Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, on a U.S. military base in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. In 1957, David Willis returned to Penns Grove, New Jersey, with his German-born wife, Marlene, and their two-year old son. Bruce went to Penns Grove High School, where he was captain of the wrestling team and student body president. He was also active in the drama club.
After high school, Bruce did factory work, odd jobs, and played harmonica with an R&B band called Loose Goose. Eventually he enrolled in the drama program at Montclair State College. As a junior, he starred in a school production of Tennessee Williams' classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but continued auditioning for roles in New York. In 1977, Bruce landed his first off-Broadway role in Heaven on Earth and quit school to focus on his acting career. He moved to New York where, at one point, he shared an apartment with Linda Fiorentino who appeared in a number of films, most notably Men in Black. In 1980, Bruce was as an extra in The First Deadly Sin, starring Frank Sinatra. He spent the next six years playing bit parts, including an episode of Miami Vice. In 1984, he was cast in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love, replacing Ed Harris. That year, he auditioned for a role in a new television series, Moonlighting, co-starring Cybill Shepherd, and was chosen over 3,000 others for the role.
Moonlighting ran from 1985 to 1989 and was wildly popular despite rumors of tension on the set. It was during this period that Bruce met actress Demi Moore whom he married on November 21, 1987. The marriage lasted for nearly thirteen years, and the couple had three children. Demi later married actor Ashton Kutcher, but she and Bruce remain good friends. Bruce’s role in Moonlighting led to more small parts, and finally, in 1987, he landed a credited role opposite Kim Basinger in Blind Date. The next year, he starred with James Garner in Blake Edward’s Western farce, Sunset. But it was the 1989 action film Die Hard that finally got Bruce’s career off the ground. Norman Jewison's In Country followed, and then came Look Who's Talking, in which Bruce played the voice of the baby. He reprieved this role in 1990’s Look Who’s Talking Too. Die Hard 2 was also released in 1990. Throughout the 1990s, Bruce Willis stayed busy. His more notable efforts include 1994’s Pulp Fiction with John Travolta and the 1995 classic, 12 Monkeys, with Brad Pitt. In 1997, he starred in The Fifth Element with Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, and Luke Perry; and in 1998 he appeared in Armageddon in an all-star cast that included Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson. In 1999, Bruce starred in The Sixth Sense, with child star Haley Joel Osment. As the new millennium dawned, Bruce Willis became more involved in film production, and produced a number of films. He continued acting, and even turned up in some television shows, including That 70s Show, Ally McBeal, and three episodes of Friends. More films followed, including Sin City in 2005; and in 2006 he starred in 16 Blocks, The Astronaut Farmer, Fast Food Nation, and Lucky Number Slevin. Bruce Willis has also released several CDs, including If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger in 1989 and The Return of Bruno in 1997. Since his divorce, Bruce Willis has never remarried, but has been linked romantically with a number of lovely ladies, including Brooke Burns, Ilaria D'Amico, and Nadia Bjorlin. YUDDY |
