Bruce Willis Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth & Biography

Bruce Willis age 71 has become one of the most searched celebrity facts of the year, and the Die Hard star remains one of the most beloved actors of his generation even though he stepped away from acting in 2022. Born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, Willis went from a television detective on Moonlighting to the star of one of the greatest action films ever made, then to the twist ending of The Sixth Sense, one of the biggest hits of the 1990s. Today he is worth an estimated $250 million.

Bruce Willis Quick Facts

Full Name	Walter Bruce Willis
Date of Birth	March 19, 1955
Age	71 years old
Birthplace	Idar-Oberstein, West Germany
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Wife	Emma Heming Willis (married 2009)
Children	5 (Rumer, born 1988; Scout, born 1991; Tallulah, born 1994; Mabel, born 2012; Evelyn, born 2014)
Occupation	Actor, producer
Net Worth	Approx. $250 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026)
Known For	Die Hard; Pulp Fiction; The Sixth Sense; Moonlighting; Armageddon; The Fifth Element

Who Is Bruce Willis?

Bruce Willis is an American actor and producer best known for playing John McClane, the wisecracking New York police detective, in the Die Hard films, beginning in 1988. The first Die Hard, set in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve, is now regarded as one of the greatest action films ever made, and it turned Willis, then a television star, into one of the biggest movie stars of the 1990s. He went on to star in Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Armageddon and The Sixth Sense, whose twist ending became one of the most talked-about moments in film history.

Before Die Hard, Willis won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for the television series Moonlighting, in which he played the private detective David Addison opposite Cybill Shepherd from 1985 to 1989. In March 2022, his family announced that he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting his ability to communicate, and in February 2023 they said he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. He has been supported publicly by his wife, Emma Heming Willis, his three eldest daughters and his former wife, Demi Moore. He co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables films.

Bruce Willis’s Early Life & Background

Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, where his father, David Willis, an American soldier, was stationed. His mother, Marlene, was German. The family moved to Carneys Point, New Jersey, when Bruce was two years old, and he grew up there with three younger siblings. He attended Penns Grove High School, where he struggled with a stutter as a child and joined the drama club after realising that speaking on stage helped him overcome it.

After high school, he worked as a security guard and a truck driver, then moved to New York City, where he worked as a bartender while studying acting at Montclair State University. His first screen roles were small parts in the television series Miami Vice and in the film The Verdict in 1982, in which he appeared uncredited as a courtroom observer. He then won the role of David Addison in the ABC series Moonlighting, beating out thousands of other actors for the part, and the show made him a star.

Bruce Willis’s Career

Moonlighting, which ran from 1985 to 1989, won Willis an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical. His film career began with the romantic comedy Blind Date in 1987, and the following year he starred in Die Hard, for which he was paid $5 million, an unheard-of fee for a television actor at the time. The film was a huge hit, and he returned as John McClane in Die Hard 2 in 1990, Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995, Live Free or Die Hard in 2007 and A Good Day to Die Hard in 2013.

His run of hits in the 1990s included Death Becomes Her in 1992, Pulp Fiction in 1994, in which he played the boxer Butch Coolidge, 12 Monkeys in 1995, The Fifth Element in 1997, Armageddon in 1998 and The Sixth Sense in 1999, which grossed more than $670 million worldwide and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He continued to work steadily through the 2000s and 2010s with films including The Whole Nine Yards in 2000, Unbreakable in 2000, Sin City in 2005, RED in 2010, Looper in 2012 and Moonrise Kingdom in 2012. His final films were released in 2022 and 2023, including the Detective Knight trilogy, before his family announced his retirement from acting.

Facts About Bruce Willis

• He won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Moonlighting before he ever made a film as a leading man.
• Die Hard, released in 1988, turned him into an action star and is now regarded as one of the greatest action films ever made.
• He was paid $5 million for Die Hard, an unheard-of sum for a television actor at the time.
• He released three albums as a singer, including The Return of Bruno in 1987, which reached the Billboard charts.
• His family announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, and he has been supported publicly by his wife Emma and his ex-wife Demi Moore.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Bruce Willis?

Bruce Willis is 71 years old. He was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, and turns 72 in March 2027.

How tall is Bruce Willis?

Bruce Willis is 6 feet 0 inches tall (1.83 m).

Who is Bruce Willis’s wife?

Bruce Willis’s wife is Emma Heming Willis, a model and actress. They married in 2009 and have two daughters together: Mabel and Evelyn.

What is Bruce Willis’s net worth?

Bruce Willis’s net worth is approx. $250 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026), earned from the Die Hard films, The Sixth Sense, Armageddon and producing.

Why did Bruce Willis retire from acting?

In March 2022, Bruce Willis’s family announced that he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting his ability to communicate. In February 2023, his family said he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

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