Career Timeline of Bruce Willis: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Bruce Willis, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Walter Bruce Willis is a retired American actor who rose to prominence in the 1980s with the television series *Moonlighting*. He solidified his status as an action star through his iconic portrayal of John McClane in the *Die Hard* film series, which spanned from 1988 to 2013. Willis has starred in over one hundred films, establishing a long and successful career in the entertainment industry.
1985: Stars in Moonlighting
In 1985, Bruce Willis achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting.
1987: First Lead Role in Blind Date
In 1987, Bruce Willis obtained his first lead role in the Blake Edwards film Blind Date.
1987: Releases Debut Album
In 1987, Bruce Willis released his debut album, The Return of Bruno.
1988: Stars in Die Hard
In 1988, Bruce Willis gained recognition as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise.
1989: Stars in In Country and Voices Baby in Look Who's Talking
In 1989, Bruce Willis had a leading role in the drama In Country and provided the voice for a talking baby in Look Who's Talking.
1989: Releases Second Album
In 1989, Bruce Willis released his second album.
1989: Moonlighting Ends
In 1989, the comedy-drama series Moonlighting ended after running for several years, where Bruce Willis held a leading role.
1990: Voices Baby in Look Who's Talking Too
In 1990, Bruce Willis provided the voice for a talking baby in Look Who's Talking Too.
1990: Reprises Role in Die Hard 2
In 1990, Bruce Willis reprised his role as John McClane in Die Hard 2.
1990: Stars in The Bonfire of the Vanities
In 1990, Bruce Willis starred in The Bonfire of the Vanities, which was considered a flop.
1991: Stars in Hudson Hawk
In 1991, Bruce Willis starred in Hudson Hawk, which was considered a flop, although he did find box office success with The Last Boy Scout.
1991: Stars in The Last Boy Scout
In 1991, Bruce Willis starred in the film The Last Boy Scout.
1993: Stars in Striking Distance
In 1993, Bruce Willis starred in Striking Distance.
1994: Stars in Pulp Fiction
In 1994, Bruce Willis had a leading role in Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed Pulp Fiction, which boosted his career.
1995: Stars in 12 Monkeys
In 1995, Bruce Willis played the lead role in the film 12 Monkeys.
1995: Reprises Role in Die Hard with a Vengeance
In 1995, Bruce Willis reprised his role as John McClane in Die Hard with a Vengeance.
1995: Color of Night success in home video
In 1995, Color of Night was one of the Top 20 most-rented films in the United States.
1996: Executive Producer of Bruno the Kid
In 1996, Bruce Willis was the executive producer and star of the cartoon Bruno the Kid. Also in 1996, he starred in Mike Judge's animated film Beavis and Butt-head Do America with his then-wife Demi Moore.
1997: Stars in The Fifth Element
In 1997, Bruce Willis played the lead role in The Fifth Element.
1998: Stars in Armageddon
In 1998, Bruce Willis starred in Armageddon, which became the highest-grossing film worldwide. Also in 1998, his voice and likeness were featured in the PlayStation video game Apocalypse.
1999: Stars in The Sixth Sense
In 1999, Bruce Willis played the starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's film The Sixth Sense, which was a commercial and critical success.
2000: Cheyenne Enterprises founded
In 2000, Bruce Willis and his business partner Arnold Rifkin started a motion picture production company called Cheyenne Enterprises.
2000: Stars in Unbreakable and The Whole Nine Yards
In 2000, Bruce Willis starred in the films Unbreakable and The Whole Nine Yards.
2000: Emmy Award for Friends
In 2000, Bruce Willis won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Friends. Also in 2000, Willis played Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards.
2001: Releases Third Album
In 2001, Bruce Willis released his third album.
2002: Donation of Girl Scout Cookies to troops
In 2002, Bruce Willis donated 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to United States armed forces stationed throughout the Middle East, inspired by his then 8-year-old daughter Tallulah.
2003: Stars in Tears of the Sun
In 2003, Bruce Willis starred in the film Tears of the Sun.
2003: USO Tour in Iraq
In 2003, Bruce Willis visited Iraq as part of a USO tour, performing for the troops with his band, The Accelerators.
2004: Ocean's Twelve Cameo
In 2004, Bruce Willis made a cameo appearance as himself in Ocean's Twelve.
2005: Appears in Sin City
In 2005, Bruce Willis appeared in the film adaptation of Sin City.
2005: Acts with Rumer Willis in Hostage
In 2005, Bruce Willis worked with his eldest daughter, Rumer, in the film Hostage.
2006: Voice in Over the Hedge
In 2006, Bruce Willis lent his voice as RJ the Raccoon in Over the Hedge.
2007: Appears in Planet Terror
In 2007, Bruce Willis appeared in the Planet Terror half of the double feature Grindhouse as the villain, a mutant soldier.
2007: Appears in Perfect Stranger, Alpha Dog, and Live Free or Die Hard
In 2007, Bruce Willis appeared in the thriller Perfect Stranger, opposite Halle Berry, the crime/drama film Alpha Dog, opposite Sharon Stone, and reprised his role as John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard.
2007: Willis leaves Cheyenne Enterprises
In 2007, Bruce Willis left Cheyenne Enterprises, a motion picture production company he co-founded, to be run solely by Arnold Rifkin after Live Free or Die Hard.
2008: Spoken word performance on Blues Traveler album
In 2008, Bruce Willis appeared on the Blues Traveler album North Hollywood Shootout, giving a spoken word performance on the track "Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob's Machine Shop)".
October 24, 2009: Filmed Scene for The Expendables
On October 24, 2009, Bruce Willis filmed a scene with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger for the film The Expendables.
2009: Face of Sobieski Vodka
In 2009, Bruce Willis became the international face of Belvedere SA's Sobieski Vodka in exchange for 3.3% ownership in the company.
2009: Advertising campaign for Norwich Union
In early 2009, Bruce Willis appeared in an advertising campaign to publicize the insurance company Norwich Union's change of name to Aviva.
October 15, 2010: Red Film Release
On October 15, 2010, the film Red, in which Bruce Willis portrayed Frank Moses, was released.
2010: Stars in The Expendables and Red
In 2010, Bruce Willis starred in the films The Expendables and Red.
2010: Eighth-Highest-Grossing Leading Actor
In 2010, Bruce Willis was ranked as the eighth-highest-grossing leading actor.
2011: Filming Moonrise Kingdom
In 2011, Bruce Willis filmed Moonrise Kingdom in Rhode Island, under the direction of Wes Anderson.
2012: Stars in Moonrise Kingdom, The Expendables 2, and Looper
In 2012, Bruce Willis starred in Moonrise Kingdom, The Expendables 2, and Looper.
February 14, 2013: A Good Day to Die Hard Release
On February 14, 2013, A Good Day to Die Hard was released, starring Bruce Willis as John McClane for the fifth time.
October 12, 2013: Hosts Saturday Night Live
On October 12, 2013, Bruce Willis hosted Saturday Night Live with Katy Perry as a musical guest.
2013: Last Die Hard film
In 2013, the last Die Hard film was released, marking the end of Bruce Willis's portrayal of John McClane in the franchise.
2015: Broadway Debut in Misery
In 2015, Bruce Willis made his Broadway debut in William Goldman's adaptation of Stephen King's novel Misery, receiving generally negative reviews.
July 29, 2018: Comedy Central Roast
On July 29, 2018, Bruce Willis was the subject of a roast by Comedy Central.
2018: Brand Ambassador of Hell Energy Drink
In 2018, Bruce Willis became the brand ambassador of the Hungarian brand Hell Energy Drink.
2019: Cameo in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
In 2019, Bruce Willis played himself in a cameo in the film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
2021: Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie
In 2021, The Golden Raspberry Awards created a category called "Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie" for Willis's roles in eight films released that year, highlighting the negative reception of his direct-to-video film appearances.
2021: Challenges on film sets due to Willis's condition
In 2021, those working on films noted that Bruce Willis appeared confused on set, had difficulty understanding his presence, and required lines to be fed to him through an earpiece. His roles were reduced and filmed in single-day shoots due to these challenges.
March 30, 2022: Retirement announcement due to aphasia diagnosis
On March 30, 2022, Bruce Willis's family announced his retirement from acting following his diagnosis of aphasia. The Golden Raspberry Awards subsequently retracted its category dedicated to his performances.
