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EspañolBRUCE WILLIS
'Walter Bruce Willis' (born March 19, 1955 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany) is an American actor and singer. He came to fame in the late 1980s and has since retained a career as both a Hollywood leading man and a supporting actor, in particular for his role as John McClane in the ''Die Hard'' series. Willis was married to actress Demi Moore and they had three daughters before their divorce in 2000 after thirteen years of marriage. He has received multiple awards and honors throughout his career and has publicly shown his support for the United States armed forces. In various interviews, Willis has revealed his political opinions and interest in several conspiracy theories.
Motion pictures that feature him as a leading actor or supporting co-star, have grossed a total of $2.42[1] to $2.88 billion[2] at the North American box office, placing him as the sixth (as strictly lead) or the ninth highest-grossing movie star (counting supporting roles) of all time.
Early life
Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, Germany to David Willis, an American soldier, and a Kassel-born German mother, Marlene, who worked in a bank.[3] Willis was the oldest of four children (his siblings are Florence, David, and Robert). After being discharged from the military in 1957, Willis's father took his family back to Penns Grove, New Jersey, where he worked as a welder and factory worker.[4] His parents separated in 1971 while Willis was in his early teens. He was always an outgoing youngster, although he grew up with a stutter.[5] Finding it easy to express himself on stage and losing his stutter in the process, Willis began performing on stage and his high school memberships were marked by such things as the drama club and school council president.[6]
After graduating Penns Grove High School, Willis farmed sheep in a mining village in Alabama, transporting work crews at the DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, New Jersey. 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 harmonica and joined an R&B band called Loose Goose. After a stint as a private investigator (a role he plays in his 1991 film, ''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'' with Jack Prince as Big Daddy, William Applegate as the doctor, and Kevin J. Lynch as the Rev. Tooker. Willis left school during his junior year and moved to New York City.
Willis returned to the bar scene, only this time for a part-time job and as a way to meet New York celebrities. He is rumored to have been
Career
Willis left New York City and headed to California to audition for several television shows. He auditioned for the TV series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–89), while competing against 3,000 other actors for the position and was selected to play David Addison Jr.[7] The starring role helped to establish him as a comedic actor, with the show lasting five seasons. During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products. The memorable ad campaign paid the rising star between five and seven million dollars over two years. In spite of that, Willis decided not renew his contract with the company when he decided to stop drinking in 1988.[8]One of his first major film roles was in the 1987 Blake Edwards film "Blind Date" alongside Kim Bassinger and John Laroquette.
However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the film ''Die Hard'' that catapulted him to fame. He performed most of his own stunts in the film,[9] and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide.[10] Due to its box office success, the film would eventually tender three more sequels, with the most current film, ''Live Free or Die Hard'', released in June 2007. He also provided his voice for a talking baby in ''Look Who's Talking'' and its sequel.
In the late-1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a recording artist, recording an album of pop-blues entitled ''The Return of Bruno'', which included the hit single "Respect Yourself",[11] promoted by a Spinal Tap-like rockumentary parody featuring scenes of him performing at famous events including Woodstock. Follow-up recordings were not as successful, though Willis has returned to the recording studio several times.
In the early 1990s, Willis' career suffered a moderate slump starring in flops such as ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'', ''Striking Distance'' and a film he co-wrote entitled ''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. In 1996, he was the executive producer of the cartoon ''Bruno the Kid'' which featured a CGI representation of himself.[12] He went on to play the lead roles in ''Twelve Monkeys'' and ''The Fifth Element''. However, by the end of the 1990s, his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films like ''The Jackal'', ''Mercury Rising'', and ''Breakfast of Champions'', saved only by the success of the Michael Bay-directed ''Armageddon'' which was the highest grossing film of 1998 worldwide.[13] The same year his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game ''Apocalypse''.[14]
In 1999, Willis then went on to the starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's film, ''The Sixth Sense''. The film was both a commercial and critical success and helped to increase interest in his acting career.
He once had to appear in the hit sitcom ''Friends'' without pay, because he lost a bet to Matthew Perry, his co-star in ''The Whole Nine Yards'' and its sequel ''The Whole Ten Yards''. He 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 Geller's much-younger girlfriend). He 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''. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict in ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001) but dropped out to work on recording an album. In ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2003), he makes a cameo appearance as himself. He recently appeared in the ''Planet Terror'' half of the double feature ''Grindhouse'' as the villain, a mutant soldier. This marks Willis' second collaboration with director Robert Rodriguez, following ''Sin City''.
Willis has appeared on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' several times throughout his career. He filled in for an ill David Letterman on his show February 26, 2003, when he was supposed to be a guest.[15] 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 show, Willis stages 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 buckshot wounds after the Harry Whittington shooting, or trying to break a record (parody of David Blaine) of staying underwater for only 20 seconds. On April 12, 2007, he appeared again, this time wearing a Sanjaya Malakar wig.[16] His most recent appearance was on June 25, 2007 when he appeared wearing a mini-turbine strapped to his head to accompany a joke about his own fictional documentary entitled ''An Unappealing Hunch'' (a wordplay of ''An Inconvenient Truth'').[17]
Willis also appeared on Japanese Subaru Legacy television commercials,[18] optimizing the car for sale, with the backing music of Jade from Sweetbox, "Addicted" and "Hate Without Frontiers". Tying in with this, Subaru did a limited run of Legacys, badged "Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce", in honor of Willis.
Willis has appeared in four movies with Samuel L. Jackson (National Lampoon's ''Loaded Weapon 1'', ''Pulp Fiction'', ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'', and ''Unbreakable'') and both actors were slated to work together in ''Black Water Transit'' before dropping out. Willis also worked alongside his eldest daughter, Rumer, in the 2005 film ''Hostage''. In 2007, he recently finished the thriller ''Perfect Stranger'', opposite Halle Berry, and marked his return to the role of John McClane in ''Live Free or Die Hard''.
Upcoming films
With the third sequel to ''Die Hard'', Live Free or Die Hard having been released in June 2007, Willis' future projects will include three other films that will debut between 2007 and 2009. ''The Last Full Measure'' is a drama film based on a true story about a Vietnam War veteran, and 2008's ''The Sophomore'' is a comedy where he will be a Catholic school principal and his real-life eldest daughter, Rumer, will star as a student investigating missing SAT scores.[19] The 2009 film will be the drama ''Morgan's Summit'', where he will depict a late night radio host who promotes kindness, but changes his demeanor after a brutal crime causes him to seek revenge.
Willis is also slated to play U.S. Army general William R. Peers in director Oliver Stone's ''Pinkville'', a drama about the investigation of the 1968 My Lai massacre scheduled for release in 2009.
Personal life
At the premiere for the film ''Stakeout'', Willis met actress Demi Moore who was dating actor Emilio Estevez at the time. Willis married Moore on November 21, 1987 and had three daughters (Rumer Glenn Willis (born 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (1994)) before the couple divorced on October 18, 2000. The couple gave no public reason for their breakup. Willis reacting on his divorce stated "I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work" and credited actor Will Smith for helping him get through the divorce. Willis and Moore currently share custody of the three daughters they had during their thirteen-year union. Since their breakup, rumors persisted that the couple planned to re-marry, but Moore has since married the younger actor Ashton Kutcher. Willis has maintained a close relationship with both Moore and Kutcher. Since his divorce he has dated models Maria Bravo Rosado and Emily Sandberg and also was engaged to Brooke Burns, until they broke up in 2004 after dating for ten months. Recently, he has been spotted dating ''Playboy'' Playmates Tamara Witmer and Karen McDougal[20] on different occasions. Willis has expressed interest in getting married again and having more children.
Bruce Willis was, at one point, Lutheran (specifically Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod); but no longer practices, based on a statement he made in the July 1998 issue of ''George'' magazine:
In early 2006, Willis, who usually lives in Los Angeles, moved into an apartment located in the Trump Tower in New York City.[21] Willis also has a home in Malibu, California, a ranch in Montana, a beach home on Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos, and multiple properties in Sun Valley, Idaho.[22]
Willis owns his own motion picture production company called Cheyenne Enterprises which he started with his business parter Arnold Rifkin in 2000.[23] He also owns several small businesses in Hailey, Idaho including The Mint Bar and The Liberty Theater and is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood along with actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.[24]
Willis, an avid New Jersey Nets fan, made controversial comments on April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game vs. the Toronto Raptors on TSN by saying a catch phrase from his ''Die Hard'' films, "Yipee-ki-yay motherfucker", at the end of the interview.[25][26] Reacting to the backlash, he later blamed his actions on jet lag, stating: "Sometimes I overestimate my ability to function under duress with less than enough sleep".
On May 5, 2007, someone using the screen name "Walter_B" start posting detailed responses onto Ain't it Cool News, where people were discussing the fact that ''Live Free or Die Hard'' received a PG-13 rating, instead of an R rating like the earlier three Die hard films. [27] The responses included detailed information on ''Live Free or Die Hard'', which was yet to be released; the theme of the Die Hard film series, direct criticisms of other movie crews and casts, and many movie trivia answers. "Walter_B" was Bruce Willis himself, directly posting his opinions. Many people were skeptical that "Walter_B" was indeed Willis, but on May 9, Willis revealed his identity by using video chat via iChat on Apple MacOS X. [28]
Political views
Willis was one of few Hollywood celebrities to publicly support the Iraq War in 2003, but in 2007 declared that he was more supportive of the troops instead of the war itself.[29] 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 was an invited speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention.[30] Willis has attempted to play down his status as one of Hollywood's most outspoken Republicans, although he continues to vocally support gun ownership and other conservative policies. 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:
In several June 2007 interviews, he declared that he still maintains some Republican ideologies but is currently an independent.[31]
Willis signed his name on an ad in the ''Los Angeles Times'' in support of Israel, along with Nicole Kidman and numerous other among the Hollywood elite. In 2006, he proposed that the United States should invade Colombia in order to end the drug trafficking.[32] In several interviews with ''USA Weekend'' magazine, Willis has revealed that he supports large salaries for teachers, and reveals that he is disappointed in the United States' foster care and treatment of Native Americans.[33] Willis also stated that he is a big supporter of gun rights:
:
"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." Even a pacifist, he insists, would get violent if someone were trying to kill him. "You would fight for your life."[34]
Military interests
Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters in films such as ''The Siege'', ''Hart's War'', ''Tears of the Sun'', and ''Grindhouse''. Growing up in a military family, Willis has been publicly supportive of troops of the United States armed forces. In 2002, Willis's youngest daughter, Tallulah, suggested that Willis purchase Girl Scout cookies to send to troops. Willis purchased 12,000 boxes of cookies, and they were distributed to sailors aboard USS ''John F. Kennedy'' and other troops stationed throughout the Middle East at the time.[35] In 2003, Willis visited Iraq as part of the USO tour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators.[36] 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.[37] It was believed he 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, however, in the June 2007 issue of ''Vanity Fair'', he clarified that the statement was made hypothetically and not meant to be taken literally. Willis has also bashed the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press were more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:
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."[38] 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 described the plot of the film as "these guys who do what they are asked for very little money to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom."[39]
Conspiracy theories
In an interview for the June 2007 issue of ''Vanity Fair'', Bruce Willis reveals his skepticism that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of JFK, and suggests that some of the same criminals who killed Kennedy are still in power today.[40]
Filmography
Film roles
Year Title Role Notes 1980 ''The First Deadly Sin'' Man Entering Diner as Delaney Leaves extra 1982 ''The Verdict'' Courtroom Observer extra 1985 ''A Guru Comes'' Unknown role extra 1987 ''Blind Date'' Walter Davis 1988 ''The Return of Bruno'' Bruno Radolini ''Sunset'' Tom Mix ''Die Hard'' John McClane $5,000,000 salary[41] 1989 ''That's Adequate'' Himself cameo ''In Country'' Emmett Smith ''Look Who's Talking'' Mikey voice 1990 ''Die Hard 2'' John McClane $7,500,000 salary[42] ''Look Who's Talking Too'' Mikey voice ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'' Peter Fallow $3,000,000 salary 1991 ''Mortal Thoughts'' James Urbanski ''Hudson Hawk'' Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' Hawkins also co-wrote plot and theme music ''Billy Bathgate'' Bo Weinberg ''The Last Boy Scout'' Joseph Cornelius 'Joe' Hallenbeck 1992 ''The Player'' Himself cameo ''Death Becomes Her'' Dr. Ernest Menville 1993 ''National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1'' John McClane cameo ''Striking Distance'' Tom Hardy 1994 ''North'' Narrator ''Color of Night'' Dr. Bill Capa ''Pulp Fiction'' Butch Coolidge $800,000 salary ''Nobody's Fool'' Carl Roebuck 1995 ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'' John McClane ''Four Rooms'' Leo uncredited ''Twelve Monkeys'' James Cole 1996 ''Last Man Standing'' John Smith ''Beavis and Butt-head Do America'' Muddy Grimes voice 1997 ''The Fifth Element'' Korben Dallas ''The Jackal'' The Jackal 1998 ''Mercury Rising'' Art Jeffries ''Armageddon'' Harry S. Stamper $20,000,000 salary plus percentage of profits[43] ''The Siege'' Major General William Devereaux $5,000,000 salary[44] ''Apocalypse'' Trey Kincaid 1999 ''Franky Goes to Hollywood'' Himself Short subject ''Breakfast of Champions'' Dwayne Hoover ''The Sixth Sense'' Dr. Malcolm Crowe $100,000,000 salary (includes salary, gross, & video revenue); 'highest earnings for any actor at the time' ''The Story of Us'' Ben Jordan 2000 ''The Whole Nine Yards'' Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski ''The Kid'' Russell Duritz $20,000,000 salary ''Unbreakable'' David Dunn $20,000,000 salary 2001 ''Bandits'' Joe Blake 2002 ''Hart's War'' Col. William A. McNamara $22,500,000 salary ''Grand Champion'' CEO cameo 2003 ''Tears of the Sun'' Lieutenant A.K. Waters ''Rugrats Go Wild!'' Spike voice '' William Rose Bailey cameo 2004 ''The Whole Ten Yards'' Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski ''Ocean's Twelve'' Himself cameo 2005 ''Hostage'' Jeff Talley $25,000,000 salary ''Sin City'' John Hartigan $5,000,000 2006 ''Alpha Dog'' Sonny Truelove ''16 Blocks'' Jack Mosley Producer, $20,000,000 salary ''Fast Food Nation'' Harry Rydell ''Lucky Number Slevin'' Mr. Goodkat $7,000,000 ''Over The Hedge'' RJ voice$15,000,000 2007 ''The Astronaut Farmer'' The Colonel uncredited ''Perfect Stranger'' Harrison Hill $15,000,000 ''Grindhouse'' Lt. Muldoon $1,000,000 ''Nancy Drew'' Bruce cameo ''Live Free or Die Hard'' John McClane $25,000,000+20% of all gross 2008 ''Assassination of a High School President'' Principal pre-production 2009 ''Morgan's Summit'' --- pre-production ''Pinkville'' William R. Peers announced ''The Last Full Measure'' William H. Pitsenbarger announced
Television roles
Year(s) Title Role Notes 1984 ''Miami Vice'' Tony Amato episode "No Exit" 1985 ''The Twilight Zone'' Peter Jay Novins episode "Shatterday" 1985-1989 ''Moonlighting'' David Addison Jr. 67 episodes 1996-1997 ''Bruno the Kid'' Bruno the Kid voice 1997 ''Mad About You'' Amnesia patient episode "The birth part 2" 1999 ''Ally McBeal'' Dr. Nickle episode "Love Unlimited" 2000 ''Friends'' Paul Stevens three episodes 2002 ''True West'' Lee television movie 2005 ''That '70s Show'' Vic episode "Misfire"
Producer
Year Title Other notes 1988 ''Sunset'' co-executive producer 2002 '' producer 2007 ''The Hip Hop Project'' executive producer ''Live Free or Die Hard'' producer
Discography
★ ''The Return of Bruno'', 1987, Razor & Tie,
★ ''If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger'', 1989, Motown / Pgd, .
★ ''Classic Bruce Willis: The Universal Masters Collection'', 2001, Polygram Int'l, .
Awards and honors
Willis has won a variety of awards and has received various honors throughout his career in television and film.
★ For his work on the television show ''Moonlighting'' he won an Emmy ("Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series") and a Golden Globe ("Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical") plus received additional nominations for the show.[45]
★ In the 1999 drama/thriller film, ''The Sixth Sense'', Willis won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award ("Favorite Actor - Suspense") and the People's Choice Award ("Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Drama") and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor and received two nominations for the MTV Movie Awards for "Best Male Performance" and "Best On-Screen Duo".
★ In February 2002, Willis was awarded the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.[46]
★ Also in 2002, Willis was appointed as national spokesman for Children in Foster Care by President George W. Bush.[47] Willis wrote online: "I saw Foster Care as a way for me to serve my country in a system by which shining a little bit of light could benefit a great deal by helping kids who were literally wards of the government."[48]
★ In April 2006, he was honored by French government for his contributions to the film industry. Willis was named "Officier Dans L'ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres" (Officer In The Order Of Arts And Letters) in a ceremony in Paris. The French Prime Minister stated "This is France's way of paying tribute to an actor who epitomizes the strength of American cinema, the power of the emotions that he invites us to share on the world's screens and the sturdy personalities of his legendary characters."[49]
★ On October 16, 2006, Willis was honored with a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard and it was the 2,321st star awarded in its history. Willis, reacting to his reception of the star, stated "I used to come down here and look at these stars and I could never quite figure out what you were supposed to do to get one...time has passed and now here I am doing this, and I'm still excited. I'm still excited to be an actor."[50]
★ In Tokyo, Japan, Willis was named honorary chief of the cyberterrorism task force by the National Public Safety Commission on June 12, 2007. Kensei Mizote, the head of the commission, told Willis to "lead the world to create a safer society."[51]
References
1. Box Office Mojo
2. The Numbers
3. Daily Mail
4. AskMen.com
5. Reader's Digest
6. Digital Hit
7. Yahoo! Movies
8.
9. People.com
10. Box Office Mojo
11. The Eighties Club
12. Film Reference
13. Box Office Mojo
14. Entertainment Weekly
15. Internet Movie Database
16. People.com
17. Star Pulse
18. YouTube
19. JoBlo
20. TMZ.com articleRetrieved on August 9, 2007
21. SoFeminine.ca
22. Internet Movie Database
23. Hollywood.com
24. NNDB
25. YouTube
26. Internet Movie Database
27. aintitcool
28. freezedried
29. Hindustan Times
30. CNN
31. Time.com
32. MSNBC
33. USA Weekend
34. USA Weekend
35. USS John F. Kennedy Public Affairs
36. CBS News
37. Michael Yon: Online
38. Times Online
39. Hollywood.com
40. New York Post
41. Entertainment Weekly
42. Internet Movie Database
43. tiscali.film&tv
44. ipaki
45. Internet Movie Database
46. People.com
47. The White House
48. Free Republic
49. Internet Movie Database
50. Washington Post
51. Japan Today
External links
★ ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>/http://www.brucewillis.com BruceWillis.com (Way Back Machine) Official website - shutdown since Thanksgiving 2005. Link refers to the cached homepages of the site at Archive.org.
★ BruceWillisPL.com - Bruce Willis photo gallery, active forum, and news
★
★
★
★ Bruce Willis interview on ''The Tavis Smiley Show''
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