Walter Bruce Willis, born on March 19, 1955, is a retired American actor who rose to fame with his leading role in the comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989). He became renowned as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013), appearing in over a hundred films throughout his career.
Among Willis’s notable credits are The Last Boy Scout (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable, The Whole Nine Yards (both 2000), Tears of the Sun (2003), Sin City (2005), The Expendables, Red (both 2010), Looper (2012), and Glass (2019).
In the later years of his career, Willis starred in several low-budget direct-to-video films, many of which received mixed reviews. He retired from acting in 2022 due to aphasia and was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023.
The actor’s family announced his diagnosis of aphasia, a disorder affecting communication, leading to his decision to step back from acting in 2022. In February, they revealed the progression of his condition into frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Bruce Willis’s daughter, Tallulah, provided an update on her father’s health amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia. “He is the same, which I think in this regard I’ve learned is the best thing you can ask for,” she shared on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. “I see love when I’m with him. And it’s my dad, and he loves me, which is really special.”
Tallulah revealed on The Drew Barrymore Show why her family opted for transparency regarding Bruce’s condition. “On one hand, it’s who we are as a family, but also, it’s really important for us to spread awareness about FTD,” she shared. “If we can take something that we’re struggling with as a family to help other people, to turn it around to make something beautiful about it, that’s really special for us.”
She elaborated on her healing process, describing how she became “an archaeologist to my dad’s world,” archiving all his “little trinkets and doodads.” Spending quality time together, listening to music, and embracing the energy of love have been essential for her. Tallulah emphasized, “It’s really special.”
In her essay published in Vogue, she reflected on her journey to acceptance. “Every time I go to my dad’s house, I take tons of photos — of whatever I see, the state of things,” she wrote. “I’m like an archaeologist, searching for treasure in stuff that I never used to pay much attention to. I have every voicemail from him saved on a hard drive. I find that I’m trying to document, to build a record for the day when he isn’t there to remind me of him and of us.”
