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Quick Facts
- NAME: Bruce Willis
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor
- BIRTH DATE: March 19, 1955 (Age: 58)
- EDUCATION: Montclair State University in New Jersey
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Idar-Oberstein, Germany
- Full Name: Walter Bruce Willison
- AKA: Bruce Willis
- AKA: Walter Willison
- Nickname: "Bruno"
- ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces
Best Known For
Bruce Willis first made a splash on TV in Moonlighting, costarring Cybill Shepherd, but his fame really grew with films such as Die Hard, The Sixth Sense and The Expendables.
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Play NowBruce Willis. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 05:33, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244.
Bruce Willis. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244 [Accessed 25 May 2013].
"Bruce Willis." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 05:33 http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244.
"Bruce Willis," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244 [accessed May 25, 2013].
"Bruce Willis," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244 (accessed May 25, 2013).
Bruce Willis [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244.
Bruce Willis, http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244 (last visited May 25, 2013).
Bruce Willis. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-willis-9533244. Accessed May 25, 2013.
Synopsis
Born Walter Bruce Willison on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, Bruce Willis's career was launched when he played wisecracking David Addison on TV's Moonlighting opposite Cybill Shepherd. In the summer of 1988, Die Hard, an action-packed flick that cast Willis as the muscle-pumping hero, hit movie screens with a bang, and his status as a bona fide movie star was minted. In 2010,
Quotes
"Every day, I work at not taking this fame thing seriously. Fortunately, I have a great group of friends who help me do this."
"I hate government. I'm apolitical. Write that down. I'm not a Republican."
Willis starred in the film The Expendables. In 2012, he reunited with the film's cast for The Expendables 2.
Early Life
Film actor Bruce Willis was born Walter Bruce Willison on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, where his father was stationed in the U.S. military at the time. Willis is the oldest of David and Marlene Williston's four children, a group that includes three sons and a daughter. In 1957, following his father's discharge from the military, Willis moved with his family to Carney's Point, New Jersey.
There, the seeds for the tough, blue collar edge that's come to define so many of Willis's roles were planted as he watched his father feed the family through work as a welder and later a factory employee.
By all accounts Willis, nicknamed "Bruno" by his friends, was a popular kid with a good sense of humor who in high school was elected Student Council President. He liked pranks and wasn't immune from getting into occasional trouble. Coupled with this, however, was a slightly softer side that centered on his interest in the theater and the stage. It was born oddly enough out of the realization that a stutter that plagued his speech as a youngster, immediately went away as soon as he began performing in front of large groups.
Aspiring Actor
After graduating from high school, Willis followed in his father's footsteps and found work with his hands, first in a chemical factory and then as a security guard, before returning to the classroom as a drama student at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Willis's interest in acting didn't wane, but eager to strike out on his own, he quit school after his sophomore year and moved to New York City to try and make it as a working actor.
For Willis, whose acting heroes include Robert De Niro, Gary Cooper, Steve McQueen and John Wayne, work didn't come easy. He waited tables, tended bar and, when he had the chance, auditioned for roles. His first real break of any kind came in 1977, when he debuted in the off-Broadway play, Heaven and Earth. More stage work followed, but in 1980 Willis jumped over to film when he scored a bit role in the Frank Sinatra film, The First Deadly Sin. Two years later he landed another minor part in The Verdict, starring Paul Newman. There was some exposure on the television screen, too, with occasional appearances on episodes of Hart to Hart and Miami Vice.
In 1984, after replacing Ed Harris in the off-Broadway hit, Fool for Love, Willis headed west to Hollywood to audition for the Madonna vehicle, Desperately Seeking Susan.
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