Die Hard Die Hard Die Hard is a 1988 American action thriller film. It was directed by John McTiernan, and written by Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart. It was produced by the Gordon Company and Silver Pictures, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film follows off-duty New York City Police Department officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) who is caught in a Los Angeles skyscraper during a heist led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). It is based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel "Nothing Lasts Forever". Made for $28 million, "Die Hard" grossed over $140 million theatrically worldwide, with the film
Hans Gruber (conductor) Hans Gruber (conductor) Hans Gruber (11 July 1925 – 6 August 2001) was a Canadian conductor of Austrian birth. Born in Vienna, Gruber became a naturalised Canadian citizen in 1944. He entered The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1939 where he was a conducting student of Allard de Ridder. He also studied conducting in the summers at the Tanglewood Music Center from 1943-1947 with such teachers as Fritz Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, and Pierre Monteux. In 1948 he succeeded Melvin Knudsen as the conductor of the Victoria Symphony, a post he held until 1963. He also served on the music faculty