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).[1] Willis won season 20 of the ABC dance competition television series Dancing with the Stars,[2] and made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on September 21, 2015.[3][4]
Rumer Willis | |
|---|---|
 Willis in 2019 | |
| Born | Rumer Glenn Willis August 16, 1988 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Partner | Derek Richard Thomas (2020–2024) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents | |
Early life
editRumer Glenn Willis was born on August 16, 1988, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky,[5][6] 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.[7] 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[8] and May 2014.[9]
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.[7] She attended the University of Southern California for one semester before dropping out.[10]
Career
editIn 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.[11] She played Natalie Wilburn in the horror film From Within (2008), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2008.[12] In 2009, she appeared in two films, the slasher film Sorority Row and the high school comedy film Wild Cherry.[13] 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.[14] She was a judge at Miss USA beauty pageant in 2014.[15] In May 2015, Willis and professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy won season 20 of ABC's dance competition television series Dancing with the Stars.[16][17] From September 21 to November 1, 2015, Willis starred as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.[18] W magazine noted that the past six months have been "a major breakout" for Willis."[19] 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."[19]
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.[20] She became a series regular in Empire during the show's fourth season.[21] 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.[22][23] She finished in the fifth place.[24] 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."[25] 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."[26] She portrayed sex worker Kayla in the social impact film Maya (2023), which raises awareness on child trafficking, domestic violence, alcoholism and child abuse.[27] Inspired by real events, the film shows how predators use social media to lure teenagers.[27] 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."[28]
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.[29] Xan decides to burn her divorce settlement money, but each friend has a different plan in mind.[29] Written and directed by Heidi Weitzer, the film is set to be released on April 20, 2024.[30]
Other ventures
editShe has appeared on the cover of several magazines, such as Page Six, Prestige, Us Weekly and The House Magazine[31] and pictorials for Vanity Fair,[32] Harper's Bazaar and The Sunday Times.[33][34] In 2008, Willis ventured into the role of spokesperson for clothing brand Ocean Pacific.[35]
In August 2023, the nursery at her house was featured in an issue of Architectural Digest.[36] In November 2023, she partnered with Bumpsuit to create a baby carrier, titled Rumer Willis ‘Lou Blue’ x Bumpsuit.[37][38]
Dancing with the Stars
editOn 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.[39] 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.[40]
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.[41] 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.
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Take Me to Church" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha / "Rumour Has It" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Salsa / "Turn The Beat Around" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Waltz / "Turning Tables" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Poor Unfortunate Souls" | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Safe |
| 6 | Jazz / "Bootylicious" Team Freestyle / "Trouble" |
8 10 |
8 9 |
8 10 |
8 10 |
Safe |
| 7 | Jive / "Dear Future Husband" Foxtrot Dance-Off / "Orange Colored Sky" |
8 Awarded |
9 2 |
9 Extra |
9 Points |
Last to be called safe |
| 8 | Rumba / "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" Paso Doble (Trio Challenge) / "Scott & Fran's Paso Doble" |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 9 Semi-finals |
Viennese Waltz / "Earned It" Contemporary / "Theme from Swan Lake, Op. 20" |
10 10 |
9 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
Last to be called safe |
| 10 Finals |
Foxtrot / "Take Me to Church" Freestyle / "Toxic" Foxtrot & Paso Doble (fusion) / "Take You Higher" |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
Winner |
Personal life
editFrom 2020 to 2024, Willis was in a relationship with singer Derek Richard Thomas.[42] On December 20, 2022, Willis announced that she was pregnant with their first child.[43] On April 18, 2023, she gave birth to a daughter.[44]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Now and Then | Angela Albertson | Credited as Willa Glen |
| 1996 | Striptease | Angela Grant | Credited as Willa Glen |
| 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Girl Running Between Jimmy and Oz | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Hostage | Amanda Tally | |
| 2008 | From Within | Natalie | |
| 2008 | The House Bunny | Joanne | |
| 2008 | Streak | Drea | Short film |
| 2008 | Whore | Smoking Girl | |
| 2009 | Wild Cherry | Katelyn Chase | |
| 2009 | Sorority Row | Ellie Morris | |
| 2012 | Six Letter Word | Zoe | Short film |
| 2012 | The Diary of Preston Plummer | Kate Cather | |
| 2013 | The Ganzfeld Experiment | Lucky | |
| 2013 | The Odd Way Home | Maya | |
| 2014 | Return to Sender | Darlene | |
| 2014 | There's Always Woodstock | Emily | |
| 2015 | The Escort | Dana | |
| 2017 | Hello Again | Emily | |
| 2018 | Woman on the Edge | Susan | |
| 2018 | Da hong zha | Julia | |
| 2018 | Future World | Rosie | |
| 2018 | Air Strike | Nurse Julia | |
| 2019 | What Lies Ahead | Raven | |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Joanna Pettet | |
| 2023 | Hidden Exposure | Alvy Bowman Abbott | |
| 2023 | Maya | Kayla | |
| 2024 | My Divorce Party | Ren |
TV
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Miss Guided | Shawna | Episode: "Frenemies" |
| 2008 | Army Wives | Renee Talbott | Episode: "Transitions" |
| 2008 | CSI: NY | Mackendra Taylor | Episode: "My Name Is Mac Taylor" |
| 2009 | Medium | Bethany Simmons | Episode: "The First Bite Is the Deepest" |
| 2009 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Heather | Episode: "Knocked Up, Who's There?" |
| 2009–2010 | 90210 | Gia Mannetti | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 2012 | Workaholics | Lisa | Episode: "True Dromance" |
| 2012–2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Sabrina Lane | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Pretty Little Liars | Zoe | Episode: "The Guilty Girl's Handbook" |
| 2014 | Miss USA | Herself / Judge | Television special |
| 2015 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself / Contestant | Season 20 Champion |
| 2016 | Robot Chicken | Lila, Kathy, Clawdeen Wolf | Voice role; episode: "Yogurt in a Bag" |
| 2017 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself / Competitor | Episode: "Rumer Willis vs. Bryshere Gray" |
| 2017–2018 | Empire | Tory Ash | 22 episodes |
| 2019 | The Masked Singer | Lion | 7 episodes |
| 2020 | Floored | Herself / Guest Judge | Episode: "Tapped Out!" |
| 2020 | Barkitecture | Herself | Episode: "Rumer Willis: Canine Camper" |
| 2020 | 9-1-1 | Georgia | Episode: "What's Next" |
| 2023 | Name That Tune | Herself / Contestant | Episode: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Still in Love with You" | Five A.M. |
| 2009 | "Get U Home" | Shwayze |
| 2014 | "Imagine" (UNICEF: World version) | Various[45] |
| 2017 | "Crazy Crazy 4 U" | Cast of Empire featuring Rumer Willis |
| 2018 | "SOS" | Cher |
References
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- ^ "Rumer Willis on Her Dancing with the Stars Win: 'I Had the Time of My Life'". Time. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (April 6, 2016). "Review: Rumer Willis Poignantly Makes the Lyrics Her Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
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Willis and actress Demi Moore named their baby daughter Rumer Glenn, ... girl was delivered Tuesday morning at Western Baptist Hospital.
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