No other Hollywood star was as charming, good looking and masculine as Willis. His career started on TV with the successful series Moonlight (1985-89) playing with Cybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as a comedic actor. However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the film Die Hard (1988) as John McClane that catapulted him to movie star and action hero status. He performed most of his own stunts in the film, and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide. Following his success with Die Hard, he had a leading role in many films to follow.
He kept zigzagging between comedy, drama, and action making notable appearances in all genres in films like Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, The Fifth Element, Unbreakable and Sin City. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s, after Live Free or Die Hard—the first PG-13 incarnation of the normally profanity-laced and ultra-violent action franchise that’s defined his career, which Bruce Willis’ career took a turn. He started putting in sleepy performances in a bargain bin action movies such as Surrogates, Setup, Catch .44, and The Cold Light of Day. In fact, he appears to be working more than he ever has, pushing out vast quantities of mediocre films. Does he need the money? Is he in debt to the mob? Hang in there, Bruce.