Bruce Willis was born on a U.S. military base in West Germany. He came to America at the age of two, when his father was discharged from service and his family settled in New Jersey. As a boy, Willis was a stutterer, a speech impediment he overcame through acting -- with study and rehearsal, the stuttering disappeared, and eventually it faded away off-stage as well. After high school, he worked as a truck driver and did other odd jobs, before deciding to go to college and make something of himself. He briefly studied drama at Montclair State College, but dropped out when it bored him. Willis took a slummy apartment in New York, where he worked odd jobs. He shared an apartment with another struggling actor, Linda Fiorentino, and made his film debut as an extra in The First Deadly Sin, with Frank Sinatra in his last leading role.
Willis was fired as celebrity spokesman for Seagram's when he was arrested for drunken driving. In 1987, he was arrested for disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer when a party at his home got out of hand. Charges were dropped after Willis apologized to police and his neighbors.
He is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood, and loudly supports Republican candidates. He was one of Hollywood's most outspoken supporters of the 2003 war with Iraq, and visited the troops there, offering a $1 million bounty for the soldier who captured Saddam Hussein. When Hussein was captured, it turned out that military rules prevent troops from collecting such a reward.
[1] "I'm always being accused of being a Hollywood Republican -- but I'm not! I have just as many Democratic ideas as Republican ones." New York Daily News (Sep-2006)
Father: David Willis (mechanic)
Mother: Marlene
Brother: Robert Willis (b. 1959, d. 2001 pancreatic cancer)
Brother: David Willis (producer)
Sister: Flo Willis
Girlfriend: Linda Fiorentino (actress, cohabited late 70s to early 80s)
Wife: Demi Moore (actress, m. 21-Nov-1987, div. 18-Oct-2000, three daughters)
Daughter: Rumer Willis (actress, b. 16-Aug-1988)
Daughter: Scout Larue Willis (b. 20-Jul-1991)
Daughter: Tallulah Belle Willis (actress, b. 3-Feb-1994)
Girlfriend: Maria Bravo Rosado (model, together 1998-2000)
Girlfriend: Rachel Hunter (model, together 2001)
Girlfriend: Alisha Klass (pornstar, together 2001)
Girlfriend: Eva Jasanovska (model, together 2002)
Girlfriend: Emily Sandberg (model, together early '00s)
Girlfriend: Nadia Bjorlin (actress, together early '00s)
Girlfriend: Brooke Burns (actress, together 2003-04)
Wife: Emma Heming (model, b. 18-Jun-1978, m. 21-Mar-2009, one daughter)
Daughter: Mabel Ray Willis (b. 1-Apr-2012)
High School: Penns Grove High School, Penns Grove, NJ (1973)
University: Montclair State College (dropped out)
Planet Hollywood roughly 2% ownership
Endorsement of Nike (2011)
Endorsement of Seagram & Sons (1986-88)
Endorsement of Trust Bank of Russia (2010)
Endorsement of Visa (2001)
Emmy Moonlighting, 1987
Hollywood Walk of Fame (16-Oct-2006)
Driving While Intoxicated
Assault talked back to a cop, May-1997
Wedding: Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell (1993)
Risk Factors: Stuttering
TELEVISION
Moonlighting David Addison, Jr. (1985-89)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (6-Feb-2019) [VOICE]
Glass (7-Jan-2019)
Death Wish (1-Mar-2018)
Once Upon a Time in Venice (9-Jun-2017)
Marauders (1-Jul-2016)
Extraction (18-Dec-2015)
Rock the Kasbah (22-Oct-2015)
Vice (12-Jan-2015)
The Prince (22-Aug-2014)
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (19-Aug-2014)
Altman (1-Aug-2014) · Himself
Red 2 (18-Jul-2013)
G. I. Joe: Retaliation (27-Mar-2013)
A Good Day to Die Hard (7-Feb-2013)
Looper (6-Sep-2012) · Old Joe
Fire with Fire (31-Aug-2012)
The Expendables 2 (8-Aug-2012)
Moonrise Kingdom (16-May-2012) · Capt. Sharp
The Cold Light of Day (4-Apr-2012)
Lay the Favorite (21-Jan-2012)
Catch .44 (9-Dec-2011) · Mel
Setup (20-Sep-2011)
Red (29-Sep-2010) · Frank Moses
I'm Still Here (6-Sep-2010) · Himself
Cop Out (25-Feb-2010) · Jimmy
Surrogates (24-Sep-2009) · Greer
What Just Happened? (19-Jan-2008) · Actor
Assassination of a High School President (17-Jan-2008) · Principal Jared T. Kirkpatrick
Planet Terror (21-Jun-2007)
Live Free or Die Hard (26-May-2007)
Perfect Stranger (10-Apr-2007)
Grindhouse (6-Apr-2007)
Fast Food Nation (19-May-2006) · Harry Rydell
Over the Hedge (29-Apr-2006) [VOICE]
16 Blocks (1-Mar-2006)
Lucky Number Slevin (24-Feb-2006)
Alpha Dog (27-Jan-2006)
Sin City (1-Apr-2005)
Hostage (11-Mar-2005)
The Whole Ten Yards (7-Apr-2004) · Jimmy
Rugrats Go Wild! (1-Jun-2003) [VOICE]
Tears of the Sun (3-Mar-2003) · Lt. A. K. Waters
Grand Champion (Mar-2002)
Hart's War (15-Feb-2002) · Col. William A. McNamara
Bandits (12-Oct-2001) · Joe Blake
Unbreakable (14-Nov-2000)
The Kid (25-Jun-2000)
The Whole Nine Yards (17-Feb-2000) · Jimmy Tudeski
The Story of Us (13-Oct-1999) · Ben Jordan
The Sixth Sense (2-Aug-1999)
Breakfast of Champions (15-May-1999)
The Siege (6-Nov-1998) · Gen. William Devereaux
Armageddon (1-Jul-1998)
Mercury Rising (1-Apr-1998) · Art Jeffries
The Jackal (14-Nov-1997) · The Jackal
The Fifth Element (9-May-1997) · Korben Dallas
Beavis and Butthead Do America (20-Dec-1996) · Muddy [VOICE]
Last Man Standing (20-Sep-1996) · John Smith
Twelve Monkeys (27-Dec-1995) · James Cole
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (19-May-1995) · John McClane
Nobody's Fool (23-Dec-1994) · Carl Roebuck
Pulp Fiction (14-Oct-1994) · Butch Coolidge
Color of Night (19-Aug-1994)
North (22-Jul-1994) · Narrator
Striking Distance (17-Sep-1993) · Tom Hardy
Death Becomes Her (31-Jul-1992) · Ernest Menville
The Player (3-Apr-1992) · Himself
The Last Boy Scout (13-Dec-1991)
Billy Bathgate (1-Nov-1991) · Bo Weinberg
Hudson Hawk (24-May-1991) · Hudson Hawk
Mortal Thoughts (19-Apr-1991) · James Urbanski
The Bonfire of the Vanities (21-Dec-1990)
Look Who's Talking Too (14-Dec-1990) · Voice of Mikey [VOICE]
Die Hard 2 (4-Jul-1990) · John McClane
Look Who's Talking (13-Oct-1989) · Voice of Mikey [VOICE]
In Country (7-Sep-1989)
That's Adequate (Jan-1989) · Himself
Die Hard (15-Jul-1988) · John McClane
Sunset (29-Apr-1988) · Tom Mix
Blind Date (27-Mar-1987) · Walter Davis
Official Website:
http://www.brucewillis.com/