Actor
Bruce Willis
Born 19 March 1955 · Idar-Oberstein, West Germany [now Germany]
Bruce Willis is an American actor who rose to fame on the TV series Moonlighting before becoming a major action star as John McClane in the Die Hard films. He also took acclaimed dramatic and genre roles, and retired in 2022 due to health problems.
Key films
Die Hard (1988)
Made him a global action star as John McClane and defined the modern action-thriller template.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino's landmark crime film gave him a celebrated, against-type role as boxer Butch Coolidge.
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Terry Gilliam's sci-fi thriller showed his range as a time traveler in a dark, cerebral story.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night Shyamalan's hit supernatural drama featured one of his best-known dramatic performances.
Unbreakable (2000)
Reunited him with Shyamalan in a grounded superhero story that later grew into a connected film series.
Key awards
- 1987 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy), Moonlighting
- 1987 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Moonlighting
- 1991 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Roseanne
- 2006 Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 167
- 1980The First Deadly Sin · as Man Entering Diner as Delaney Leaves (uncredited)Actor
- 1980A Guru Comes · as Extra (uncredited)Actor
- 1981Prince of the City · as Extra (uncredited)Actor
- 1982The Verdict · as Courtroom Observer (uncredited)Actor
- 1986Barbra Streisand: One Voice · as Self - Audience Member (uncredited)Actor
- 1987Blind Date · as Walter DavisActor
- 1987The Return of BrunoComposer
- 1987The Return of Bruno · as Bruno RadoliniActor
- 1987The Pointer Sisters: Up All Nite · as SelfActor
- 1988Die Hard · as John McClaneActor
- 1988Sunset · as Tom MixActor
- 1989Look Who's Talking · as Mikey (voice)Actor
- 1989In Country · as Emmett SmithActor
- 1989That's Adequate · as SelfActor
- 1989Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary · as SelfActor
- 1990Die Hard 2 · as John McClaneActor
- 1990Look Who's Talking Too · as Mikey (voice)Actor
- 1990The Bonfire of the Vanities · as Peter FallowActor
- 1990Seriously... Phil Collins · as SelfActor
- 1991The Last Boy Scout · as Joe HallenbeckActor
- 1991Hudson Hawk · as Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' HawkinsActor
- 1991Billy Bathgate · as Bo WeinbergActor
- 1991Mortal Thoughts · as James UrbanskiActor
- 1992Death Becomes Her · as Dr. Ernest MenvilleActor
- 1992The Player · as Bruce WillisActor
- 1993Striking Distance · as Tom HardyActor
- 1993National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 · as John McClane (uncredited)Actor
- 1993Annie Leibovitz 1993 Phaidon Documentary · as SelfActor
- 1994Pulp Fiction · as Butch CoolidgeActor
- 1994Color of Night · as Dr. Bill CapaActor
- 1994Nobody's Fool · as Carl RoebuckActor
- 1994North · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1995Twelve Monkeys · as James ColeActor
- 1995Die Hard: With a Vengeance · as John McClaneActor
- 1995Four Rooms · as Leo (uncredited)Actor
- 1995A Night to Die For · as SelfActor
- 1996Last Man Standing · as John SmithActor
- 1996Beavis and Butt-Head Do America · as Muddy (voice)Actor
- 1996The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 'Twelve Monkeys' · as SelfActor
- 1997The Fifth Element · as Korben DallasActor
- 1997The Jackal · as The JackalActor
- 1997Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie · as Bruno the Kid (voice) (archive footage)Actor
- 1998Armageddon · as Harry S. StamperActor
- 1998Mercury Rising · as Art JeffriesActor
- 1998The Siege · as Major-General William DevereauxActor
- 1998Armageddon: Target Earth · as SelfActor
- 1999The Sixth Sense · as Malcolm CroweActor
- 1999The Story of Us · as Ben JordanActor
- 1999Breakfast of Champions · as Dwayne HooverActor
- 2000Unbreakable · as David DunnActor
- 2000The Whole Nine Yards · as Jimmy 'Tulipán' TudeskiActor
- 2000The Kid · as Russ DuritzActor
- 2001Bandits · as Joseph BlakeActor
- 2002Hart's War · as Col. William A. McNamaraActor
- 2002The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies · as Self - Interviewee (uncredited)Actor
- 2002True West · as LeeActor
- 2002Heart of the Festival · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2002Pulp Fiction: The Facts · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2002Pulp Fiction: Behind The Scenes MontagesActor
- 2003Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle · as William Rose Bailey (uncredited)Actor
- 2003Tears of the Sun · as Lieutenant A.K. WatersActor
- 2003Rugrats Go Wild · as Spike (voice)Actor
- 2003Journey to Safety: Making 'Tears of the Sun' · as SelfActor
- 2004Ocean's Twelve · as Bruce WillisActor
- 2004The Whole Ten Yards · as Jimmy TudeskiActor
- 2004Grand Champion · as Mr. BlandfordActor
- 2004Genius. A Night for Ray Charles · as SelfActor
- 2005Sin City · as HartiganActor
- 2005Hostage · as Jeff TalleyActor
- 2005My Date with Drew · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 2006Over the Hedge · as RJ (voice)Actor
- 2006Lucky Number Slevin · as Mr. GoodkatActor
- 200616 Blocks · as Jack MosleyActor
- 2006Alpha Dog · as Sonny TrueloveActor
- 2006Fast Food Nation · as Harry RydellActor
- 2006Hammy's Boomerang Adventure · as RJ (voice)Actor
- 2006Tony Bennett: An American Classic · as Self - SpeakerActor
- 2006The Hip Hop Project · as SelfActor
- 2007Live Free or Die Hard · as John McClaneActor
- 2007Planet Terror · as Lieutenant MuldoonActor
- 2007Grindhouse · as Muldoon (segment "Planet Terror")Actor
- 2007Perfect Stranger · as Harrison HillActor
- 2007Nancy Drew · as Bruce (uncredited)Actor
- 2007The Astronaut Farmer · as Doug Masterson (uncredited)Actor
- 2008What Just Happened · as Bruce WillisActor
- 2008Assassination of a High School President · as Principal Jared T. KirkpatrickActor
- 2008Shine a Light · as Self - Concert Audience (uncredited)Actor
- 2009Surrogates · as Tom GreerActor
- 2010The Expendables · as Mr. Church (uncredited)Actor
- 2010RED · as Frank MosesActor
- 2010Cop Out · as Jimmy MonroeActor
- 2010I'm Still Here · as Self - GuestActor
- 2010Inferno: The Making of 'The Expendables' · as SelfActor
- 2011Setup · as BiggsActor
- 2011Catch.44 · as MelActor
- 2011His Way · as SelfActor
- 2011Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts · as SelfActor
- 2011Gorillaz - Single Collection 2001-2011Actor
- 2012Looper · as Old JoeActor
- 2012The Expendables 2 · as ChurchActor
- 2012Moonrise Kingdom · as Captain SharpActor
- 2012The Cold Light of Day · as MartinActor
- 2012Fire with Fire · as Mike CellaActor
- 2012Lay the Favorite · as Dink HeimowitzActor
- 2012Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2012B.B. King: The Life of Riley · as SelfActor
- 2012Close Up · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2013A Good Day to Die Hard · as John McClaneActor
- 2013G.I. Joe: Retaliation · as Joe ColtonActor
- 2013RED 2 · as Frank MosesActor
- 2013Bruce Willis: Why the Legend Never Dies · as Narrator (voice) / SelfActor
- 2014Sin City: A Dame to Kill For · as HartiganActor
- 2014The Prince · as OmarActor
- 2014Altman · as SelfActor
- 2015Vice · as JulianActor
- 2015Extraction · as Leonard TurnerActor
- 2015Rock the Kasbah · as Bombay BrianActor
- 2015Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom' · as Self / Cap SharpActor
- 2016Marauders · as HubertActor
- 2016Precious Cargo · as EddieActor
- 2016Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 · as SelfActor
- 2017Split · as David Dunn (uncredited)Actor
- 2017Once Upon a Time in Venice · as SteveActor
- 2017First Kill · as HowellActor
- 2017John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2017The Rolling Stones: From the Vault - Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015 · as Self - Audience MemberActor
- 2018Death Wish · as Paul KerseyActor
- 2018Acts of Violence · as Detective James AveryActor
- 2018Reprisal · as JamesActor
- 2018Air Strike · as JackActor
- 2018Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis · as SelfActor
- 2019Glass · as David Dunn / The OverseerActor
- 2019The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part · as Bruce Willis (voice)Actor
- 2019Motherless Brooklyn · as Frank MinnaActor
- 2019Between Two Ferns: The Movie · as Bruce Willis (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Trauma Center · as Lt. Det. WakesActor
- 201910 Minutes Gone · as RexActor
- 2020Breach · as Clay YoungActor
- 2020Hard Kill · as ChalmersActor
- 2020Survive the Night · as FrankActor
- 2020Bruce Willis, l'indestructibleActor
- 2021Apex · as Thomas MaloneActor
- 2021Cosmic Sin · as James FordActor
- 2021Midnight in the Switchgrass · as Karl HelterActor
- 2021Fortress · as RobertActor
- 2021Out of Death · as Jack HarrisActor
- 2021Survive the Game · as DavidActor
- 2021Deadlock · as Ron WhitlockActor
- 2021Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2022Vendetta · as Donnie FetterActor
- 2022A Day to Die · as AlstonActor
- 2022Detective Knight: Rogue · as Det. James KnightActor
- 2022Paradise City · as Ian SwanActor
- 2022Wire Room · as Shane MuellerActor
- 2022White Elephant · as Arnold SolomanActor
- 2022Fortress: Sniper's Eye · as RobertActor
- 2022American Siege · as Ben WattsActor
- 2022Gasoline Alley · as Detective FreemanActor
- 2022Corrective Measures · as Julius 'The Lobe' LoebActor
- 2022Wrong Place · as FrankActor
- 2022Detective Knight: Redemption · as Det. James KnightActor
- 2023Sly · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 2023Detective Knight: Independence · as Det. James KnightActor
- 2023Assassin · as ValmoraActor
- 2023The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2025Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey – A Diane Sawyer Special · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2025Bruce Willis : les secrets d'une icône · as Self (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.