Bruce Willis is an American actor, producer, and singer who has accumulated a net worth of about $150 million. Willis’ role as John McClane in the Die Hard series is responsible for a significant portion of Willis’ financial and critical success.
Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955 in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His mother, Marlene, was German born and his father, David, was an American soldier. Willis returned to America at a very young age, but it wasn’t until college at Montclair State University did Willis begin seriously acting and paving his way to Hollywood.
Willis’ debut came on the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1984. He made his film debut in 1987 in the movie Blind Date with Kim Basinger and David Larroquette. Willis’ career took an unexpected turn when he was cast as John McClane in the movies Die Hard in 1988. The movie, which earned over $130 million worldwide, catapulted his career. The entire Die Hard series has generated over $1 billion worldwide – clearly Willis’ most successful acting role.
Willis has since gone on to act in over 60 films, none of which earned him significant recognition for his roles. Regardless, he’s maintained a steady career and paycheck throughout his career. His financial success is largely due to his acting career. He also owns several properties: a home in Los Angeles and Penns Grove, New Jersey, apartments in the Trump Plaza, a home in Malibu, California, a ranch in Montana, a beach home in Turks and Caicos, and multiple homes in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Willis also started a motion picture company called Cheyenne Enterprises with partner Arnold Rifkin in 2000. Willis left the company in 2007 leaving it to be run by Rifkin. He owns several small businesses in Idaho and is a co-founder of Planet Hollywood with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. In 2009, Willis signed a contract to become the face of Belvedere’s SA Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.
Willis’s marriage to Demi Moore was a hotly covered topic in the media. The two were married for thirteen years with three children before divorcing in 2000. Since the dissolution of his marriage with Moore, he’s been engaged to actress Brooke Burns and has married model Emma Heming. The couple has one child together.
What you often don’t read about Willis is his interaction with the United States military. In his career, Willis played several military characters in movies. Willis has done a number of things to help those in the armed forces starting from buying $12,000 worth of Girl Scout Cookies and sending them overseas to offering $1 million to any troops who capture terrorists overseas. He also joined a USO tour with his band for troops in Iraq. Willis has stated several times that he would like to create a pro-war film depicting American soldiers as heroes. There is currently nothing in the works right now for the film, but expect something to be launched soon.
Willis’ net worth was driven by his acting career, but he’s expanded his portfolio with several business ventures listed above.
