BRUCE WILLIS (Jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski) has demonstrated incredible versatility in a career that has included such diverse characterizations as the prizefighter in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the philandering contractor in Robert Benton’s Nobody’s Fool, the heroic time traveler in Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys, the traumatized Vietnam veteran in Norman Jewison’s In Country, the compassionate child psychologist in M. Night Shyamalan’s Oscar-nominated The Sixth Sense (for which he won the People’s Choice Award) and his signature role, detective John McClane, in the Die Hard trilogy.
Following studies in Montclair State College’s prestigious theater program, the New Jersey native honed his craft in several stage plays and countless television commercials, before landing the leading role in Sam Shepard’s 1984 stage drama Fool for Love, a run which lasted for 100 performances off-Broadway.
Willis achieved international stardom and garnered several acting awards (including an Emmy and a Golden Globe) for his starring role as private eye David Addison in the hit TV series Moonlighting, a role that he won over 3,000 other contenders. He made his motion picture debut opposite Kim Basinger in Blake Edwards’ romantic comedy Blind Date. In 1988, he created the role of John McClane in the blockbuster Die Hard and reprised the character in two sequels: Die Hard 2 and 1995’s global box office champ Die Hard: With A Vengeance.
His wide array of film roles includes collaborations with such respected filmmakers as Michael Bay (Armageddon), M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable), Alan Rudolph (Mortal Thoughts, Breakfast of Champions), Walter Hill (Last Man Standing), Robert Benton (Billy Bathgate, Nobody’s Foo,), Rob Reiner (The Story of Us), Ed Zwick (The Siege), Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) Barry Levinson (Bandits), Robert Zemeckis (Death Becomes Her) and Antoine Fuqua (Tears of the Sun).
Other motion picture credits include The Jackal, Mercury Rising, The Whole Nine Yards and Disney’s The Kid. He also voiced the character of the wise-cracking infant, Mikey, in Look Who’s Talking and Look Who’s Talking Too. He recently voiced the character of Spike in the animated Rugrats Go Wild!
In addition to his work before the cameras, Willis produced The Whole Nine Yards and executive produced Breakfast of Champions, an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s best selling novel. With longtime agent, and now partner, Arnold Rifkin, he co-founded Cheyenne Enterprises, LLC, a film and television production company based in Los Angeles and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In January 2000, the partners signed a film production deal with Joe Roth’s Revolution Studios.
Willis also maintains a hand in the theater. In 1997, he co-founded A Company of Fools, a non-profit theater troupe committed to developing and sustaining stage work in the Wood River Valley of Idaho, and throughout the U.S. He recently starred in and directed a staging of Sam Shepard’s dark comedy True West at the Liberty Theater in Hailey, Idaho. The play, which depicts the troubled relationship between two brothers, was aired on Showtime and dedicated to Willis’ late brother Robert.
An accomplished musician, Willis recorded the 1986 Motown album “The Return of Bruno,” which went platinum and contained the #5 Billboard hit “Respect Yourself.” Three years later, he recorded a second album “If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger.” Last year, he launched a U.S. club tour with his new musical group The Accelerators.
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