In Hollywood, there are few actors quite as compelling as Bruce Willis. His movies like Die Hard have fans all over the world, and that’s largely due to the actor’s personal charisma that he brings to every role.
In recent years, Willis has had some major health struggles, eventually leading to an early retirement for the legendary actor. Recently, we’ve been looking back over the actor’s journey into fame and fortune and decided almost no living actor has a better story.
Doubt it? Keep reading to discover the unbelievable journey of Bruce Willis!
A humble family background
It’s an open secret that many people in Hollywood got their start thanks to famous family connections. There’s even a cheeky term for the wealthy children of famous performers: “nepo babies.” However, one of the most important things you should know about Bruce Willis is that he comes from a very humble family background and had no easy paths to success as an actor.
How humble is his family? Bruce Willis’ mother was a banker and his father was a soldier turned factory worker, mechanic, and welder. In short, Willis and his whole immediate family come from a solidly blue-collar background…pretty much the opposite of being born with a silver screen silver spoon in his mouth.
Bruce Willis faced childhood difficulties
As we noted, Bruce Willis coming from a humble family background means that he didn’t have the career advantages of some of those “nepo babies” out there. On top of that, he also faced a major childhood difficulty in the form of a nasty stutter. Had this stutter persisted, it could have derailed his entire career.
Willis didn’t let that happen, though. Despite his stutter, he joined a drama club in high school and realized that performing actually helped him deal with his stutter. He showed major skills in one stage performance after another, and this gave him the confidence needed to get elected as student council president.
That foray into school politics didn’t keep him from returning to acting, of course. He eventually became a professional actor, though the role that made him famous was very different from the later roles he would be known for.
A breakout television role
These days, most movie fans think of Bruce Willis as an action star. He’s dazzled in films like Die Hard and The Fifth Element, and it’s clear that he’s always had the chops to be a big-screen star. Before any of that, though, his breakout role was on Moonlighting, a dramedy that he starred in with Cybill Shepherd.
Their onscreen chemistry was great, and Willis was so naturally funny in this role that critics simply assumed he had a long history as a TV comedy actor. When Die Hard became a hit film, it instantly transformed the actor’s reputation. Now and forevermore, he would be thought of as a series movie star instead of a funny television star.
Heartbreaking health issues
Bruce Willis has continued acting in various roles in his later years. In fact, he became so prolific in smaller films that it seemed like he might never stop acting. Tragically, though, he did end up having to retire from the acting profession because he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Over time, his condition has worsened, and those who speak to Bruce Willis have revealed that the dementia affects (sometimes very significantly) his ability to communicate. In a terrible irony, Willis went from being an actor recognized by millions to being someone that his own family can barely recognize due to dementia.
Don’t count Willis out yet
Every now and then, someone close to Bruce Willis gives us news about the iconic actor that gives us hope. For example, Moonlighting creator Glenn Gordon Caron revealed that he stays in frequent communication with his friend and former star.
According to Caron, when he speaks with Willis, the other man always recognizes him. Furthermore, he believes that losing some of his ability to communicate hasn’t diminished who this famous star really is. Caron believes that the essence of Willis is very much intact, and that makes us happy while giving us major hopes for his future.
Hopes for a new generation of fans
While he’s obviously a bit biased, one of the things that Glenn Gordon Caron likes to talk about with Bruce Willis is Moonlighting. They don’t just sit around and talk about their glory days, however. They also talk about the prospect of their famous show finding some new fans over time.
Like many old shows, Moonlighting has recently gained new fans via streaming, and old fans have similarly caught up on their favorite classic comedy. According to Caron, both he and Bruce Willis are optimistic that the old show might enjoy continued comeback success.
If that happens, we might get a proper Moonlighting revival. Until that happens, though, we’ll continue watching old reruns and enjoying the amazing talents of Bruce Willis, one of the most gifted actors to ever appear in TV and film.