

He was eventually elected student council president. He graduated from Penns Grove in ^[9]

After graduating from high school, Willis worked as a security guard at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant^[12] and transported crew members at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater.^[13] He turned to acting after working as a private investigator,^{[citation needed]} a role he would later play in the comedy-drama series Moonlighting and the action-comedy film The Last Boy Scout.

Willis enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State University,^[14] where he was cast in a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Denzel washington age Extra American TV program. Willis spoke with a stutter. Retrieved July 31, The Daily Telegraph.

He left the school in , and moved to New York City, where he supported himself in the early s as a bartender at various nightspots in Manhattan including Kamikaze, Cafe Central & Chelsea Central,^[15][16] while living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.^[17]

Career

s: Moonlighting, Die Hard and rise to fame

Willis was cast as David Addison Jr.

in the television series Moonlighting (–), competing against 3, other actors for the position.^[18] His starring role in Moonlighting, opposite Cybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as a comedic actor. During the show's five seasons, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy.^[8] During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products.^[19] The advertising campaign paid Willis US$5&#;7&#;million over two years.

Willis chose not to renew his contract when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in ^[20]

In , Willis obtained his first lead role in the Blake Edwards film Blind Date, co-starring with Kim Basinger and John Larroquette.^[8] Edwards cast him again to play the real-life cowboy actor Tom Mix in Sunset ().

The same year, he starred in an action role in Die Hard () as John McClane.^[8] He performed most of his own stunts in the film,^[21] and the film grossed $,, worldwide.^[22] Following his success with Die Hard, Willis had a leading role in the drama In Country as Vietnam veteran Emmett Smith and also provided the voice for a talking baby in Look Who's Talking () and the sequel Look Who's Talking Too ().^[23][24]

In the late s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording artist, recording an album of pop-blues, The Return of Bruno, which included the hit single "Respect Yourself" featuring the Pointer Sisters.^[25] The LP was promoted by a Spinal Tap–like rockumentaryparody featuring scenes of Willis performing at famous events including Woodstock.

He released a version of the Drifters song "Under the Boardwalk" as a second single; it reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, but was less successful in the US. Willis returned to the recording studio several times.^[26]

s: Die Hard sequels, Pulp Fiction and dramatic roles

Having acquired major personal success and pop culture influence playing John McClane in Die Hard, Willis reprised his role in the sequels Die Hard 2 () and Die Hard with a Vengeance ().^[8] These first three installments in the Die Hard series grossed over US$&#;million internationally^[27] and propelled Willis to the first rank of Hollywood action stars.^{[citation needed]} At one point, Die Hard 2 and Ghost, starring Willis' then wife Demi Moore, would occupy the number one and number two spots at the box office, a feat that would not be accomplished again for a married Hollywood couple until ^[28][29]

In the early s, Willis's career suffered a moderate slump, as he starred in flops such as The Bonfire of the Vanities () and Hudson Hawk (), although he did find box office success with The Last Boy Scout.

He gained more success with Striking Distance () but flopped again with Color of Night (): it was savaged by critics but did well in the home video market and became one of the Top 20 most-rented films in the United States in ^[30]Maxim also ranked his sex scene in the film as the best in film history.^[31]

In , Willis also had a leading role in one part of Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed Pulp Fiction;^[8] the film's success gave a boost to his career, and he starred alongside his Look Who's Talking co-star John Travolta.^[32] In , he was the executive producer and star of the cartoon Bruno the Kid which featured a CGI representation of himself.

That same year, he starred in Mike Judge's animated film Beavis and Butt-head Do America with his then-wife Demi Moore. In the movie, he plays a drunken criminal named "Muddy Grimes", who mistakenly sends Judge's titular characters to kill his wife, Dallas (voiced by Moore). He then played the lead roles in 12 Monkeys () and The Fifth Element ().

However, by the end of the s his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films like The Jackal (which despite negative reviews was a box office hit), Mercury Rising, and Breakfast of Champions, as well as the implosion of the production of Broadway Brawler, a debacle salvaged only by the success of the Michael Bay-directed Armageddon, which Willis had agreed to star in as compensation for the failed production, and which turned out to be the highest-grossing film of worldwide.^[33][34] The same year his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game Apocalypse.^[35] In , Willis played the starring role in M.

Night Shyamalan's film The Sixth Sense, which was both a commercial and critical success.^[8]

s

In , Willis won an Emmy^[36] for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends (in which he played the father of Ross Geller's much-younger girlfriend).^[37] He was also nominated for a American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work on Friends.

Also in , Willis played Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards alongside Matthew Perry. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven () but dropped out to work on recording an album.^[38] In the sequel, Ocean's Twelve (), he makes a cameo appearance as himself.

In , he appeared in the film adaptation of Sin City. In , he lent his voice as RJ the Raccoon in Over the Hedge. In , he appeared in the Planet Terror half of the double feature Grindhouse as the villain, a mutant soldier. This marked Willis's second collaboration with the director Robert Rodriguez, following Sin City.

Willis appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman several times throughout his career. He filled in for an ill David Letterman on his show on February 26, , when he was supposed to be a guest.^[39] On many of his appearances on the show, Willis staged elaborate jokes, such as wearing a day-glo orange suit in honor of the Central Park gates, having one side of his face made up with simulated birdshot wounds after the Harry Whittington shooting, or trying to break a record (a parody of David Blaine) of staying underwater for only twenty seconds.

On April 12, , he appeared again, this time wearing a Sanjaya Malakar wig.^[40] On his June 25, , appearance, he wore a mini-wind turbine on his head to accompany a joke about his own fictional documentary titled An Unappealing Hunch (a wordplay on An Inconvenient Truth).^[41] Willis also appeared in Japanese Subaru Legacy television commercials.^[42] Tying in with this, Subaru did a limited run of Legacys, badged "Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce", in honor of Willis.

Willis has appeared in five films with Samuel&#;L. Jackson (National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Unbreakable, and Glass) and both actors were slated to work together in Black Water Transit, before dropping out. Willis also worked with his eldest daughter, Rumer, in the film Hostage.

In , he appeared in the thrillerPerfect Stranger, opposite Halle Berry, the crime/drama film Alpha Dog, opposite Sharon Stone, and reprised his role as John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard. Subsequently, he appeared in the films What Just Happened and Surrogates, based on the comic book of the same name.^[43]

Willis was slated to play U.S.

Army general William&#;R. Peers in director Oliver Stone's Pinkville, a drama about the investigation of the My Lai massacre.^[44] However, due to the Writers Guild of America strike, the film was canceled. Willis appeared on the Blues Traveler album North Hollywood Shootout, giving a spoken word performance over an instrumental blues rock jam on the track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)".

In early , he appeared in an advertising campaign to publicize the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva.^[45]

s

As of , Willis was the eighth highest-grossing actor in a leading role and 12th-highest including supporting roles.^[46][47] Willis starred with Tracy Morgan in the comedy Cop Out, directed by Kevin Smith, about two police detectives investigating the theft of a baseball card.^[48] Willis appeared in the music video for the song "Stylo" by Gorillaz.^[49] Also in , he appeared in a cameo with the former Planet Hollywood co-owners and 80s action stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Expendables.

Willis played the role of CIA agent "Mr. Church". It was the first time the three action stars had appeared on screen together. Although the scene featuring the three was short, it was one of the most highly anticipated scenes in the film. The trio filmed their scene in an empty church on October 24, ^[50] Willis next starred in Red, an adaptation of the comic book mini-series of the same name, in which he portrayed Frank Moses.

The film was released on October 15, ^[51]

Willis starred alongside Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand in Moonrise Kingdom (). Filming took place in Rhode Island under the direction of Wes Anderson, in ^[52] Willis returned, in an expanded role, in The Expendables 2 ().^[53] He appeared alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi action film Looper (), as the older version of Gordon-Levitt's character, Joe.

Willis teamed up with 50 Cent in a film directed by David Barrett called Fire with Fire, starring opposite Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson, about a fireman who must save the love of his life.^[54] Willis also joined Vince Vaughn and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Lay the Favorite, directed by Stephen Frears, about a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who becomes an elite professional gambler.^[55] The two films were distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment.

Willis reprised his most famous role, John McClane, for a fifth time, starring in A Good Day to Die Hard, which was released on February 14, ^[56] In an interview, Willis said, "I have a warm spot in my heart for Die Hard it's just the sheer novelty of being able to play the same character over 25 years and still be asked back is fun.

Bruce willis age biography Main article: Bruce Willis filmography. Retrieved February 16, Retrieved January 12, In the early s, Willis's career suffered a moderate slump, as he starred in flops such as The Bonfire of the Vanities and Hudson Hawk , although he did find box office success with The Last Boy Scout.

It's much more challenging to have to do a film again and try to compete with myself, which is what I do in Die Hard. I try to improve my work every time."^[57]

On October 12, , Willis hosted Saturday Night Live with Katy Perry as a musical guest.^[58] In , Willis made his Broadway debut in William Goldman's adaptation of Stephen King's novel Misery opposite Laurie Metcalf at the Broadhurst Theatre.

His performance was generally panned by critics, who called it "vacant" and "inert".^[59] Willis was the subject of a roast by Comedy Central in a program broadcast on July 29, ^[60] Willis played himself in a cameo in the film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.^[61]

s: Critical decline, health problems and retirement

In the final years of his career, Willis starred in many low-budget independent thrillers and science fiction films.^[62] He worked primarily with the production companies Emmett/Furla Oasis, headed by Randall Emmett, and Entertainment Inc, headed by Corey Large.

Emmett/Furla Oasis produced 20 films starring Willis.^[63]

Described by Chris Nashawaty of Esquire as "a profitable safe harbor" for older actors, similar to The Expendables, most of the films were released direct-to-video and were widely panned.^[62] Willis would often earn US$2 million for two days' work, with an average of 15 minutes' screentime per film.^[64] He was nonetheless featured heavily in the films' promotional materials, earning them the derogatory nickname "geezer teasers".^[65][66] The Golden Raspberry Awards, an annual award for the year's worst films and performances, created a dedicated category, the Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a Movie, for Willis's roles in eight films released that year.^[67]

Those working on the films later said Willis appeared confused, did not understand why he was there and had to be fed lines through an earpiece.^[63] Days before Willis was scheduled to arrive on set for Out of Death (), the screenwriter, Bill Lawrence, was instructed to reduce his role and abbreviate his dialogue, and the director, Mike Burns, was told to complete all of Willis's scenes in a single day of filming.^[63]

On March 30, , Willis's family announced that he was retiring because he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder typically caused by damage to the area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension.^[68][69] The Golden Raspberry Awards retracted its Willis category, deeming it inappropriate to give a Razzie to someone whose performance was affected by a medical condition.^[70] At the time of his retirement, Willis had completed 11 films awaiting release.^[68][71][72]

On February 16, , Willis's family announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.^[73] According to Gregg Day, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic's Florida campus, the symptoms include difficulties with language and comprehension, and misinterpretation of instructions.^[74] In a statement, the family said that Willis's condition had progressed and that "challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease".^[75] They expressed hope that media attention on Willis would raise awareness about the disease.^[76]

Business activities

Willis owns houses in Los Angeles and Penns Grove, New Jersey.

He also rents apartments at Trump Tower^[77] and in Riverside South, Manhattan.^[78] In , Willis and his business partner Arnold Rifkin started a motion picture production company called Cheyenne Enterprises. He left the company to be run solely by Rifkin in after Live Free or Die Hard.^[79] He also owns several small businesses in Hailey, Idaho, including The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater and was one of the first promoters of Planet Hollywood, with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.^[80] Willis and the other actors were paid for their appearances and endorsements through an employee stock ownership plan.^[81]

In , Willis signed a contract to become the international face of Belvedere SA's Sobieski Vodka in exchange for % ownership in the company.^[82] In , Willis became the brand ambassador of the Hungarian brand Hell Energy Drink.^[83][84]

Personal life

Willis's acting role models are Gary Cooper, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen, and John Wayne.^[85] He is left-handed.^[86] He resides in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles with his family.^[87]

On November 21, , Willis married Demi Moore at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.^[88] On December 20, the couple held a second reception for about guests on a soundstage at Warner Bros.

Studios Burbank.^[89] They have three daughters: Rumer (b. ),^[90] Scout (b. ),^[91] and Tallulah (b. ).^[92] Willis and Moore announced their separation on June 24, ^[93] They filed for divorce on October 18, ,^[94] and the divorce was finalized later that day.^[95][96] Regarding the divorce, Willis stated, "I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work." He credited actor Will Smith for helping him cope with the situation.^[19] He has maintained a close friendship with both Moore and her subsequent husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, and attended their wedding.^[97]

Willis was engaged to actress Brooke Burns until they broke up in after ten months together.^[18] He married model Emma Heming in Turks and Caicos on March 21, ;^[98] guests included his three daughters, as well as Moore and Kutcher.

Bruce willis age born 1972 Bruce first achieved fame starring in the ABC comedy-drama series Moonlighting opposite Cybill Shepherd, from to August 18, Willis responded: "I'm sick of answering this fucking question. Archived from the original on January 20,

The ceremony was not legally binding, so the couple wed again in a civil ceremony in Beverly Hills six days later. The couple has two daughters, one born in ^[99] and another born in ^[]

Military interests

Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters in films such as In Country, The Siege, Hart's War, Tears of the Sun, Grindhouse, and G.I.

Joe: Retaliation. Willis grew up in a military family. Willis has donated to the United States armed forces. USS John&#;F. Kennedy and other troops stationed throughout the Middle East at the time.^[]

In , Willis visited Iraq as part of the USO tour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators.^[] Willis considered joining the military to help fight the second Iraq War, but was deterred by his age.^[] It was believed he offered US$1&#;million to any noncombatant who turned in terrorist leaders Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi; in the June issue of Vanity Fair, however, he clarified that the statement was made hypothetically and not meant to be taken literally.

Willis has also criticized the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press was more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:

I went to Iraq because what I saw when I was over there was soldiers—young kids for the most part—helping people in Iraq; helping getting the power turned back on, helping get hospitals open, helping get the water turned back on and you don't hear any of that on the news.

You hear, "X number of people were killed today," which I think does a huge disservice. It's like spitting on these young men and women who are over there fighting to help this country.^[]

Religious beliefs

Willis was a Lutheran,^[] but says he no longer practices.

In a July interview with George magazine, he said, "Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms. They were all very important when we didn't know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened. Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology. But there are people who interpret the Bible literally.

Literally! I choose not to believe that's the way. And that's what makes America cool, you know?"^[]

When asked by a reporter how he stays grounded in Hollywood, Willis said, "I just thank God every day foreverything great that's come my way."^[]

Political views

In , Willis and then-wife Demi Moore campaigned for then DemocraticMassachusetts governorMichael Dukakis's presidential campaign in the presidential elections.

In the presidential election, however, he supported President George H. W. Bush for reelection and was an outspoken critic of Bill Clinton. In , he declined to endorse Clinton's Republican opponent Bob Dole because Dole criticized Demi Moore for her role in the film Striptease.^[] Willis was an invited speaker at the Republican National Convention,^[] and supported George W.

Bush that year.^[19]

In , Willis said that the United States should intervene more extensively in Colombia to end drug trafficking from that nation.^[] In several interviews Willis has said that he supports increased salaries for teachers and police officers, and that he is disappointed in the United States foster care system and its treatment of Native Americans.^[][] Willis has supported gun rights, saying, "Everyone has a right to bear arms.

If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys."^[]

In February , when Willis was in Manhattan to promote his film 16 Blocks, he was asked his opinion on the Bush administration. Willis responded: "I'm sick of answering this fucking question. I'm a Republican only as far as I want a smaller government, I want less government intrusion.

I want them to stop shitting 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 goddamn 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."^[] Willis did not make any contributions or public endorsements in the presidential campaign.

In several June interviews, he declared that he maintains some Republican ideologies.^[19]

On August 17, , Willis was named in a Los Angeles Times advertisement that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the Israel-Lebanon war.^[] In the presidential election, Willis said that he had a negative opinion of Mitt Romney.^[]

Filmography

Main article: Bruce Willis filmography

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations/guest appearances

Singles

Awards and honors

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Bruce Willis

Willis has won a variety of awards and has received various honors throughout his career in television and film.

References