Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis

Willis in 2010, vipflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Walter Bruce Willis

Place of Birth: Idar-Oberstein, West Germany (now Germany)

Date of Birth: March 19, 1955

Ethnicity:
*father – English, as well as Dutch, French, Welsh, and Irish
*mother – German

Bruce Willis is an American actor, producer, and singer.

He was born in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany, now Germany, to an American soldier, David Andrew Willis, and a German mother, Marlene K. (Henze). Bruce’s father’s ancestry was English, with some Dutch, French, Welsh, and Irish. Bruce moved to the U.S. at the age of two, settling in Carneys Point, New Jersey, where his father was from.

Bruce has five children, two with his wife, British model and actress Emma Heming, and three, including actress Rumer Willis, with his former wife, actress, model, and filmmaker Demi Moore.

Bruce’s paternal grandfather was Edgar George Willis (the son of Edgar Prettyman Willis and Cora Augusta Tarburton). Bruce’s grandfather Edgar was born in Dover, Delaware. Bruce’s great-grandfather Edgar was the son of William F. Willis and Wilhelmina Mina Prettyman. Cora was the daughter of George Noble/Nobel Tarburton and Elizabeth Ann Jacobs.

Bruce’s paternal grandmother was Martha Florence Tingle (the daughter of David Henry Tingle and Julia Martha Parsons). Bruce’s grandmother Martha was born in Maryland. David was the son of Manaan/Manain Tingle and Mary Truitt. Julia was the daughter of William Parsons.

Bruce’s maternal grandfather was Konrad Kurt Henze (the son of Konrad Henze and Elisian Marie Rumpf). Bruce’s grandfather Konrad was born in Kassel, Germany.

Bruce’s maternal grandmother was Clara Ann Brüssler (the daughter of Konrad Brüssler and Katharina Engelhardt). Clara was born in Kassel, Germany. Konrad was the son of Balthasar Brüssler and Elisabeth Seeger. Katharina was the daughter of Christoph Engelhardt and Katharina Elisabeth.

Sources: Genealogies of Bruce Willis – https://gw.geneanet.org
https://www.geni.com

Bruce’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Marriage record of Bruce’s maternal great-grandparents, Konrad Brüssler and Katharina Engelhardt – https://www.familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

16 Responses

  1. andrew says:

    Idar-Oberstein is in Rhineland-Palatinate

  2. Capricious says:

    I thought he looked like a mix of German and Italian. They tend to look like that.

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