Bruce Willis Did What In The 80s?

Whether you remember him fondly as a badass New York City cop in "Die Hard," or the older man in Rachel's life on "Friends" Bruce Willis has had a storied acting career. But you might not know about a little gem of a movie he made in 1987...

The Return of Bruno

Via eil.com

So long story short: In the 1980s, Bruce Willis starred in an HBO "mocumentary" as a fictional '60s rock legend named Bruno Radolini. The filmed featured appearances from huge stars like Elton John, Bon Jovi, and Phil Collins--who all play themselves and credit Bruno as a major influence on their careers! Here are 10 facts about that movie...

1. The film was inspired by an album of the same name released by Willis earlier that year.

Produced by Motown Records, this 10 track masterpiece features covers of old classics like "Under the Boardwalk" and "Respect Yourself."

Via youtube.com

"Under the Board Walk" from "The Return of Bruno" live concert featuring The Temptations!

2. The album reached #14 on the Billboard's top 200 album list.

eil.com / Via allmusic.com

3. In Britain, "Under the Boardwalk" was a wild success and reached #2 on the singles chart.

4. "Bruno" was Willis' nickname from when he was a bartender.

barsandnightclubs.com.au / Via imdb.com

5. Michael J. Fox plays the greatest Bruno fan in the world (as himself).

Via curatedmusic.com

He even has a rare bootleg recording of Bruno's most recent concert

6. Ringo Starr credits Bruno for bringing The Beatles together.

7. While the majority of the songs on the albums are covers, Bruce wrote "Jackpot (Bruno's Bop)."

Via youtube.com

"Why not?

I'm hot.

Jackpot!"

8. This is how "contemporary" Bruno dressed in the '80s for the song "Down in Hollywood."

Via ymlyrics.com

That hat...No words.

9. Your only chance of seeing the movie is getting your hands on the 1987 VHS (and a VHS player...).

Via whatilikeissounds.wordpress.com

10. And this is just an amazing GIF from "Respect Yourself."

Via youtube.com

That man can move

If this whole thing tickles you, fear not, you can still watch an excerpt from Willis' live concert for the film/album: