Was high school student council president.
His recording of "Respect Yourself" reached #5 in January of 1987.
He
and Demi
Moore announce they are ending their marriage of 11 years. No reasons given.
[24 June 1998]
Ranked #22 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Has
three daughters with Demi
Moore: Rumer
Willis (b. 1988), Scout
LaRue Willis (b. 1991) and Tallulah
Belle Willis (b. 1994).
His mother Marlene was born in Kassel, Germany.
Appeared
on "Late
Show with David Letterman" (1993) to advertise for Demi
Moore's Striptease (1996) by doing his own undressing act. [1996]
As
a young man his personality was very much like that of the character that he portrayed on "Moonlighting" (1985). He was always getting into trouble because of this and was
bodily ejected from parties by the hosts for being obnoxious.
Has
been very vocal in his support of almost every major Republican candidate in recent history except Bob
Dole. He felt that presidential candidate Dole was out of line in his attacks
on Demi
Moore and her part in the movie Striptease (1996).
Was the first actor to ever "act" in a video game. No one before has ever done voice work along with having their movements
digitally added to the game.
Stated he will no longer be doing violent action or "save-the-world" movies. [2001]
Wears
his watch upside down with the face on the inside of his hand. This is also visible in many movies he's done (Die
Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), Mercury
Rising (1998), etc.) where they haven't requested him to flip it over.
Memorial Day weekend, 1987: Was arrested after reportedly disturbing the
peace and assaulting a police officer who was called to quiet a raucous party at his home. The charges were dropped
after Willis agreed to apologize to his neighbors.
According to friends, he had a terrible stammer as a child.
Younger brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 42. [2001]
Was
originally cast as Terry Benedict in Ocean's
Eleven (2001) but dropped out.
Attended Montclair State University in Montclair, New
Jersey.
Set
a new benchmark for actors' salaries when he was paid $5 million for Die
Hard (1988) in 1988. Eight years later, his wife, Demi
Moore, set a benchmark of $12 million with Striptease (1996).
His ineptness as a waiter forced him to become a bartender.
Was named Man of the Year by Harvard University's
Hasty Pudding Theatricals. [February 2002]
Was born on a military base in Germany.
Was president of a drama club at school.
Worked in a chemical factory before going to college.
He
filled in as a last-minute host for David
Letterman on February 26, 2003, a show he was supposed to be the guest for. It
was Letterman's first "sick day" in 20 years (other than his time off for heart surgery).
Ranked #3 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003).
Lives in Hailey, Idaho,
where he owns The Mint bar and the Liberty Theater.
He also owns the old Hailey Drug Store, but the building has been vacant and unused since the early 90s.
The scar on his right shoulder is from surgery due to complications from a broken arm when he was 17.
Personally
recommended Bonnie
Bedelia for the role of his estranged wife in Die
Hard (1988).
He
is the hero of singer Nick
Lachey.
He ad-libbed many of John McClane's one-liners in the "Die Hard" films.
Graduate of Penns Grove High School, Penns Grove, New
Jersey. Class of 1973 who voted him "Most School Spirit."
He
was the only celebrity that attended Julia
Roberts' wedding to 'Danny Moder' .
Recommended
Michael
Clarke Duncan to play the part of John Coffey in The
Green Mile (1999).
20 October 2004 - Sued Revolution Studios for unspecified damages related to a blow to his forehead that he received
during "ultrahazardous activity" involved in the filming of Tears of the Sun (2003) . He claims that it has caused him extreme
mental, physical and emotional pain & suffering.
Attended
the Stella
Adler Conservatory / Theatre program in New
York City for three years.
Plays the harmonica.
France made him an officer in Order of Arts and Letters
(April 2005). "France pays homage to an
actor who represents the force of American cinema and the power of emotions that he invites us to share on screens throughout
the world", Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said. "I'm nervous. Bonjour Paris," he replied.
After
dating Brooke
Burns for ten months and finally being engaged to her they decided to split
because of the difficulties with maintaining a long-distance relationship. (2 June 2004)
Was
chosen to play John McClane in Die
Hard (1988) because the producers felt he brought warmth and humor to an
otherwise cold and humorless character.
He has been special ambassador of his birth town Idar-Oberstein since his 50th birthday.
Was
a guest at Demi
Moore's and Ashton
Kutcher's wedding.
Eight
directors cast him twice in their films: Blake
Edwards, Amy
Heckerling, Rob
Reiner, Robert
Benton, John
McTiernan, Alan
Rudolph, M.
Night Shyamalan and Quentin
Tarantino.
Along
with Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Charlton
Heston, Willis was one of very few Hollywood celebrities to publicly support the
Iraq war. While visiting the troops in
2003, he offered $1 million of his own money for the man who would capture Saddam
Hussein. When Hussein was captured, it turned out that military rules prevent
troops from collecting such a reward.
Served as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in 1992. In 2000 he was unable to narrate a biographical
film of previous presidents to be shown at the RNC due to scheduling conflicts.
Has
worked closely with two promising child stars: Miko
Hughes in Mercury
Rising (1998) and Haley
Joel Osment in The
Sixth Sense (1999). The boys had major roles in the films opposite him.
Often
supports the careers of other actors he has met on set, and asks they be given supporting roles on later films, most famously
Michael
Clarke Duncan, whom he worked with on The
Whole Nine Yards (2000), asked for him on Armageddon (1998) and and suggested him to the producers
of The
Green Mile (1999). Other actors include Billy
Bob Thornton (Armageddon (1998) , Bandits (2003)), Johnny
Messner (Tears
of the Sun (2003), Whole Ten Yards, The (2004), Nick
Chinlund (Tears
of the Sun (2003), The
Kid (2000) and Cole
Hauser (Hart's
War (2002), Tears
of the Sun (2003)). He also insisted on Matthew
Perry for the "Yards" movies, in return for appearing on Perry's "Friends" (1994) sitcom.
Announced
his intention to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.
It will be based on the exploits of the heavily decorated members of "Deuce Four", the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, which
has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.
Willis attended "Deuce Four"'s homecoming ball this month in Seattle, Washington, where the soldiers are on leave, along with
Stephen
J. Eads, the producer of Armageddon (1998/I) and The
Sixth Sense (1999). The actor said that he was in talks about a film of "these
guys who do what they are asked to for very little money to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom". Willis
is likely to take on the role of the unit's commander, Lieutenant- Colonel Erik Kurilla (November 2005).
Honored
in Paris for his contribution to the film industry, by the
French government. The actor was made an Officier Dans L'ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres (Officer In The Order Of Arts And Letters)
at a ceremony in the capital, where he was presented with his honor by French Culture Minister Renaud
Donnedieu de Vabres. de Vabres said, "This is France's way of paying tribute to an actor who epitomizes the strength of American
cinema, the power of the emotions that he invites us to share on the world's screens and the sturdy personalities of his legendary
characters." Willis replied in French that he was "very touched" to receive his medal, adding, "Thank you France and Culture
Minister for this great, great honor." (13 April 2005).
In
November 2005 he offered $1 million of his own money to anyone who turns in al-Qaeda terror leaders Osama
bin Laden, Aiman
Al-Zawaheri or 'Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi' , the alleged brains behind the 9/11 attacks. Willis
announced his reward on US television show "Rita
Cosby Live & Direct" (2005), where he also criticized what he claimed was biased media coverage
of the Iraq war.
Appointed
by President George
W. Bush as national spokesman for Children in Foster Care. (23 July 2002)
His performance as John McClane in the "Die Hard" trilogy is ranked #46 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters
of All Time.
He
and Linda
Fiorentino were employed as bartenders in the early 1980s at the Kamikaze Club
in New York City.
Has
the distinction of playing two psychologists who have suffered serious work-related emotional trauma; Dr. Bill Capa in _Color
of Night (1994)_ and Dr. Malcolm Crowe in The
Sixth Sense (1999). Ironically, "The Color of Night" was a box office bomb and
was widely ridiculed by critics, while "The Sixth Sense" became a box office smash and received several Oscar nominations,
including Best Picture.
Little
Richard presided over his wedding to Demi
Moore and Ally
Sheedy was one of the bridesmaids.
Married
Demi
Moore at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las
Vegas
Turned
down the role of Sam Wheat in Ghost (1990) because he didn't think the plot would work and that playing a ghost
would be detrimental to his career. Ironically, he played a ghost in The
Sixth Sense (1999), which was a critical success and is widely regarded as one
of his best performances.
He apologized to Colombia after blaming the nation for America's drug problems. The star insisted the United States is as much to blame for the prolific trade and
confessed he didn't mean to single out any one country as the supplier. He told the New York Daily News, "I said Colombia because it was the first country to come to mind."
The actor was dubbed "ignorant" and "ungrateful" by the Colombian president for his comments in March 2006, and advised not
to base his arguments on "Hollywood clichés".
In
November 2000 he urged his fans to vote for Republican candidate George
W. Bush in the presidential election. He told an interviewer, "If you guys vote for
Al
Gore, you're out of your minds ... Gore's a knucklehead ... just the lying
and mendacity of the last eight years of the regime that Al Gore was a part and parcel of ... I mean, there is only so much
lying the American people will take before they go, 'Uh, this doesn't seem like a good idea.' You have to look at what he
does and what he stands for."
Received
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony attended by his friends Don
Johnson, Sylvester
Stallone and Kevin
Costner. (16 October 2006).
Stepfather
of his three daughters with Demi
Moore is Ashton
Kutcher.
Has three younger siblings: Florence, David and Robert.
In
1988 Willis attended a fund raiser for a Democrat running for Senate. In the following year, he and Demi
Moore worked with legislator Tom
Hayden to shut down a nuclear power plant in California.
In a Playboy interview near that time, Willis sounded like the stereotypical Hollywood liberal.
Citing water pollution and ozone depletion, he moaned, "We are literally destroying the planet." He blasted then President
Ronald
Reagan for dubbing the Soviet Union "the
evil empire." He said military corporations had killed the Kennedy brothers and were "setting up [Vice President] Bush to
be the next President." Willis argued that "this country needs a leader who can say, 'I want to help the people.'" Who did
he have in mind? Hayden, the darling of LA's left. Then, one presidential election later, Willis was at the Republican National
Convention in Houston - backing Bush. In Armageddon (1998/
I) , Willis is first seen driving golf balls at a Greenpeace ship protesting oil drilling - a self-mocking reference to his
politics but also a reminder of his own dramatic flip-flop.
Often
supports the careers of other actors he has met on set, and asks they be given supporting roles on later films, most famously
Michael
Clarke Duncan, whom he worked with on The
Whole Nine Yards (2000), asked for him on Armageddon (1998/I) and and suggested him to the producers of The
Green Mile (1999). Other actors include Billy
Bob Thornton (Armageddon (1998/I), Bandits (2003)), Johnny
Messner (Tears
of the Sun (2003), The
Whole Ten Yards (2004)), Nick
Chinlund (Tears
of the Sun (2003), The
Kid (2000)) and Cole
Hauser (Hart's
War (2002), "Tears of the Sun" (2003)). He also insisted on Matthew
Perry for the "Yards" movies, in return for appearing on Perry's "Friends" (1994) sitcom.
Has
been in eleven movies with numbers in the title: The
First Deadly Sin (1980), Twelve
Monkeys (1995), Four
Rooms (1995), The
Fifth Element (1997), The
Sixth Sense (1999), The
Whole Nine Yards (2000), 16
Blocks (2006), The
Whole Ten Yards (2004), Die
Hard 2 (1990), Loaded
Weapon 1 (1993) and Ocean's
Twelve (2004).
Has
the distinction of playing two psychologists who have suffered serious work- related emotional trauma: "Dr. Bill Capa" in
Color
of Night (1994) and "Dr. Malcolm Crowe" in The
Sixth Sense (1999). Ironically, Color
of Night (1994) was a box-office bomb and was widely ridiculed by critics, while The
Sixth Sense (1999) became a box-office smash and received several Oscar nominations,
including Best Picture.
During
the Lebanon crisis Willis signed his name on an ad in the Los Angeles Times
in support of Israel, along with Nicole
Kidman and numerous other Hollywood celebrities.
He
was the only celebrity that attended Julia
Roberts' wedding to Daniel
Moder.
Huge supporter of NFL team New York Jets.
Co-founder
of "Planet Hollywood" together with Demi
Moore, Sylvester
Stallone and Arnold
Schwarzenegger (1991).