Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. His career began on the off-Broadway stage in the 1970s. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989) and has since appeared in over 70 films, gaining widespread recognition as an action hero after his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013) and other subsequent roles.
Willis's other credits include The Last Boy Scout (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), Last Man Standing (1996), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Hart's War (2002), Tears of the Sun (2003), Hostage (2005), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Surrogates (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Rock the Kasbah (2015) and Motherless Brooklyn (2019).
As a singer, Willis released his debut album The Return of Bruno in 1987, followed by two more successful albums in 1989 and 2001. He made his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Misery in 2015. Willis has received numerous accolades during his career, including a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
In March 2022, Willis announced that he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, which affects his ability to communicate. In February 2023, Willis' family announced that they had received a more accurate diagnosis and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
4.81
Popularity165
Credits6.1
Rating58.1M
Budget205M
RevenueActing
Primarily2025 Michael Caton-Jones: This Broxburn Boy's Life as Self (archive footage)
2023 Sly as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2023 The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump as Self (archive footage)
2023 Assassin as Valmora
2023 Detective Knight: Independence as Det. James Knight
2022 Detective Knight: Redemption as Det. James Knight
2022 Paradise City as Ian Swan
2022 Detective Knight: Rogue as Det. James Knight
2022 Wire Room as Shane Mueller
2022 Wrong Place as Frank
2022 White Elephant as Arnold Soloman
2022 Vendetta as Donnie Fetter
2022 Corrective Measures as Julius 'The Lobe' Loeb
2022 Fortress: Sniper's Eye as Robert
2022 A Day to Die as Alston
2022 Gasoline Alley as Detective Freeman
2022 American Siege as Ben Watts
2021 Fortress as Robert
2021 Deadlock as Ron Whitlock
2021 Apex as Thomas Malone
2021 Survive the Game as David
2021 Midnight in the Switchgrass as Karl Helter
2021 Out of Death as Jack Harris
2021 Cosmic Sin as James Ford
2021 Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend as Self (archive footage)
2020 Breach as Clay Young
2020 Bruce Willis, l'indestructible
2020 Hard Kill as Chalmers
2020 Survive the Night as Frank
2019 Trauma Center as Lt. Det. Wakes
2019 Motherless Brooklyn as Frank Minna
2019 QT8: The First Eight as Self (archive footage)
2019 10 Minutes Gone as Rex
2019 Between Two Ferns: The Movie as Bruce Willis (archive footage)
2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part as Bruce Willis (voice)
2019 Glass as David Dunn / The Overseer
2018 Air Strike as Jack
2018 Reprisal as James
2018 Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis as Self
2018 Death Wish as Paul Kersey
2018 Acts of Violence as Detective James Avery
2017 First Kill as Howell
2017 Once Upon a Time in Venice as Steve
2017 John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood as Self - Actor (archive footage)
2017 Split as David Dunn (uncredited)
2016 Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 as Self
2016 Precious Cargo as Eddie
2016 Marauders as Hubert
2015 Extraction as Leonard Turner
2015 Rock the Kasbah as Bombay Brian
2015 Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom' as Self / Cap Sharp
2015 Vice as Julian
2014 The Prince as Omar
2014 Sin City: A Dame to Kill For as Hartigan
2014 Altman as Self
2013 RED 2 as Frank Moses
2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation as Joe Colton
2013 Bruce Willis: Why the Legend Never Dies as Narrator (voice) / Self
2013 A Good Day to Die Hard as John McClane
2012 B.B. King: The Life of Riley as Self
2012 Close Up as Self (archive footage)
2012 Looper as Old Joe
2012 Fire with Fire as Mike Cella
2012 The Expendables 2 as Church
2012 Lay the Favorite as Dink Heimowitz
2012 Moonrise Kingdom as Captain Sharp
2012 The Cold Light of Day as Martin
2012 Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen as (archive footage)
2011 Catch.44 as Mel
2011 Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts as Self
2011 Setup as Biggs
2011 The Black Mamba as Mister Suave
2011 His Way as Self
2010 Inferno: The Making of 'The Expendables' as Self
2010 RED as Frank Moses
2010 I'm Still Here as Self - Guest
2010 The Expendables as Mr. Church (uncredited)
2010 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self (archive footage)
2010 Cop Out as Jimmy Monroe
2009 Surrogates as Tom Greer
2008 What Just Happened as Self
2008 Shine a Light as Self - Concert Audience (uncredited)
2008 Assassination of a High School President as Principal Kirkpatrick
2007 Live Free or Die Hard as John McClane
2007 Nancy Drew as Bruce (uncredited)
2007 Perfect Stranger as Harrison Hill
2007 Grindhouse as Muldoon (segment "Planet Terror")
2007 Planet Terror as Lieutenant Muldoon
2007 The Astronaut Farmer as Doug Masterson (uncredited)
2006 Tony Bennett: An American Classic as Self - Speaker
2006 Fast Food Nation as Harry Rydell
2006 Hammy's Boomerang Adventure as RJ (voice)
2006 Over the Hedge as RJ (voice)
2006 The Hip Hop Project as Self Executive Producer
2006 16 Blocks as Jack Mosley
2006 Lucky Number Slevin as Mr. Goodkat
2006 Alpha Dog as Sonny Truelove
2006 Tarantino's Mind as Butch Coolidge (archive footage)
2005 My Date with Drew as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2005 Sin City as Det. John Hartigan
2005 Hostage as Jeff Talley Producer
2004 Ocean's Twelve as Bruce Willis
2004 Genius. A Night for Ray Charles as Self
2004 Grand Champion as Mr. Blandford
2004 The Whole Ten Yards as Jimmy Tudeski
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle as William Rose Bailey
2003 Rugrats Go Wild as Spike (voice)
2003 Tears of the Sun as Lieutenant A.K. Waters
2002 Pulp Fiction: The Facts as Self (archive footage)
2002 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course Executive Producer
2002 The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies as Self - Interviewee (uncredited)
2002 True West as Lee Executive Producer
2002 Hart's War as Col. William A. McNamara
2001 Bandits as Joseph Blake
2000 Unbreakable as David Dunn
2000 The Kid as Russ Duritz
2000 The Whole Nine Yards as Jimmy 'Tulipán' Tudeski
1999 The Story of Us as Ben Jordan
1999 The Sixth Sense as Malcolm Crowe
1999 Breakfast of Champions as Dwayne Hoover
1998 The Siege as Major-General William Devereaux
1998 Jackie Chan: My Story as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Thanks
1998 Armageddon as Harry S. Stamper
1998 Mercury Rising as Art Jeffries
1998 Armageddon: Target Earth as Self
1997 The Jackal as The Jackal
1997 The Fifth Element as Korben Dallas
1997 Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie as Bruno the Kid (voice) (archive footage)
1996 Beavis and Butt-Head Do America as Muddy Grimes (voice)
1996 The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys' as Self
1996 Last Man Standing as John Smith
1995 Twelve Monkeys as James Cole
1995 Four Rooms as Leo (uncredited)
1995 Die Hard: With a Vengeance as John McClane
1995 A Night to Die For as Self
1994 Nobody's Fool as Carl Roebuck
1994 Pulp Fiction as Butch Coolidge
1994 Color of Night as Capa
1994 North as Narrator (voice)
1993 Striking Distance as Det. Tom Hardy
1993 National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as John McClane (uncredited)
1992 Death Becomes Her as Dr. Ernest Menville
1992 The Player as Bruce Willis
1991 The Last Boy Scout as Joe Hallenbeck
1991 Billy Bathgate as Bo Weinberg
1991 Hudson Hawk as Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' Hawkins Story
1991 Mortal Thoughts as James Urbanski
1990 The Bonfire of the Vanities as Peter Fallow
1990 Look Who's Talking Too as Mikey (voice)
1990 Seriously... Phil Collins as Self
1990 Die Hard 2 as John McClane
1989 Look Who's Talking as Mikey (voice)
1989 Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary as Self
1989 In Country as Emmett Smith
1989 That's Adequate as Self
1988 Die Hard as John McClane
1988 Sunset as Tom Mix
1987 Blind Date as Walter Davis
1987 The Return of Bruno as Bruno Radolini Original Music Composer, Writer, Producer
1987 The Pointer Sisters: Up All Nite as Self
1986 Barbra Streisand: One Voice as Self - Audience Member (uncredited)
1982 The Verdict as Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
1981 Prince of the City as Extra (uncredited)
1980 A Guru Comes as Extra (uncredited)
1980 The First Deadly Sin as Man Entering Diner as Delaney Leaves
7.08 TV Movie 11
6.92 Music 11
6.91 Documentary 26
6.41 Romance 7
6.40 Horror 5
6.38 Animation 6
6.28 Fantasy 4
6.27 Drama 36
6.17 Comedy 48
6.14 Mystery 18
6.13 Family 9
6.03 Crime 52
6.01 Thriller 78
6.01 Western 2
5.93 War 4
5.86 Adventure 24
5.83 Science Fiction 14
5.82 Action 76
5.00 History 1