Where Is the “Die Hard ”Cast Now? Here's What Happened to the Stars After Appearing in the Hit Action Film
- - Where Is the “Die Hard ”Cast Now? Here's What Happened to the Stars After Appearing in the Hit Action Film
Keith LangstonDecember 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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Bruce Willis and Bonnie Bedelia in 'Die Hard' (1988).
Nearly four decades after its release, Die Hard remains a (hotly debated) Christmas classic.
In the 1988 film, Bruce Willis plays New York Police Department (NYPD) detective John McClane, who travels to Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his wife, who is attending a Christmas party inside the Nakatomi Plaza skyscraper. But before he gets a chance, the building is taken over by German terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). With the terrorists unaware that McClane is inside, it’s up to him to stop their plot to access the company’s secure information.
Die Hard was a smash success, earning over $83 million at the box office, per Box Office Mojo, and spawning four sequels: Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). The cast of the original film went on to have epic careers in Hollywood, leading blockbuster movies like Harry Potter and even competing on reality shows like Dancing with the Stars.
In March 2022, Bruce's family announced his retirement from acting amid an aphasia diagnosis. (In February 2023, his wife Emma Heming Willis shared that his condition had progressed and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.) Since then, fans have shown an outpouring of support for the actor and the film that helped launch him into superstardom.
“I think it's important to put Die Hard on because it's a Christmas movie,” Emma told PEOPLE in November 2025. "Bruce loved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him. There is still joy. It just looks different.”
Here’s everything to know about the cast of Die Hard and where they are now.
01 of 08
Bruce Willis as John McClane
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Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Bruce Willis attends a photocall for "R.E.D." on October 18, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.
Bruce starred as the film’s lead, John McClane, cementing himself as one of Hollywood’s greatest action heroes. After Die Hard, Willis reprised the role four more times in the various sequels and starred in other hit movies like Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and Red.
In his personal life, Bruce is a dad to five daughters — Rumer Glenn Willis, Scout LaRue Willis, Tallulah Belle Willis, Mabel Ray Willis and Evelyn Penn Willis — whom he shares with Emma and ex-wife Demi Moore.
Bruce retired from acting in 2022 amid his aphasia diagnosis. He has since been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and now lives in a separate home — which is near Emma and their young children — with around-the-clock care.
"Dementia plays out differently in everyone's home and you have to do what's right for your family dynamic and what's right for your person," Emma told PEOPLE in September 2025. "It's heartbreaking to me. But this is how we were able to support our whole family, [and] it has opened up Bruce's world."
02 of 08
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber
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Alan Rickman in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Alan Rickman attends the AOL Build Speaker Series on June 19, 2015 in New York City.
Rickman played the East German criminal Hans Gruber, who takes the Nakatomi tower hostage, hoping to earn millions in ransom. Die Hard was Rickman’s first major film role and he soon found himself starring in other hits like Dogma, Galaxy Quest and Love Actually. But the actor’s most iconic role was that of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film franchise.
On Jan. 14, 2016, Rickman died of pancreatic cancer at 69. He is survived by his wife, Rima Horton.
At the time of his death, he "was surrounded by family and friends,” his family said in a statement to BBC.
“Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with," Harry Potter costar Daniel Radcliffe wrote in a statement at the time. "He is also one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry.”
03 of 08
Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennaro
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Bonnie Bedelia in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Bonnie Bedelia at the Variety's Creative Impact Awards on January 3, 2018 in Palm Springs, California.
Bonnie Bedelia portrayed Holly Gennaro, a Nakatomi executive and John’s estranged wife. After Die Hard, Bedelia starred in hit television series like The Division (2001-2004) and Parenthood (2010-2015).
Bedelia has been married to fellow actor Michael MacRae since 1995. She shares two sons, Uri and Jonah, with her ex-husband, Ken Luber.
In August 2018, Bedelia spoke to PEOPLE and remembered her time on the Die Hard set.
“When I think back to Die Hard, I think first of Alan Rickman,” she said. “I mostly hung out with Alan on the set and we lunched together every day in the Fox commissary.”
04 of 08
Alexander Godunov as Karl Vreski
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Alexander Godunov in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Alexander Godunov attended the First Annual "The Movie Awards" on January 30th, 1991 in Los Angeles, California.
Before he starred as Gruber’s accomplice Karl Vreski in Die Hard, Alexander Godunov was a ballet dancer who defected from the Soviet Union while on tour in America in August 1979. The incident caused a brief political standoff between the US and the USSR and even ended up involving President Jimmy Carter, per The New York Times.
Throughout his career, Godunov starred in a handful of major films, with Harrison Ford’s Witness (1985) being his other major film credit.
On May 18, 1995, he died at 45 years old due to chronic alcoholism, per the Los Angeles Times.
05 of 08
Reginald VelJohnson as Sergeant Al Powell
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Reginald VelJohnson in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Reginald VelJohnson on Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars.
Reginald VelJohnson played Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sergeant Al Powell, who helps McClane rescue the hostages at Nakatomi Plaza.
After Die Hard, VelJohnson reprised his role for the 1995 sequel, but he’s best-known as Carl Winslow from the hit sitcom Family Matters (1989-1999). He’s also a prominent voice actor and has had roles in animated series like Tron: Uprising (2012-2013) and Invincible (2021-present).
In 2024, he competed on Dancing with the Stars, competing alongside pro partner Emma Slater. He even themed one of his dances to Die Hard.
“This week, it's a tribute to my friend Bruce Willis,” he said during the episode. “If you think I'm going out on double elimination, then yippee ki-yay, motherf-----!"
VelJohnson ultimately placed 10th on the season.
06 of 08
Paul Gleason as Deputy Chief Dwayne Robinson
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Paul Gleason in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Paul Gleason at the MTV Movie Awards on June 4, 2005 in Los Angeles, California.
Paul Gleason portrayed Dwayne Robinson, the somewhat unhelpful deputy chief who initially doesn’t believe that McClane is a good guy.
Before Die Hard, Gleason was known for his roles in hit films like Trading Places (1983) and The Breakfast Club (1985). He later held roles in movies like Money Talks (1997) and Van Wilder (2002).
On May 27, 2006, Gleason died at 67 years old of mesothelioma, per The New York Times. He is survived by his wife, Susan Gleason, two daughters and a granddaughter.
07 of 08
James Shigeta as Joe Takagi
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James Shigeta in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; James Shigeta at the 54th International Film Festival on August 8, 2001 in Locarno, Switzerland.
James Shigeta played Nakatomi’s CEO Joe Takagi. In the movie, Gruber needs to use Takagi’s codes to access the company’s computers.
Shigeta began his acting career in the late 1950s, winning the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Male in 1960. Before appearing in Die Hard, he previously starred in movies like Flower Drum Song (1961), Midway (1976) and series like Medical Center (1969-1972). He had a few more roles after Die Hard, including in Disney’s Mulan (1998) as the voice of General Li.
On July 28, 2014, Shigeta died at 85 from pulmonary failure, per The New York Times.
08 of 08
Hart Bochner as Harry Ellis
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Hart Bochner in 'Die Hard' (1988) ; Hart Bochner at the EMA IMPACT Summit on March 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
In Die Hard, Hart Bochner played Nakatomi exec Harry Ellis, who attempts to play it cool with Gruber, offering McClane as a bargaining chip to save his own life.
After Die Hard, Ellis held roles in movies like Anywhere But Here (1999) and Carrie (2013).
Most recently, he's appeared in series like Too Old To Die Young (2019) and The Dropout (2022).
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
