One of the greatest lawyer movies of all time that also features one of Paul Newman’s best performances as a down-on-his-luck alcoholic attorney is the 1982 film, The Verdict. Fans of the movie likely know that it was directed by Sidney Lumet and in addition to Newman featured standout performances from Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, and Milo O’Shea. But did you know that Bruce Willis also appears in the movie?
Yes, Bruce Willis is in the The Verdict. But if you did not know, you probably do not remember him because he was an extra and had no lines.
During Paul Newman’s closing argument, Willis sits in the courtroom. Watch about three rows back as Newman starts the scene. As the camera starts to pan in, Willis is high in the center of the screen.
Unfortunately, once you see the 27-year-old Willis in the scene, it is hard to stay focuses on Newman’s great acting. Maybe I should not have told you about it, but I had to share.
Three years after The Verdict, Bruce Willis would gain a more prominent role playing David Addison Jr. in the television series Moonlighting starting in 1985. After a few film roles, his movie career took off following a starring role in 1988’s Die Hard. Like other fans of many of his films, I was saddened to hear of his retirement in 2022 due to an aphasia diagnosis.
Bruce Willis, however, is not the only future popular actor sitting in the audience as an extra in The Verdict. Just to Willis’s right in the courtroom (and in the photo above), you may also see Tobin Bell, who later became famous as John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, in the Saw movie franchise.
If you have never seen The Verdict, make sure to check it out, both to catch a glimpse of yet-to-be discovered stars and to see a great movie. The film currently has an 89% critics rating and 88% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But maybe it would get a few extra points if more people knew about Bruce Willis.
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