Bruce Willis diagnosed with dementia: His life and career in pictures

Bruce Willis, one of the most-loved actors of the '80s and early 1990s, has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. The actor's family announced on Thursday that his disorder was 'untreatable'. Willis was one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood and with a career spanning almost four decades, he has delivered some classic films. 

From working as a security guard to becoming the highest-paid actor, take a look at his shining career. 

Actor Bruce Willis was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, on March 19, 1955. In the past, he had always described his background as a "long line of blue-collar people". 

Willis joined the drama club during his teenage and worked as a security guard and private investigator before venturing into the giant world of acting.
 

After appearing at different broadway shows and playing various roles in dramas in NYC, Bruce got his breakthrough as a leading man in the comedy-drama series 'Moonlighting' in 1985, alongside Cybill Shepherd.

The show revolved around cases investigated by the Blue Moon Detective Agency and its two partners, Madelyn 'Maddie' Hayes (Shepherd) and David Addison Jr. (Willis).

The show, which was a mixup of mystery, sharp dialogue, and sexual tension between the lead stars, introduced Willis to the whole world as a star and brought Shepherd back into the spotlight after a nearly decade-long absence. 

The show lasted five seasons and earned Willis both an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award. 

After Willis pretty much cemented his place in the industry, he got another iconic role in Die Hard as John McClaine, which has perhaps become the biggest piece of his cinema legacy and the franchise that made him a movie star and gave him the action hero status.

In the five-film series, he played a role of a New York City police detective John, later on, he reprised his role in 1990's Die Hard 2, 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance, 2007's Live Free or Die Hard and 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard. 

 

In his career of four decades, he has been bestowed with many awards including Golden Globe for his outstanding role in Moonlighting and Emmy award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. 

We have seen Bruce playing a military role with perfection in many films including, In Country, The Siege, Tears of the Sun, and Grindhouse among others, and no doubt - we loved them all. Being from a military family, he always had a soft corner for all the armed forces. A few years back, after his daughter suggested purchasing Girl Scout cookies to send to troops, following that, he purchased 12,000 boxes of cookies, and they were distributed to sailors aboard. 

In 2003, Willis visited Iraq and entertained the troops with his band, The Accelerators. Willis also once considered joining the military to help fight the second Iraq War, but due to his age, he was not selected. 

Willis shares a very special bond with his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore. They got married in the year 1987 and got divorced in the year 2000. The couple shares three daughters.

Talking about his divorce, Willis once stated, "I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work."

It's been years since the former couple ended their marriage, but the bond between the two remains the same. 

Later, Willis was engaged to actress Brooke Burns until they broke up. 

In the year 2009, he tied the knot again with model Emma Heming in presence of their close friends and family. The couple shares two daughters together. 

Bruce Willis has made millions from his shining career of four decades. Willis, who is an actor, producer, and singer reportedly has a fortune of $333 million.