Rumer Willis

Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988) is an American actress. The eldest daughter of actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, she made her acting debut opposite her mother in the coming-of-age drama '' Now and Then'' (1995). She subsequently appeared in films such as ''Striptease'' (1996), ''Hostage'' (2005), '' The House Bunny'' (2008), '' Sorority Row'' (2009), and ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (2019). She portrayed Gia Mannetti on The CW teen drama series '' 90210'' (2009–2010) and Tory Ash on the FOX musical drama series ''Empire'' (2017–2018). Willis won season 20 of the ABC dance competition television series ''Dancing with the Stars'', and made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical ''Chicago'' on September 21, 2015.

Early life

Rumer Glenn Willis was born on August 16, 1988, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky, while her father, Bruce Willis, was filming '' In Country''. She was named after author Rumer Godden. Her mother, actress Demi Moore, hired a cameraman to videotape her birth. She has two younger sisters, Scout LaRue Willis (b. 1991), and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. 1994), as well as two younger paternal half-sisters from her father's marriage to model Emma Heming, born in April 2012 and May 2014.

Raised in Hailey, Idaho, Willis enrolled as a freshman at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. In January 2004, she enrolled as a sophomore at Wildwood Secondary School in Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of Southern California for one semester before dropping out.

Career

In 1995, Willis made her film debut alongside her mother in '' Now and Then''. The following year she appeared in ''Striptease'' (1996). She has worked with her father three times: in '' The Whole Nine Yards'' in 2000, ''Hostage'' in 2005 and ''Air Strike'' in 2018. She portrayed Joanne in the comedy film '' The House Bunny'' (2008) alongside Emma Stone, Colin Hanks and Anna Faris. The film was a commercial success, grossing $70 million worldwide. She played Natalie Wilburn in the horror film '' From Within'' (2008), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2008. In 2009, she appeared in two films, the slasher film '' Sorority Row'' and the high school comedy film '' Wild Cherry.'' She won "Breakthrough Performance Female" award at Young Hollywood Awards for her performance in ''Wild Cherry.'' She was nominated for "Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller" at Teen Choice Awards for ''Sorority Row''. In 2013, Willis landed the lead role of Maya in the drama film '' The Odd Way Home''. She also appeared in films '' There's Always Woodstock'' (2014), '' Return to Sender'' (2014), '' The Escort'' (2015) and ''Hello Again'' (2017).

She had guest roles in television shows '' Miss Guided'', ''Army Wives'', '' CSI: NY'', ''Medium,'' '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', '' Hawaii Five-0 ''and '' Workaholics''. Willis portrayed Gia Mannetti in ten episodes of the teen drama television series '' 90210'' (2009–2010). In May 2013, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' announced that Willis will portray Zoe in the fourth season of Freeform's teen drama series ''Pretty Little Liars''. She was a judge at ''Miss USA'' beauty pageant in 2014. In May 2015, Willis and professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy won season 20 of ABC's dance competition television series ''Dancing with the Stars''. From September 21 to November 1, 2015, Willis starred as Roxie Hart in ''Chicago'' on Broadway. '' W'' magazine noted that the past six months have been "a major breakout" for Willis." ''W'' magazine praised "her astonishing routines on the spring season of the show ''Dancing with the Stars'', which she won with her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, that propelled Willis to new heights of fame. It also revealed the actress-singer to be a triple threat."

In 2016, she had a voice role on the stop-motion sketch comedy series ''Robot Chicken'', in the episode "Yogurt in a Bag." On March 22, 2017, she had a recurring role in the third season of FOX's musical drama series ''Empire'' as Tory Ash. She became a series regular in ''Empire'' during the show's fourth season. In 2019, she appeared as a guest co-host in three episodes of CBS' talk show '' The Talk''.

On February 20, 2019, she was revealed to be "Lion" on the first season of Fox's reality singing competition series '' The Masked Singer''. She finished in the fifth place. ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that "Willis had commanded the stage with her vocal prowess and magnetic presence during the last eight weeks of the competition, proving time and again how powerful and versatile her singing skills truly are." Willis portrayed Joanna Pettet in the comedy drama film ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (2019) written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film has grossed $368.9 million worldwide, with ''The Hollywood Reporter'' writing that critics had "an overall positive view" of the film, calling it "Tarantino's love letter to '60s L.A." She portrayed sex worker Kayla in the social impact film ''Maya'' (2023), which raises awareness on child trafficking, domestic violence, alcoholism and child abuse. Inspired by real events, the film shows how predators use social media to lure teenagers. The film was met with positive reviews from critics, ''Film Threat'' writing: "''Maya'' is an important film with great value for those who need to learn about this highly destructive underworld in our society."

She plays Ren in the upcoming comedy film ''My Divorce Party'' (2024), which follows a group of friends celebrating soon-to-be divorced Xan's, played by Desiree Staples, split. Xan decides to burn her divorce settlement money, but each friend has a different plan in mind. Written and directed by Heidi Weitzer, the film is set to be released on April 20, 2024.

Other ventures

She has appeared on the cover of several magazines, such as ''Page Six'', Prestige, ''Us Weekly'' and ''The House Magazine'' and pictorials for '' Vanity Fair'', ''Harper's Bazaar'' and ''The Sunday Times''. In 2008, Willis ventured into the role of spokesperson for clothing brand Ocean Pacific.

In August 2023, the nursery at her house was featured in an issue of ''Architectural Digest''. In November 2023, she partnered with Bumpsuit to create a baby carrier, titled Rumer Willis ‘Lou Blue’ x Bumpsuit.

''Dancing with the Stars''

On February 24, 2015, Willis was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on season 20 of ''Dancing with the Stars''. Her professional partner was Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Her performance during week 1 earned her the highest score of the night (32 out of 40), and her performance during two rounds of competition in week 8 landed her two perfect scores.

On May 19, 2015, Willis and Chmerkovskiy were crowned the season's champions, winning over singer and actor Riker Lynch and army veteran Noah Galloway who took second and third place, respectively. Willis joined partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy and other ''Dancing with the Stars'' professionals on the 40-city "Dancing with the Stars: Perfect 10 Tour" during the summer of 2015.

Personal life

From 2020 to 2024, Willis was in a relationship with singer Derek Richard Thomas. On December 20, 2022, Willis announced that she was pregnant with their first child. On April 18, 2023, she gave birth to a daughter.

Filmography

Film

TV

References

External links

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Rumer Willis at Miss USA 2014

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Rumer
1988 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Kentucky
American child actresses
American film actresses
American people of German descent
American television actresses
Living people
Musicians from Paducah, Kentucky
People from Hailey, Idaho
University of Southern California alumni
Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) winners
Participants in American reality television series
Demi Moore
Bruce Willis