History Creator / BruceWillis

* MoneyDearBoy: The final stretch of his career had rare theatrical releases and ''many'' direct-to-video/streaming movies where he was an AdvertisedExtra. Once his illness-related retirement was announced, it was clear that those easy paychecks were Willis working while he still could to get money for a comfortable retirement and medical treatments.

* Sonny Truelove in ''Film/AlphaDog'' (2006).

* Russ Duritz in ''Film/TheKid2000''

* Detective James Knight in the ''Detective Knight'' Trilogy,[[note]]''Detective Knight: Rouge (2022)'', ''Detective Knight: Redemption'' (2022) and ''Detective Knight: Independance'' (2023)[[/note]] also one of his last film roles

He's often dubbed by Creator/MarioCastaneda for Latin American Spanish releases of his films. On European French releases, he was almost always dubbed by Patrick Poivey (a notable exception being ''Film/TheFifthElement'') until his death in 2020. Other voice actors have dubbed him after that. His signature voice in Brazilian Portuguese was Newton da Matta until his 2006 death, with the second most frequent being Leonardo Camillo, [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute who sounds uncannily like da Matta]].

On March 30, 2022, several members of Willis's family posted on social media that Willis would be "stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him" due to his recently-diagnosed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia aphasia]], a language-processing disorder that impacted his acting abilities. Rumors of him having memory loss had been circulating in the industry for years, and the response led the aforementioned Razzies to rescind the award they gave him a week prior to the announcement out of respect.

On February 16, 2023, nearly a year after his aphasia diagnosis went public, Willis' family announced that his condition has progressed into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontotemporal_dementia frontotemporal dementia]].

After ''Die Hard'', Willis had a healthy film career throughout the 1990s and going into the 2000s, alternating between action, comedy, and even straight-up drama. However, in the 2010s, his appearances were primarily in Direct-to-Video action films with few mainstream roles. By 2022, his habit of showing up for a day or two of filming on a no-budget action movie became so notorious the Razzies created a special category called "[[OverlyNarrowSuperlative Worst Bruce Willis Performance In A 2021 Movie]]" with ''eight'' nominations.[[note]]The category was rescinded following Willis' aphasia diagnosis.[[/note]]

On March 30, 2022, several members of Willis's family posted on social media that Willis would be "stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him" due to his recently-diagnosed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia aphasia]], a language-processing disorder that impacted his acting abilities. Rumors of him having memory loss had been circulating in the industry for years, and the response led the aforementioned Razzies to rescind the award they gave him a week prior to the announcement.

Willis was married to Creator/DemiMoore between 1987 and 2000, having three daughters with her, including Creator/RumerWillis.

* DullSurprise: Sadly, due to his aphasia diagnosis, his performances towards the end of his career came across as phoned in.

* Harry S. Stamper in ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'' (1998)

* YoungerAndHipper: His big break, John [=McClane=] in the ''Franchise/DieHard'' films, was a huge example of this. In ''Nothing Lasts Forever'', the novel the film was based on, Joe Leland ([[AdaptationNameChange the McClane equivalent]]) is no-nonsense, uncool, tight-assed, and around twice Willis' age at the time he did that film; in fact, the film was ''supposed'' to have the lead role played by a then-73 Music/FrankSinatra (though that was more the result of a contractual obligation)! The casting of Bruce Willis, fresh from ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', forced the scriptwriters to overhaul the character completely to fit Willis' acting style.

Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, as the son of David Willis, an American soldier, and Marlene, a German banker mother, giving Willis dual citizenship of both Germany and the United States. After being discharged from the military in 1957, his father relocated the family to his hometown of Carneys Point, New Jersey. Willis, who spoke with a stutter, showed an early interest in acting during his time in high school, as he discovered that it reduced his stuttering, joining up with the local school drama club. His interest lasted after graduating high school in 1973, as he drifted between temporary jobs in his native New Jersey, including doing stints as a security guard and a private investigator. He eventually enrolled in the Drama Program at Montclair State University, where he was cast in a production of ''Theatre/CatOnAHotTinRoof''. He then moved to New York City in 1977, where he mostly worked as a bartender while appearing in bit parts in stage productions and television shows throughout the early 1980s.

* Muddy Grimes in ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead Beavis and Butt-Head Do America]]'' (1996)

Willis was married to Creator/DemiMoore between 1987 and 1998, having three daughters with her, including Creator/RumerWillis.

After ''Die Hard'', Willis had a healthy film career throughout the 1990s and going into the 2000s, alternating between action, comedy, and even straight-up drama. However, in the 2010s, his appearances were primarily in Direct-to-Video action films with few mainstream roles. By 2022, his habit of showing up for a day or two of filming on a no-budget action movie became so notorious the Razzies created a special category called 'Worst Bruce Willis Performance In A 2021 Movie' with ''eight'' nominations.[[note]]The category was rescinded following Willis' aphasia diagnosis.[[/note]]

* Frank Moses in ''Film/{{Red}}'' (2010, 2013 sequel)

After ''Die Hard'', Willis had a healthy film career throughout the 1990s and going into the 2000s, alternating between action, comedy, and even straight-up drama. However, in the New 10s, his appearances were primarily in Direct-to-Video action films with few mainstream roles. By 2022, his habit of showing up for a day or two of filming on a no-budget action movie became so notorious the Razzies created a special category called 'Worst Bruce Willis Performance In A 2021 Movie' with ''eight'' nominations.[[note]]The category was rescinded following Willis' aphasia diagnosis.[[/note]]

On March 30, 2022, several members of Willis's family posted on social media that Willis would be "stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him" due to his recently-diagnosed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia aphasia]], a language-processing disorder that impacted his acting abilities. Rumors of him having memory loss had been circulating in the industry for years, and the response lead the aforementioned Razzies to rescind the award they gave him a week prior to the announcement.

On March 30, 2022, several members of Willis's family posted on social media that Willis would be “stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him” due to his recently-diagnosed aphasia, which impacted his cognitive abilities. The rumors of him having memory loss had been circulating in the industry for years, and the response also lead to the aforementioned Razzies to rescind the award they gave him a week prior to the announcement.

* MoneyDearBoy: The final stretch of his career had rare theatrical releases and ''many'' direct-to-video/streaming movies where he was an AdvertisedExtra. Once his illness-related retirement was announced, it was clear that those easy paychecks were Willis working while he still could to get money for a comfortable retirement.

* CatchPhrase: Has played at least three different characters who say, "Wrong answer!"

-->''[[Franchise/DieHard Yippee-ki-yay, TV Troper.]]''

* MoneyDearBoy: The final stretch of his career had rare theatrical releases and ''many'' direct-to-video\streaming movies where he was an AdvertisedExtra. Once his illness-related retirement was announced, it was clear that those easy paychecks were Willis working while he still could to get money for a comfortable retirement.
* OlderThanHeLooks: Besides the fact that he’s bald, he looks like he can still pass for being in his late 40s despite being in his early to mid-sixties.

He's often dubbed by Creator/MarioCastaneda for Latin American Spanish releases of his films. On European French releases, he was almost always dubbed by Patrick Poivey (a notable exception being ''Film/TheFifthElement'') until his death in 2020. Other voice actors have dubbed him after that.

On March 30, 2022, several members of Willis's family posted on social media that Willis would be “stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him” due to his recently-diagnosed aphasia, which impacted his cognitive abilities.

* CoolOldGuy: He can still do action roles in his sixties.