Synopsis
Born
Walter Bruce Willison on March 19, 1955, in 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, Willis starred alongside Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester Stallone in the film
The Expendables. In 2012, he reunited with the film's cast to star in
The Expendables 2.
Early Life
Film
actor, born on March 19, 1955 in West Germany. Bruce Willis—the name on
his birth certificate is actually Walter Bruce Willison—is the oldest
of David and Marlene Williston's four children, a group that includes
three sons and a daughter. Initially an Army brat—his father was
stationed in the West German town of Ida-Oberstein—Willis moved with his
family to Carney's Point, New Jersey, in 1957 following his father's
discharge.
There,
the seeds for the tough, blue collar edge that's come to define so many
of Willis' 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 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' 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.
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