Celebrating Bruce Willis on TV: ‘Moonlighting,’ ‘Friends’ & More Memorable Roles
One year after he was first diagnosed with aphasia and stepped away from the public eye, Bruce Willis‘ family announced he’s been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
The news comes via a joint statement from his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and their two daughters, Maybel Ray, and Evelyn Penn, as well as his ex-wife Demi Moore and their three daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration shared the statement, which Moore linked to on her Instagram, and you can read it below:
“As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update.
To honor Willis’ thirty-plus-year career in Hollywood, we’re breaking down his most memorable TV performances, from his Emmy-winning turns in Moonlighting and Friends to his unforgettably funny guest appearances.
Moonlighting (1984-1989)
Willis won his first Emmy for playing David Addison Jr. in the drama, which saw him co-starring alongside Cybill Shepherd. The series featured “the quirky cases of a former model and a smart aleck detective who manage a private detective agency.”
The Twilight Zone (1985)
Mad About You (1997)
In a hilarious turn, Willis played himself in Mad About You‘s “The Birth: Part 2.” In the episode, Paul Reiser’s Paul tries to get into the hospital as Jamie (Helen Hunt) is delivering their child, dodging crowds of people there for an injured “Bruce Willis.” There, the two men meet and Bruce gives Paul advice.
Ally McBeal (1999)
Willis played Dr. Nickle, a substitute therapist for Ally, in one episode of the second season of the Calista Flockhart series.
Friends (2000)
Willis was one of Friends‘ best guest stars. He played Paul Stevens, father to Ross Gellar’s girlfriend, Elizabeth, in Season 6. He couldn’t stand Ross, but if he wanted to keep dating Rachel Green, he had to play nice. Willis won his second Emmy for his three-episode appearance.
That '70s Show (2005)
The actor delivered another memorable comedic turn opposite Ashton Kutcher in That ’70s Show. In the episode, Willis played Vic, the owner of a strip club and a kindred spirit of Kelso.
Saturday Night Live (1989, 2013)
Believe it or not, Willis has only host SNL twice. But both were memorable appearances that included the musical number “Man & His Music,” the skit “Overprotective Son” with Taran Killam and Vanessa Bayer, and an Armageddon parody.
