Editing Bruce Willis (section)

===1980s: ''Moonlighting'', ''Die Hard'' and rise to fame===
[[File:Bruce Willis 1989.jpg|thumb|Willis at the [[61st Academy Awards]] in 1989]]
Willis was cast as David Addison Jr. in the television series ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]'' (1985–1989), competing against 3,000 other actors for the position.<ref name="YahooM">{{cite web|title=Yahoo! Movies |work=Bruce Willis Biography| url= https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018749/bio|access-date=May 9, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091025143146/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018749/bio|archive-date= October 25, 2009}}</ref> His starring role in ''Moonlighting'', opposite [[Cybill Shepherd]], helped to establish him as a comedic actor. During the show's five seasons, he won an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]] and a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy]].<ref name="tca" /> During the height of the show's success, beverage maker [[Seagram]] hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden [[Wine Cooler]] products.<ref name="WillisCool">{{cite magazine |title=How Bruce Willis Keeps His Cool |magazine=Time |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1635812,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070626131016/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1635812,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |date= June 21, 2007 |access-date=May 10, 2009}}</ref> The advertising campaign paid Willis US$5&ndash;7&nbsp;million over two years. Willis chose not to renew his contract when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in 1988.<ref name="Playboy">{{cite news| last= Grobel |first= Lawrence|title=Playboy Interview: Bruce Willis|work=[[Playboy]]|pages=59–79| date= November 1988}}</ref>

In 1987, Willis obtained his first lead role in the [[Blake Edwards]] film ''[[Blind Date (1987 film)|Blind Date]]'', co-starring with [[Kim Basinger]] and [[John Larroquette]].<ref name="tca" /> Edwards cast him again to play the real-life cowboy actor [[Tom Mix]] in ''[[Sunset (1988 film)|Sunset]]'' (1988). The same year, he starred in an action role in ''[[Die Hard]]'' (1988) as [[John McClane]].<ref name="tca" /> He performed most of his own [[stunt]]s in the film,<ref name="People1">{{cite web|title=Bruce Willis: Biography|work=[[People (American magazine)|People]]|url=http://www.people.com/people/bruce_willis/biography|access-date=May 9, 2009|archive-date=February 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214050913/http://www.people.com/people/bruce_willis/biography|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the film grossed $138,708,852 worldwide.<ref name="BOM1">{{cite web|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=Die Hard|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=diehard.htm|access-date=May 9, 2009|archive-date=July 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724081937/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=diehard.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Following his success with ''Die Hard'', Willis had a leading role in the drama ''[[In Country]]'' as Vietnam veteran Emmett Smith and also provided the voice for a talking baby in ''[[Look Who's Talking]]'' (1989) and the sequel ''[[Look Who's Talking Too]]'' (1990).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |date=2022-12-06 |title='Look Who's Talking' Director on Kirstie Alley: "Those Movies Could Not Have Been Done Without Her" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kirstie-alley-dead-look-whos-talking-amy-heckerling-1235276370/ |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131004600/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kirstie-alley-dead-look-whos-talking-amy-heckerling-1235276370/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Heckerling |first=Amy |title=Look Who's Talking Too |date=1990-12-14 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100050/ |type=Comedy, Family, Romance |access-date=2023-06-13 |others=John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Olympia Dukakis |publisher=TriStar Pictures, Big Mouth Production, Hollywood Licensing Group |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529080023/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100050/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the late 1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as a [[recording artist]], recording an album of pop-blues, ''[[The Return of Bruno (album)|The Return of Bruno]]'', which included the hit single "[[Respect Yourself]]" featuring [[the Pointer Sisters]].<ref name="TopSongs">{{cite web|title=Top 100 Songs of 1987| publisher=The Eighties Club| url= http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id224.htm |access-date=May 9, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514123505/http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id224.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref> The LP was promoted by a ''[[This Is Spinal Tap|Spinal Tap]]''–like [[rockumentary]] [[parody]] featuring scenes of Willis performing at famous events including [[Woodstock]]. He released a version of the [[The Drifters|Drifters]] song "[[Under the Boardwalk]]" as a second single; it reached No. 2 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], but was less successful in the US. Willis returned to the recording studio several times.<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://diffuser.fm/bruce-willis-return-of-bruno/| title= 25 Years Ago: Bruce Willis Tries His Hand at Singing With 'The Return of Bruno'| last= Giles| first= Jeff| website= Diffuser.fm| date= January 20, 2017| access-date= October 29, 2019| archive-date= June 27, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190627124906/https://diffuser.fm/bruce-willis-return-of-bruno/| url-status= live}}</ref>