"Yippee Ki Yay, Motherfu...and some such!" It's one of the most iconic lines delivered by Bruce Willis as John McClane as he lay bloody and beaten on a tarmac, spent from a brutal standoff with evil genius, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his band of ruthless mercenaries at Nakatomi Plaza. Willis has always had the ability to bring some wit and whimsy to even his most macho role as a hard-boiled New York City detective in Die Hard. The actor has leaned on his comedic chops ever since he broke out in the television sensation, Moonlighting, some four decades ago. Willis was actually born in West Germany in 1955 and comes from a long line of blue-collar folks. His humble upbringing likely has a lot to do with why Willis brought an extra element of comedy to his performance that you don't see in action-hero peers like Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Willis' blend of alpha male charisma and knack for delivering witty one-liners is what sets him apart and why he will always be considered a Hollywood legend, especially in the wake of his unfortunate medical diagnosis of frontotemporal lobe dementia.

Breaking in as the "Uncastable" David Addison in 'Moonlighting'

The year is 1985 and a young, 30-year-old actor named Bruce Willis was looking to jam his foot in the door and make a name for himself in the entertainment world. Glenn Gordon Caron was writing a new detective show for ABC called Moonlighting, which ended up running from 1985-1989, and as he was writing it, he realized that he was writing one of the lead parts specifically for the well-known star of The Last Picture Show and Taxi Driver, Cybill Shepherd. When it came to who would star alongside Shepherd as the wisecracking David Addison, Caron was blunt, "I didn't even know there was a Bruce Willis when I was writing it." Executives at the network went even further telling Caron that the part was "uncastable", and that he should write it as a single lead show. They were even prepared to pay him and Shepherd off to not make the show because the part of David Addison required a blend of comedy and drama that they would never find. And then Bruce Willis came along. His only experience up until that point was an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love, and a couple of small and uncredited film roles. The chemistry between Willis and Shepherd was evident from the minute the two appeared on-screen together. Willis had all the qualities that were previously thought nonexistent, namely extraordinary comedic timing and a likable bravado. The rest is television history.

Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting featured
Image via ABC

Bruce Willis' Unlikely Transition to Super Stardom

Back in the late 1980s, there was a clearly marked line between big-screen movie star actors and what was considered lower-tiered, less-qualified television actors. So, making the jump from a nice, successful TV show to a big-budget action adventure was extremely rare. Willis proved that he was one of the rare exceptions who could make a seamless leap when in 1988, he exploded onto the cinematic scene as Detective John McClane in John McTiernan's Die Hard. It was far from a shoo-in that the film would rise to the heights that it has. Just about every working A-list actor passed on the role including Frank Sinatra (no, really) Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Paul Newman, Richard Gere, Al Pacino, Mel Gibson, and the list goes on. It became another "uncastable" role that was becoming known for being turned down. And along comes this guy from a little ABC show. His charm is undeniable. His delivery of lines like, "Come out to the coast, we'll get together. Have a few laughs." while desperately squeezing his way through an HVAC tunnel, and, "Yeah, I got invited to a Christmas party by mistake, who knew?" And even the legendary, "Welcome to the party, pal!" showcased that he had brought the wit and charisma of David Addison with him to a bigger screen. Willis has an uncanny ability to deliver genuinely funny lines without shedding the qualities of a fearless and courageous leading man.

Related: In Praise of the Irreplaceable Bruce Willis, Hollywood's Golden Boy of Cinema

Bruce Willis Proved He Could Do Comedy and Return to TV

Following Die Hard and the enormously successful sequel two years later, Hollywood was Willis' oyster. He now had some serious input into which roles he would take moving forward. Sure, he still took on the very serious role that would stretch his dramatic chops in films like In Country, Mortal Thoughts, and Billy Bathgate, but he also mixed in a heavy dose of funny films. The Look Who's Talking films capitalized on Willis' pitchy and sarcastic voice talents while films like Death Becomes Her (1992) allowed him to get a little goofy and play up his whimsical side alongside a giant like Meryl Streep and the uproarious Goldie Hawn. Just a few years later, Willis would completely embrace his funny, tough-guy image as Korben Dallas in Jean Luc Besson's sci-fi epic, The Fifth Element, and clever wiseguy Jimmy Tudeski in The Whole Nine Yards opposite Matthew Perry, who was on top of the comedy world in 2000 playing Chandler Bing in Friends. Let us not forget the comedy phenomenon of six twenty-something New Yorkers that made room for Willis' 2000 return to TV for three episodes of what is undoubtedly one of the best guest-starring roles on a sitcom. He also made appearances on other successful comedy-drama shows like Ally McBeal in 1999, and That 70's Show in 2005. Somehow, we can't picture Arnold or Sly even being on the radar of casting agents for these roles.

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Thirty Years into His Career, Willis was Still Drawn to Comedy

Even as Willis was well into his career, he still sought out parts that allowed him to flash that charm that we fell in love with some thirty years prior. In the Red films of 2010 and 2013, we were still treated to the dry wit of Willis. And as he would also continue to take on serious roles with M. Night Shyamalan in the Unbreakable trilogy, he always made room for the films that brought out the actor's lighter side. In 2012, he teamed up with the master of the artfully absurd, Wes Anderson, in Moonrise Kingdom. It served as a fitting crescendo to Willis and his legendary career that he would star in a film by what many consider to be the most adroit and discerning storyteller of comedy and all of its nuanced complexities.

Bruce Willis' Legacy will be Two-fold

After starring in Moonrise Kingdom, Willis spent the rest of the last 10 years lending his name and considerable reputation to a series of small direct-to-video films. Now that we have come to understand his medical diagnosis, it puts his choice to appear in these films into a much clearer perspective. People were rightfully asking why the Hollywood icon was "selling out," or just making money on the licensing of his name brand. The picture has now come into focus and shouldn't detract from one of our favorite, and most talented leading men of the last 40 years. Willis has had an impressive career as a breath of fresh air who dazzled us with a unique blend of humorous charm with the believable intensity of some of the best dramatic actors of the past several generations.