John McClane John McClane John McClane is the main protagonist of the "Die Hard" film series. He is portrayed by Bruce Willis. He is known for his sardonic one-liners, including the famous catchphrase "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker". John McClane was originally based on the fictional character Detective Joe Leland from Roderick Thorp's bestselling novel, "Nothing Lasts Forever". Other aspects are derived from Frank Malone from Walter Wager's novel "58 Minutes" (adapted as "Die Hard 2"). "Die Hard" villain Hans Gruber describes him as "just another American... who thinks he's John Wayne," to which McClane replies that he "was always partial to Roy Rogers." He
Bruce Willis Sense", which was both a commercial and critical success. In 2000, Willis won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on "Friends" (in which he played the father of Ross Geller's much-younger girlfriend). He was also nominated for a 2001 American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work on "Friends". Also in 2000, Willis played Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in "The Whole Nine Yards" alongside Matthew Perry. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict in "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) but dropped out to work on recording