Bruce Willis John McClane in "Die Hard", Willis reprised his role in the sequels "Die Hard 2" (1990) and "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995). These first three installments in the "Die Hard" series grossed over US$700 million internationally and propelled Willis to the first rank of Hollywood action stars. In the early 1990s, Willis's career suffered a moderate slump, as he starred in flops such as "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (1990). He gained more success with "Striking Distance" (1993) but flopped again with "Color of Night" (1994): another box office failure, it was savaged by critics but did well in
Bruce Willis Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy. During the height of the show's success, beverage maker Seagram hired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products. The advertising campaign paid the rising star between $5–7 million over two years. In spite of that, Willis chose not to renew his contract with the company when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in 1988. Willis had his first lead role in a feature film in the 1987 Blake Edwards film "Blind Date", with Kim Basinger and John Larroquette. Edwards cast him