Rickman's Die Hard co-star is an actor whose versatility and charisma are often subdued beneath his usual tough guy act in action movies. Bruce Willis admitted to GQ magazine in the run-up to last year's Oscars ceremony that he didn't think it was likely he'd ever be recognised by the Academy for comedy or "for shooting people." Sadly that seems to be true, because Willis keeps coming up with roles which prove he's more than a placeholder for one-liners and guns and so far none of them has been nominated. Willis committed wholeheartedly to Die Hard's wisecracking John McClane, which is why the character works so well, but the Academy's stance on blockbuster action films has yet to change. He has nonetheless starred in more Oscar-friendly offerings such as 1994's Pulp Fiction and 1995's Twelve Monkeys, both of which should have garnered him more awards than they did. In the latter, Willis is a necessary and strangely intense foil for the manic Brad Pitt, who was nominated. He has a Golden Globe nomination to his name for his subtle turn in In Country (1989), but no Oscar nod to match. There's also Willis' double bill of Shyamalan features: The Sixth Sense (1999), in which he excels in his rapport with Haley Joel Osment, and the underrated superhero film Unbreakable (2000). Still, The Sixth Sense stands out in his repertoire, and a surprising number of people are under the impression that he was actually nominated for it, hence his place at number one on this list. Although there is still every chance that he will be nominated in future, an Academy Honorary Award would actually suit Willis better, rewarding him for his dramatic turns and also, appropriately, "for shooting people." Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
