Die Hard was released in 1988.
Bruce Willis was starring on the hit Television series “Moonlighting” at the time and the Movie Studio was initially reluctant to cast him in “Die Hard”, fearing that audiences would not accept Willis as a violent, action-hero character in that he played a lovable, wisecracking, comedic character on TV. Willis had starred in the 1987 Romantic Comedy “Blind Date” with Kim Basinger, but his character had the same comedic tones as his character on “Moonlighting”.
The film was a critical and box-office smash, catapulting Bruce Willis to leading man status in films and starting a long, successful movie career than still continues.
Moonlighting ended in 1989, freeing Willis to concentrate solely on his film career.
Die Hard starred:
Bruce Willis – Det. John McClane
Alan Rickman – Hans Gruber
Bonnie Bedelia – Holly McClane
Paul Gleason – Deputy Police Chief Dwayne Robinson
Reginald VelJohnson – Sgt. Al Powell
William Atherton – William Thornburg
The film was directed by John McTiernan who had previously directed the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Predator” in 1987. After Die Hard, McTiernan next directed “The Hunt for Red October” in 1990.
The building billed as the Nakatomi Building in the film is actually the Corporate HQ of 20th Century Fox at Fox Plaza in Los Angeles.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards for Sound, Editing, Visual Effects, and Sound Effects Editing.
The film was made for $28 Million and grossed over $138 Million worldwide.
Bruce Willis has gone on to appear in over 50 films since Die Hard.
The film spawned three sequels, Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), and Live Free or Die Hard (2007).
