Bruce Willis made his acting debut in the 1980 film The First Deadly Sin, in which he had an uncredited role.
He starred in the inaugural episode of the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone after guest-starring in a 1984 episode of Miami Vice.
Willis rose to prominence as the star of the ABC comedy-drama Moonlighting (1985–1989), for which he got three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
He gained international prominence as an action hero after starring John McClane in Die Hard (1988), a film that inspired multiple sequels and garnered him international recognition.
Willis began starring in direct-to-video films in the 2010s, which got largely unfavorable reviews from critics and audiences.
Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times examined six of Willis’ films and found that they lacked depth, with action sequences replacing “any attempts at coming up with meaningful narratives,” and that Willis appeared in each picture for an average of 15 minutes.
Willis has also appeared in Moonrise Kingdom, The Expendables 2, and Looper, all of which were released in 2012. In 2013, he appeared in G.I. Joe: Retaliation as the title character and hosted Saturday Night Live.