Before it became a mainstream parenting label, Bruce Willis was pioneering what it truly means to be a girl dad. The beloved actor is a father to five daughters, and from his eldest to his youngest, Willis has always cherished being a dad over everything else.
In August 1988, the Unbreakable star became a parent for the first time when his daughter Rumer was born. Then married to Demi Moore, the couple went on to welcome a second daughter, Scout, in July 1991, followed by a third, Tallulah, in February 1994. Though Willis and Moore would ultimately divorce in 2000, the actor’s fatherhood journey was far from over.
Nearly two decades after the arrival of his eldest girls, Willis returned to the newborn phase when his first daughter with his wife Emma Heming Willis was born. Mabel arrived in April 2012, followed by Evelyn, the youngest of the blended family, in May 2014.
Bruce Willis’ daughters honor their father's Hollywood legacy with a sweet day out. https://t.co/YA64paYINd
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) June 27, 2023
In February 2013, Willis told The Telegraph, “[B]eing a father at this point in my life is great. I feel like I have the same amount of love I used to have, if not more. I like getting up early and I like looking after Mabel and it’s just very exciting — it makes me very happy.” Many times throughout his Hollywood career, the Die Hard star asserted that his role as a dad far outweighed any other part of his life. Willis once told NBC, “Having a goal of being a good dad and being a good father is much more important to be than how my movie does this weekend.”
After he was diagnosed with aphasia and retired from acting in February 2022, an insider echoed Willis’ sentiment during an interview with People. “Bruce is enjoying not working and having more family time,” they shared. “He likes being around his girls more.” In March 2023, the Willis-Moore women revealed that the patriarch’s condition had worsened to frontotemporal dementia, and in the time since, they’ve cherished every moment spent with Willis.
Our thoughts are with Bruce Willis and his loved ones as they navigate an increasingly difficult time. https://t.co/wjNCwYvDKI
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) November 15, 2023
In 2023, the blended family even added another darling daughter to their brood — the first of a new generation. Rumer gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Louetta, which made The Sixth Sense actor a first-time grandpa. Based on a rare photo shared by the Dancing with the Stars champion, we’d say the transition from girl dad to girl grandpa has been pretty seamless. The same insider who spoke to People also told the outlet, “He is happy about becoming a grandpa. He loves having a big family.”
The Hollywood titan has more heartwarming girl dad moments than we could hope to include here, but for a highlight reel of some of his most moving moments with his five daughters, scroll on.
Still Cherishing Moments With His Girls
A few weeks after Bruce Willis’ condition was revealed to be worsening, his daughter Scout shared a few heartwarming scenes from the family’s 2023 Thanksgiving celebration on her Instagram Story. One short video showed his second-eldest reaching out to him with an open hand, which Willis gently grasped with his own. “My guy,” she captioned the clip.
Scout also shared a photo of herself leaning against her dad while seated, and of the actor leaning into her with a hand gingerly caressing the side of her face. They’re undoubtedly extremely cherished memories in this phase of his dementia.
From Girl Dad to Girl Grandpa
In June 2023, just a few months after the arrival of her daughter, Rumer Willis shared a touching Father’s Day tribute to her partner and her dad. “Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life,” the House Bunny star wrote on Instagram. “His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful.”
Addressing her ailing father directly, the mom of one wrote, “Papa I’m so lucky to have you and so is Lou. Thank you for being the silliest, most loving, coolest Daddio a girl could ask for. Best Girl Dad in the game….”
Being a Dad Trumps Everything Else
A resurfaced clip from an old Bruce Willis interview recirculated in early 2023, during which the actor said, “Having a goal of being a good dad and being a good father is much more important to be than how my movie does this weekend.”
Getting in the Holiday Spirit With His Seven Girls
After their divorce in 2000, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have remained famously close. In fact, the former couple spent Christmas 2022 together with Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis and all of their collective daughters. The Ghost actress shared a precious family photo on Instagram, captioning the post, “We are FAMILY!! Getting into the holiday spirit!”
Making Magic Moments
In October 2022, Emma Heming Willis shared the sweetest video compilation of summer moments spent with her husband and their two daughters. In the Instagram Reel, Bruce Willis is seen goofily dancing, giving piggyback rides, holding hands during nature walks, playing frisbee, petting the family’s Siberian Husky, and more with Mabel, Evelyn, and Emma.
The mom of two captioned the feel-good video, “We don’t believe in perfection over here but #oursummer2022 was pretty close to it. In fact it was magic.”
The Ultimate Girl Dad Move
It doesn’t get any more “girl dad” than busting a move to Lizzo, and that’s exactly what Emma Heming Willis caught Bruce Willis and their daughter Mabel doing in July 2022. The video clip is hilarious and beyond cute.
Supporting Strong, Independent Woman Vibes
When Tallulah Willis decided to shave her head in 2020, Bruce Willis not only supported the bold move — he helped her get the look. In a video shared by his middle child on Instagram, The Expendables star was seen shaving her head himself. We thought dancing to Lizzo with Mabel was the ultimate girl dad move, but giving Tallulah a buzzcut is beyond badass.
Integrating Fatherhood in His Work Projects
Bruce Willis’ role as a dad changed more than just his home life — it changed the way he chose movie scripts. The actor shared in a 2018 statement, via The Statesman, “Before I had kids, [being a father] wasn’t a part of these action films I do. Now, it’s a major component.”
Crying Tears of Joy For His Eldest
While visiting Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy during one of their rehearsals for Dancing with the Stars, Bruce Willis emotionally shared, “I’m very proud of her. The most exciting thing for me was how she looked when she got done dancing and stepped off stage. I love seeing her happy like that. She makes me cry,” he said.
The world saw the girl dad’s waterworks in action during the competition’s final performances — after the DWTS duo finished their dance, the Looper star was seen with tears in his eyes as he applauded his daughter. Looks like we’re in need of tissues too!
On His Favorite Job
“My favorite job is being a father,” Bruce Willis told Collider in February 2013. He continued, “I have four girls now. They’re a captive audience. They can’t really run away from you even if they don’t like your jokes. I just enjoy it. I love making my kids laugh and I still do. I still do the dumbest things in the world to make them laugh. I do that with my youngest daughter now. I try to make her laugh.”
Comparing his role as a dad in A Good Day to Die Hard and the way he navigates fatherhood in reality, the beloved movie star said, “One is a job. It’s a film concept. The other one is real life and you want to try to get them ready to get out in the world and grow up to be women that have good morals and good intentions and are nice people and are kind. I never knew until they got older that I was having any impact on them really,” he confessed.
Finding Absolute Joy in ‘Starting Over’
After welcoming his fourth daughter, Mabel, in April 2012, Bruce Willis told Everything Zoomer, “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” Of returning to the newborn phase of parenthood 18 years after his youngest daughter with Demi Moore was born, the actor said, “I’m changing diapers like a champ. I was happy before she was born, and now I’m even happier.”
Willis continued, “I’m in a good state of mind these days and I have been for some years now. I’ve learnt that my life revolves around my family and friends. When I’m not working, my days are devoted to the women in my life. I don’t need anything more than that.”
“With Mabel, I’m glad I’ve stayed in good shape over the years,” The Sixth Sense star noted. “I still have a lot of energy left so I can get up early in the morning and take care of her for a while and let Emma relax.” It gets even more swoon-worthy — the doting dad added, “What I’ve also discovered is how much love I feel for our baby. I think I’m even more open and more giving as a father now. I pay more attention now because I value it more and I’m less caught up with my career.”
Feeling at Peace Thanks to His Girls
During his chat with Everything Zoomer, Bruce Willis spoke about his content mindset. He shared, “I feel very relaxed. I don’t have much to get upset about in life. I sometimes worry about my daughters but I try to tell them how to avoid the bad guys out there.”
The Midnight in the Switchgrass actor continued, “Your kids need your love and attention and being able to devote myself to them is very fulfilling. As I get older, spending time with my daughters makes things much easier. You learn to put your ego aside.”
On Parenting Adult Children
Bruce Willis opened up about the way his relationship with his eldest daughters had evolved since they’ve blossomed into adults, and their dynamic couldn’t be any more precious.
In conversation with Everything Zoomer, the Unbreakable star shared, “I’m proud of the fact that Demi and I raised them to be very independent-minded and spirited. I enjoy talking to them and having very serious conversations and appreciating their perspectives on the world. As a father, it’s so gratifying to see that they’ve become very confident and engaging young women.”
Willis continued, “When your children are growing up, you have no idea really of how they’re going to turn out because you hear of so many teenagers having problems. But my daughters have grown up to be truly nice and polite adults.” Bragging about his girls, he added, “Rumer is working in films a lot, Tallulah is going to start university in San Francisco in the fall and Scout is graduating from Brown this year. I’m very proud of them.”
Bonding With His Baby
Reflecting on his relationship with Mabel shortly after her first birthday, Bruce Willis sheepishly told Everything Zoomer, “She’s the boss. I’m under her spell.” The movie star continued, “She’ll make these faces and then pull me by the ear or stick her hand in my face. It’s been a remarkable thing to experience raising a baby again. I just love it.”
Willis adorably added, “I spend a lot of time singing to Mabel, especially this one song from The Wizard of Oz, which always makes her laugh like crazy. I can’t even begin to explain how much pleasure I get from making her laugh and watching her learn things.”
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