20 Things You Didn't Know About Die Hard

By Jack Pooley / December 18, 2023

9. Ellis' "Hans...Bubby!" Line Was Ad-Libbed By Actor Hart Bochner

Fox

Coke-huffing Nakatomi exec Ellis may ultimately be a fairly "unnecessary" character in the context of the movie's story, but he perfectly encapsulates both the disconnect between New York and Californian sensibilities, and also the drug-addled hubris of 1980s corporate culture.

The part's played with a slick believability by Hart Bochner, who is actually credited with surely the character's most famous line of dialogue.

When Ellis attempts to use his negotiation brio to bring the siege to a close, he tells Hans, "Hans...bubby! I'm your white knight."

This quip was improved by Bochner, such that Rickman's resultantly baffled reaction is in fact completely genuine. Brilliant.