Bruce Willis’ Top 10 Movie Roles

By Rachel West. 30 Mar 2022 1:00 PM

Bruce Willis has announced his retirement from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive condition. A statement from his family on March 30 reads, in part, “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.” In honour of the actor, we’re looking back at his 10 best movie roles.

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1 of 10

‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)
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M. Night Shyamalan’s breakout movie gave us Bruce Willis as a gentle child therapist and the mother of all twists. It’s considered one of Willis’ most iconic roles, but the actor didn’t exactly choose the part – “The Sixth Sense” was one of two productions Willis owed Disney after he caused another production called “The Broadway Brawler” to be shut down after he fired the director. Willis earned $10 million for the role of Malcolm Crowe, which was half of his going rate at the time.
’12 Monkeys’ (1995)
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Willis plays a different kind of hero in Terry Gilliam’s time travelling dystopian sci-fi about a viral epidemic. The movie showed the actor isn’t afraid to go off the beaten path in a movie that isn’t quite his usual mainstream fare.
‘Die Hard’ (1988)
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It’s the beginning of Bruce Willis’ path to stardom and one of the formative action movies of the 1980s. Willis’ John McClane is highly quotable and highly likeable. It’s no wonder he returned to the role five times with a rumoured sixth outing, “McClane”, in the works.
‘Nobody’s Fool’ (1994)
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Bruce Willis wanted to work with Paul Newman so badly, he took a pay cut to union-scale wages -- $1,400 per week -- for a supporting role in “Nobody’s Fool”. The movie shows what Willis can do when he’s not the star, acting opposite against Jessica Tandy, Melanie Griffith, Margo Martindale and a very young Philip Seymour Hoffman in the drama about an ageing Newman and life in small town New York.
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
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As an ageing boxer who gets caught up in an intertwined world of hit men, thieves, and the mob, Willis shines in the role of Butch Coolidge. It’s quintessential Quentin Tarantino filled with instantly iconic performances, including Willis’.
‘Moonrise Kingdom’ (2012)
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It’s not often we get to see a softer side of Willis, but Wes Anderson brings it out of him in his 2012 ensemble dramedy which sees the actor play a small town police officer who has been tasked with finding two missing 12-year-olds who have absconded into the woods together.
‘Death Becomes Her’ (1992)
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The 1990s were home to the truly absurd and zany. Among them in “Death Becomes Her” which sees Willis caught between Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as they attempt to out-do one another with an immortality treatment. The unconventional comedy lets all three actors get truly funny and naturally, with this calibre of talent, the chemistry is great.
‘Looper’ (2012)
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A neo-Noir sci-fi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a “looper” a time travelling hitman whose latest target is his future self, played by Willis. Trippy and utterly unique, one of the best things about writer-director Rian Johnson’s complex story is how well the stars play off of each other, with Willis’ performance grounding the far-fetched story.
‘The Fifth Element’ (1997)
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In the 1990s Willis was flexing his action and sci-fi muscles. Campy and colourful, Willis brings a humanity to the outlandish futuristic world in the movie that divided critics who simultaneously hailed it as both one of the best and worst sci-fi epics of all-time.
‘Armageddon’ (1998)
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There’s no denying Willis exercised his star power in the action-packed ‘90s blockbuster “Armageddon”. Ridiculous, yes, but you can’t say you didn’t get the tiniest bit emotional when Willis’ Harry Stamper sacrifices himself on an asteroid so Ben Affleck can make it back to earth.

Bruce Willis’ Top 10 Movie Roles

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