Bruce Willis’ most iconic acting roles: from era-defining movies Pulp Fiction and Die Hard, to his breakout comedy role in Moonlighting and even guest-starring in Friends
- He might be retiring due to aphasia, but Willis will forever be a household name thanks to his action hero turns in classics like Armageddon, Red, Sin City and The Expendables 2
- But there’s more to Willis’ legacy than brute and brawn, as his unforgettable work in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and M. Night Shyamalan’s Oscar-nominated The Sixth Sense prove
Hollywood fans recently learned the unfortunate news that legendary star Bruce Willis, 67, has announced that he will quit acting after being diagnosed with aphasia – a language disorder that affects his ability to communicate and impacts his cognitive abilities. His oldest daughter Rumer made the announcement on March 30.
We thought it would be a good moment to look back on his career, one that has spanned over four decades and covered a vast body of work – and earned him a best actor nomination at the Oscars no fewer than four times.
In the last two years alone, Willis starred in over 15 films, and has eight more films listed as completed or in post-production according to his IMDB page, including a sequel to Fortress with co-star Chad Michael Murray.
Here we pick out five career-defining highlights that paved the way for one of the biggest pop culture stars of recent times.
1. Those comedy roles
While the German-born actor is popular for his action and drama films, Willis got a lot of early exposure in various comedy roles. We got the first glimpse of his raw talent during his TV debut playing David Addison Jr in the drama-comedy Moonlighting (1985-1989) opposite Cybill Shepherd. TV critic Lewes for Sydney Morning Herald perhaps said it best when she complimented Willis for his comedic timing: “The real star of the series is Bruce Willis, who plays Addison. The character is a real motormouth who is very, very funny. Willis plays him to perfection.”
He won a Golden Globe award for Moonlighting and two Emmys (one for Moonlighting, one for Friends).
Post Moonlighting, Willis became a huge movie star, but returned to TV to act opposite Jennifer Aniston in 2000 for season six of Friends, playing Paul Stevens, the eccentric father of Ross’ love interest Elizabeth. He won another Emmys in 2000 for Outstanding Guest Actor.