Aurora Starchild
Bruce Willis may be known as a tough guy in most of his films, but the man has a gentler side to him, too. He’s been married twice and has had 5 children. All of them are daughters! There’s always a learning curve that comes with parenting, but after five girls in a row, you’re sure to have some good advice. Here is Bruce Willis’ secret to raising strong and independent daughters!
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Bruce Willis Overcame a Stutter Before Becoming a Famous Actor
Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. His mother was German and his father was an American soldier. Bruce has three younger siblings (one sister and two brothers however one passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2011). Willis’ family relocated to New Jersey when he was about two years old. As a child, he suffered from a stutter that made him the butt of his peers’ jokes. However, when he started taking theatre classes, he realized that live performance in front of lot of people made the stutter go away. He then became student body president.
After high school, Bruce Willis worked at a chemical factory and as a security guard. He enrolled at Montclair State University to study drama but dropped out after two years to pursue acting. Willis moved to New York and bartended while looking for acting gigs. In 1977, he was in the off-Broadway production of Heaven and Earth. His first film role was in The First Deadly Sin in 1980. He continued to pick up roles in film and TV, including a recurring role in the show Moonlighting from 1985-1989.
Bruce Willis’ true breakout role was in 1988 when he played John McClane in Die Hard. Now part of a box office smashing franchise, Willis became known as the ultimate macho man. He’s been in hits like Lethal Weapon, Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense, Sin City, and the Oceans movies. Altogether, Bruce Willis has 146 acting and 9 producing credits. He’s won a Golden Globe, two Emmys, and two People’s Choice awards.
He Retired Last Year After a Brain Disorder Diagnosis
Bruce Willis’ family sadly announced his retirement in 2022 when he was diagnosed with aphasia. Aphasia can occur from brain damage and affects a person’s ability to speak and communicate. At that time, however, he’d already been in several unreleased films. They’ve been released since his retirement although he no longer is working.
On Thursday, Emma Heming Willis disclosed that her husband Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. She posted a photo of the actor on Instagram and stated that his condition has deteriorated since the family had announced his aphasia diagnosis in the previous year.
Bruce Willis Has Been Married Twice
Bruce Willis has been married twice. His first marriage was to the illustrious Demi Moore from November 21, 1987, until 2000. Demi and Bruce had three daughters together. His second marriage was to his current wife, Emma Heming. They married on March 21, 2009, and have two daughters together.
Rumer Is Bruce Willis’ and Demi Moore’s First Daughter
Bruce and Demi’s eldest, Rumer, was born on August 16, 1988. The actress and singer is now an expecting mother and celebrating 6 years of sobriety and counting. Her partner and child’s father is singer Derek Richard Thomas. The couple has performed together and is madly in love.
Scout
His second daughter with Demi Moore, Scout, was born on July 20, 1991. Like her older sister, Scout is a talented musician and actress. She plays guitar and sings and released her debut album last June. Scout also models from time to time as, like her sisters, she takes after her gorgeous mother, Demi Moore.
Tallulah
Bruce’s third daughter is Tallulah. She was born on February 3, 1994. Like her parents, she is an actress. Tallulah has candidly opened up about past battles with substance abuse and body dysmorphia, which led to an eating disorder that she eventually overcame through sobriety.
Mabel
Bruce Willis’ fourth daughter and first child with Emma Heming is Mabel. She was born on April 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. However, seeking privacy away from the paparazzi, Bruce and Emma relocated with Mabel to Bedford Hills, a small town in Westchester County, New York. “The beauty of where we live is that it’s close to the city, so we get the best of both worlds,” Heming told Elle Décor. “Nature, space, and privacy in Bedford, but the culture of the city, which is only an hour away.”
Evelynn
The youngest of Bruce Willis’ children is daughter Evelynn. She was born on May 5, 2014. Somehow Bruce seemed to think he might have a son (just jokes) because he and Emma waited until their baby was born to find out their sex. “[We] didn’t know what we were gonna have until the baby came out,” Willis told People shortly after Evelynn was born. “In general, I think women should be in charge of everything. Women are just much smarter than men.”
Bruce Willis’ Parenting Code For Raising Amazing Daughters
Speaking with Esquire (via Independent.ie), Bruce Willis once revealed his strategy aka parenting code for raising strong and independent daughters. His first rule is to listen more than you speak.
“Sometimes I have to resist the urge to speak. I learned it from dealing with my kids. That’s my number one rule,” he said. “It applies in life. But it’s more about being a father. I’d rather hear what they have to say. You learn more by listening.”
Bruce Willis’ second rule is to avoid drama whenever possible. “And this stuff is just a matter of not equating drama with actions that will help them. Teach them to shun drama,” he added.
His third rule is self-accountability as a parent and setting an example. “Take responsibility for when you are wrong,” he said. “They hear you own up, and they learn to own up.”
“You have to give them a code,” Willis continued. “Beginning with things like ‘Don’t bite people.’ That becomes something like ‘It’s not okay to be mean. Ever.’ That was our watchword when the girls were younger.”
Lastly, he said that being silly was an essential part of being a good dad. “I make them laugh. You gotta do the drool-take, gotta make them see that goofiness is still safe. You have to make them laugh at you.”
Take it from the father of five girls, this is Bruce Willis’ parenting code for raising strong daughters:
- Listen Instead of Speak
- Avoid Drama
- Be Accountable as an Adult
- Teach Your Kids the Code
- Be Silly!
With a grandchild on the way, Bruce Willis will be able to keep practicing his code. Will it be a girl or a boy? We can only guess!
