Bruce Willis was surrounded by family on his 68th birthday — his first since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The Die Hard star’s wife of nearly 14 years, Emma Heming Willis, threw a celebration with their two young daughters — Mabel and Evelyn — admitting it was an emotional day for her amid the action star’s health struggles. Bruce’s first wife, Demi Moore, from whom he split in 1998, was there as well with their three adult children: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. They posted sweet photos and videos to social media celebrating “BW” day, honoring the “gentle girl dad” they love so much.
The family has rallied around Bruce since they announced in March 2022 that would be retiring from acting due to aphasia, a condition in which a person loses the ability to communicate. They revealed in February that his condition worsened over the last year, but appreciated having a clear diagnosis, FTD, which is the most common form of dementia. They’ve issued a few joint family statements, from Emma, Demi and their merged brood of girls, and vowed to publicly shine a light on FTD.
Emma shared in 2021 that Bruce was asked if he’d like to have a son and he replied, “I’d have 5 more girls right now.” So we look at the girls who made him a dad — and who have supported him amid his health journey.
Bruce and Demi’s daughters: Rumer Glenn Willis
The eldest of the five Willis girls is 34-year-old Rumer, an actress and singer. She was famous upon birth — making her arrival in Paducah, Ky., where Bruce was filming In Country in 1988 — as the first child of the larger-than-life movie star couple. Her uncommon name — a nod to English fiction writer Rumer Godden — sealed the deal.
Rumer, who grew up in Hailey, Idaho, made her movie debut at age 5 with Demi in 1995’s Now and Then. She went on to appear with her parents on-screen as a child (also including 1996’s Striptease with Demi and 2005’s Hostage with Bruce) and followed into their footsteps later appearing in her own film projects like The House Bunny, Sorority Row and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and TV roles in Empire and 90210. She also competed in and won ABC’s Dancing With the Stars in 2015 and made her Broadway debut soon after in Chicago as Roxie Hart. She has also modeled, including a swimwear campaign with Demi, Scout and Tallulah, and is a singer.
Rumer attended high school in L.A. and became a target of mean blog culture in the 2000s, being mocked over her appearance, as a 20-something. She stepped back from the limelight in 2006, when she enrolled at USC, but left after one semester to pursue acting. She’s been open about struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, as well as alcoholism, recently marking six years of sobriety. Rumer, who’s close with her parents and often hits red carpets with Demi or her sisters, announced in in December that she’s expecting her first child with singer Derek Richard Thomas, which will make Bruce and Demi first-time grandparents. She had her baby shower in March.
Scout LaRue Willis
The second daughter of Bruce and Demi, 31-year-old Scout, appeared in an iconic Vanity Fair photoshoot before she was born when Demi posed nude at seven months pregnant in 1991. The Sun Valley, Idaho-born Scout, named for the To Kill a Mockingbird character, also appeared on the big screen with her parents as a child — 1995’s The Scarlett Letter with Demi and 2001’s Bandits with Bruce.
After her younger years in Idaho, her parents split in 1998 and she attended high school in L.A. She went on to study at Brown University, finding herself in the headlines during that era for an underage drinking arrest, and graduated in 2013. The following year, she led a topless protest against Instagram for the platform’s censorship of female nudity.
While also under public scrutiny as the child of two megastars, Scout pursued her passions, including in fashion, creating her own label (Scout’s General), in 2016, which is no longer. She started singing in college (with Rolling Stone mag founder Jann Wenner’s son under Gus + Scout) and her focus as of late has been music. The singer-songwriter-guitarist released her self-entitled debut album in 2022. Scout — who is also close with her parents and sisters — models, and her Instagram is filled with artsy photo shoots. She has been dating Jake Miller, a musician, for the last few years.
Tallulah Belle Willis
The youngest of Bruce and Demi’s girls, Tallulah Belle Willis, 29, came along in 1994. Unlike her sisters, she was born in L.A. and largely raised there after her parents split when she was 4. Tallulah, reportedly named after actress Tallulah Bankhead, was partially raised by Demi’s third husband, Ashton Kutcher, who her mom married in 2005 and Emma, who came into her life in 2007. When she was a baby, she appeared in her mom’s film The Scarlett Letter (1995) along with sister Scout as well The Whole Ten Yards (2004) as Bandits (2001) with her dad. When Bandits came out, Demi and Bruce — by then divorced — walked the red carpet with their three daughters, the epitome of friendly exes before Gwyneth Paltrow put a name on it.
In 2007, Bruce announced during a TV appearance that Tallulah would be changing her name to Lulah. If she formally did, she changed her mind because she still goes by Tallulah on social media. In 2011, the then 17-year-old was arrested for alcohol possession. Similar to her sisters, Tallulah struggled with the public hate, telling Katie Couric for Yahoo in 2014, “I had people when I was 13 telling me how ugly I was, and how could two beautiful actors create such hideous troll children?” She was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder at 13. In 2014, she checked into a treatment facility for depression and drugs after she said her sister Scout “forced me to see what I was doing.” Around that time, mom Demi entered treatment after she started drinking again after 20 years of sobriety. Tallulah and her mother were estranged for three years during that period. They’ve since made peace.
Professionally, Tallulah interned at Harper’s Bazaar at age 15 and pursued fashion, releasing the vintage inspired Wyllis collection in 2020, but it’s no longer. She was engaged to Dillon Buss in 2021. It doesn’t seem they’re still together, but she hasn’t addressed it. For Bruce’s birthday party, she rocked a vintage shirt with her dad on it and happily posed with her parents.
Bruce and Emma’s daughters: Mabel Ray Willis
Bruce found love again with Emma, a model, and after they married in 2009, they had their first child, Mabel, in April 2012. They were initially based in New York, where they had a mansion in Westchester and a NYC apartment, but sold off their real estate and moved to the West Coast to be closer to the rest of the family in 2019. The move seemed to coincide with the rumored start of his health problems.
Unlike her famous older sisters, Mabel, 10, hasn’t appeared in any of her dad’s films nor has she been on the red carpet, but Emma has always posted photos of her on Instagram, especially sweet moments with Bruce — sledding, biking and dancing.
Evelyn Penn Willis
The youngest Willis sister, Evelyn, was born in May 2014. Now a California resident after spending her early years in New York, her mom often shares photos of their adventures, including playing tennis and water play.
Like Mabel, Evelyn hasn’t been in Bruce’s movies nor has she walked the red carpet. She has appeared on a magazine cover with her parents though. While the last year has been a challenging one for the family, Emma puts a lot of their most memorable moments on social media, showing there are smiles amid the troubled times.