Willis' career started as an extra on movies (The First Deadly Sin - 1980 and The Verdict - 1982). He also had a part in an episode of Miami Vice in 1984. But then Willis hit it big with the TV show, Moonlighting in 1985, starring alongside an established star, Cybill Shepherd. The show ran for five years (until 1989). To tell the truth, at the time I was not a big fan of Bruce Willis. I didn't like the show about a man and woman running a private detective agency. In fact, I thought Willis' character was a little annoying, but he was successful with the show nonetheless, as he received three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations, winning one in each award show.

Then Bruce Willis made the jump to movies. And still I found him a little annoying. His first attempt in theaters as a lead was the awful Blind Date (1987), costarring Kim Basinger. I didn't care for the movie and it turned out to be a less-than-stellar start to Willis' movie career. The following year Bruce Willis more than made up for it by landing the role of John McClane, a detective of New York's finest. His take on a cop that is down in the dumps and on the verge of divorce was a star making turn. Facing off against a group of terrorists in a skyscraper, the movie set a standard for action movies that has been copied countless times since (Under Siege, Sudden Death, Air Force One, Executive Decision). "Under Siege is Die Hard on a ship," critics wrote.

References to Die Hard as the ultimate "guy's movie" pops up all the time. On "Friends," Ross, Joey and Chandler got together to watch Die Hard twice. "It's Die Hard!"

Bruce Willis shot to fame with one single movie. All of a sudden he was a great action star. He followed Die Hard with three forgettable films, including In Country (1989), for which he received a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Next, Willis took on the role of a baby. Well, actually, the voice over of the thoughts of a baby (Mikey) in the movie, Look Who's Talking (costarring John Travolta before his Pulp Fiction "second" star making turn). The movie was a surprise hit. I can remember that I had quite a good time watching this movie, as it was filled with some great one-liners (John Travolta looking at a woman's breasts: "You know what that is"  Mikey: "Yeah!  Lunch!")

The following year Willis once again did the voice in the sequel, Look Who's Talking Too.
That same year he returned to the role that made him a star, in Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Not as good as either the first or third installments in the trilogy, the movie still delivered some memorable moments as John McClane took on terrorists at an airport. The movie had its share of well staged action sequences and even a huge plot twist towards the end that I'm sure no one saw coming. The ending is spectacular in a mostly unbelievable sense but completely satisfying.

And then this is where Willis' career made a turn for the worse. For three years Willis had movies bombing at the box office. I can remember a movie expert saying that Willis' career was over. He mentioned something about "three strikes and you're out." Some of the movies included the major flop, The Bonfire Of The Vanities (1990), Mortal Thoughts that Willis did with wife Demi Moore (1991), Hudson Hawk (1991), Billy Bathgate alongside Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman (1991), Loaded Weapon 1 and Striking Distance (both in 1993).

It seemed that Willis' career in Hollywood would soon be over. The biggest disappointment for Willis during those years was most likely Hudson Hawk. It was a story that he came up with and had wanted to do for a long time. The movie was an embarrassment that went on to win a Razzie for Worst Screenplay. Bruce Willis was also nominated for Worst Actor.

Still, during the years of those bad movies, Willis did manage to make some pretty good ones as well, including my favorite action movie, The Last Boyscout (1991). As far as I'm concerned, the movie is better than all the Die Hard movies. Costarring Damon Wayans, written by Shane Black (the Lethal Weapon series) and directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State and brother of current best director nominee Ridley), the movie is filled with great dialogue and even better action sequences. The only problem is that Boyscout came out during a time when Willis was unpopular with audiences and critics alike. If you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you do.

Also, during the streak of bad movies, Bruce Willis actually had one of his best performances in the dark comedy, Death Becomes Her (1992). He was hilarious as a plastic surgeon who's wife and mistress (Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn) are both walking dead. Bruce Willis also made a memorable cameo appearance as himself in the critically acclaimed, The Player (1992). But it wasn't until 1994's Pulp Fiction that Willis made his ultimate comeback. It was also the launching pad for John Travolta's return to A-list star and made Samuel L. Jackson one of the biggest actors. We all know that Pulp Fiction had a huge effect on the movie industry but the movie must have meant the world to its three stars. It is one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time. It was also the beginning of several collaborations between Willis and Jackson.

The following year, Willis and Jackson costarred in Die Hard: With A Vengeance. The movie went on to make over $100 million and established that Pulp Fiction was no fluke for the stars. The third installment is my favorite of the trilogy, thanks mostly to Jackson, who managed to spice things up for the series with some truly great dialogue. That same year, Willis turned in his best performance of his career, in the sci-fi thriller, Twelve Monkeys. Unfortunately Willis' performance was overshadowed by that of Brad Pitt's mentally ill patient (for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award). 12 Monkeys succeeded on several levels, even with the strange, yet unique direction of Terry Gilliam. Twelve Monkeys is not only one of the greatest science fiction movies ever, but a true cinematic gem. Willis was a star again, but a star that seems to make one great movie and then a movie that is not so great. In 1996 he made the forgettable Last Man Standing. Then he did an un-credited voice in the surprise hit, Beavis And Butt-head Do America.

In 1997 Willis starred in yet another science fiction movie, this time from director Luc Besson (The Professional and La Femme Nikita - The movie). The decidedly French tone of the movie was something that many Americans did not enjoy, but this is once again a movie that I loved.  Costarring relative newcomers Milla Jovovich and Chris Tucker, as well as veterans Gary Oldman and Ian Holm, the movie was a breath of fresh air in the American cinema. It would also be the first of two movies that has Bruce Willis attempting to save earth from something traveling towards it through space.

Willis next starred in two movies that didn't last long in theaters (The remake of The Jackal - 1997 and Mercury Rising - 1998). I can remember when I saw Mercury that I thought that Willis missed the perfect opportunity to act more caring in his movies, as he was assigned to protect the life of an autistic boy. Instead it just turned out to be an unsatisfying action thriller. Little did I know that he would more than make up for it the following year in Sixth Sense.

In the summer of 1998, Bruce Willis starred in Jerry Bruckheimer's Armageddon. Costarring was young stars Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, and veterans Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi and Will Patton. The rest seemed to be complete unknowns. But instead, two of the unknowns have become box office stars (Owen Wilson and Michael Clarke Duncan). I just realized that the three stars that I've written about in my Star Files all worked on this movie - Owen Wilson, Jerry Bruckheimer and Bruce Willis). Being the second of the asteroid-heading-for-earth movies of the year (the other being Deep Impact), Armageddon suffered a below expected opening of around $36 million. But the movie received strong word of mouth and went on to make over $200 million. It would have been the top grossing movie of the year if it weren't for a re-release of Saving Private Ryan later in the year. Willis was quoted as saying that this was the movie that he was the most proud of. And even though most critics maligned the movie, I was one of tens of millions that enjoyed it.

Willis spoke too soon about being proud of a movie. As it turns out, the following year he starred in a movie that anybody would be proud of the most. I'm talking, of course, about The Sixth Sense. I remember that opening night when I went to see the new Bruce Willis movie, expecting to be scared a little by a ghost story. It was written and directed by little known M. Night Shyamalan and costarred an unknown boy named Haley Joel Osment. When the final scene arrived, I had chills running up and down my spine; I couldn't believe my eyes; I had just witnessed one of the greatest movies of all time, with the greatest ending ever. The two people I saw it with loved it as well. We walked out talking about the film excitedly. I looked at the people standing in line on their way to see the movie, and I was thinking that they don't realize that they are about to see one of the greatest movies ever. I was even a little jealous.

That night and the next day we called up a bunch of our friends and saw the movie again the very next night (there was at least ten of us). There is nothing like seeing the movie for the very first time, but it is still fun to sit and watch the expressions and emotions of the audience members at the end of the movie. One of my friends looked over at me close to the end of the movie that second night and asked what the big deal was about the movie. Then he saw the ending. He and his wife sat there with mouths hanging open, eyes wide in shock. The Sixth Sense is moviemaking at its best. There are clues about the ending throughout the entire movie and upon seeing it a second time, it is as clear as daylight. M. Night Shyamalan is a genius in the art of writing and directing. And yes, Willis finally showed a different, caring side to him, such as what I had hoped for in Mercury Rising. And Osment went on to get nominated for Best Supporting Actor, along with M. Night Shyamalan for directing and screenplay at the Academy Awards. And I think we can all agree that Osment was robbed of an Oscar, as he clearly outshined the forgettable Cider House Rules star, Michael Caine. Even Tom Cruise and Michael Clarke Duncan were better in their respective movies than Caine was.

The Sixth Sense grossed $24 million its opening weekend. With word of mouth it made another $24 million or so the following weekend and more than $20 million the third and fourth weekend.  6th Sense went on to become a word of mouth phenomenon that is rarely seen these days, as it made $293 million domestically (second to The Phantom Menace) and almost $400 million overseas.

Bruce Willis then went on to star in the disappointment that was The Story Of Us (1999), alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. Next he starred opposite Matthew Perry of Friends in The Whole Nine Yards. The movie was funny and enjoyable and went on to take the top spot at the box office for the first three weeks of its release. That was followed by Disney's The Kid (2000), in which Willis played against type once again. The movie was an average hit. Then came yet another memorable role for Willis, playing a character that M. Night Shyamalan created especially for him. Unbreakable (2000) had a great opening weekend but fell quickly due to audiences hoping for another Sixth Sense. The movie is similar in tone but different story wise.  Unbreakable as a whole can be ranked up there with Sense, but somehow seems to develop a little slower. Also, even though it has another plot twist at the end, it just doesn't stand up to the standards set by Sense. But, I still loved the movie. 

Willis' last movie was the somewhat successful Bandits, costarring Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett. The movie was blessed with a great performance by Thornton and a very good plot twisting ending. Now, in theaters, Bruce Willis takes on the role of a POW during World War II.  He plays Colonel McNamara, who tries to keep things under control with his fellow captured troops. The advertisements for the film make it seem that he is the lead, when in actuality, the lead is Lt. Hart (played by Colin Farrell). I gave the movie an A as a critic but I think that most audiences wouldn't like it for the lack of war violence (average moviegoer: C+). The story, the dialogue, the situations and the performances put it above most war movies.

Bruce Willis has also made some significant special appearances on TV. He played himself in Mad About You, an episode that I've heard was absolutely hilarious. I wish that I could've seen it. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his three episode stint on the best show on TV, Friends (at least I believe it's the best show on TV, although CSI is great too). Willis played the father of Ross' (David Schwimmer) college-aged girlfriend and was hilarious as he threatened Ross. The one scene in the bedroom where Willis stands in front of the mirror and poses and talks to himself was laugh-out-loud funny. And to see the macho man cry in the arms of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) was a treat in itself; it was an Emmy well deserved.

Bruce Willis is one of the great movie stars; he has gone through many transformations in the roles that he picks and seems like a very nice guy off screen. I have heard several stories of how likable he is, one including a story:  While filming a scene for The Sixth Sense, the actors had to act like it was a cold winter day in Philadelphia when it was actually the middle of summer. Willis heard an ice cream truck drive by so he ran after it and bought the cast, crew and bystanders ice cream.

Interesting notes include that Willis was born in West Germany. He had a speech impediment as a child and received little money up front for Sixth Sense, but made about $100 million thanks to theatrical and video grosses. Willis' movies have made over $2 billion domestically and he has six movies that have grossed over $100 million (two of which grossed over $200 million).

Bruce Willis has no immediate movies on the horizon, but with almost forty movies under his belt in about 14 years you can be assured that he will come along with some more. There has been talk about sequels for both Die Hard and Last Boyscout, but it's not confirmed as of yet.
I would like to see Bruce Willis take on more serious roles like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Hart's War, as I truly believe that if he picks the right kind of movie he will someday get nominated or maybe even win an Oscar. An article in Entertainment Weekly (around 1998) said that Willis can almost be described as this generation's Humphrey Bogart. I'd like to think that they were telling the truth.