Celebrity Mound

Bruce Willis has dubbed his stunt double the ‘$6 Million Man’ after the tough guy survived a death-defying street fall during the making of the new Die Hard film.

Larry Rippenkroeger, who has been the movie star’s double for films like The Whole Ten Yards, Hostage and Sin City, lost his footing on a ladder during one stunt sequence on the set of Live Free & Die Hard and fell three storeys to the street below.

The 50-year-old stuntman, who is a four-time jet-ski champion, has no memory of the accident, which left him with multiple injuries.

He tells the Los Angeles Times newspaper, “I fell from three storeys high, head first right to the street.

“I had compound fractures of both wrists, smashed the right side of my face, fractured my skull on the back of my head, couple of broken ribs and a punctured lung.

 

Bruce Willis looks like he’s finally found love. The bald star of “Perfect Strangers,” who’s been single for more than a year despite expressing interest in several models, cuddled up against his co-star, Tamara Feldman, during the premiere at the Ziegfeld Tuesday night. Afterward, Willis discreetly checked on the leggy brunette periodically throughout the evening at the after-party at Tao and later brought her to the Gramercy Park Hotel, where he kissed her before going to circulate in the crowd. Also at the premiere were a radiant Halle Berry supported by her live-in love, Gabriel Aubry, Sony chief Sir Howard Stringer, producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, uber-agent Toni Howard, Gary Dourdan, Amy Sacco, Giovanni Ribisi and Tim Robbins -who, asked whom he thought should be the ’08 Democratic presidential nominee answered, “Al Gore.” Most of the crowd then moved on from the hotel to Bungalow 8.

Bruce Willis has settled a lawsuit filed against his childhood friend over allegations the man tried to extort at least $100,000 from the actor, Willis’ publicist said.

The lawsuit filed in August accused Bruce DiMattia, who was hired to maintain Willis’ personal items and memorabilia, of extortion and violation of privacy.

The lawsuit claimed DiMattia “was overcome by greed and jealous of his former friend’s success” and threatened to disclose personal information about the star unless Willis bought him a car and paid him $100,000.

Willis’ publicist Paul Bloch issued a statement Tuesday that said Willis and DiMattia had reached a settlement and that their dispute was “amicably resolved.”

“The filing of the lawsuit by Bruce Willis against Bruce DiMattia was based on a regrettable misunderstanding and was based on misinformation,” the statement said. “Bruce Willis wishes Bruce DiMattia the best of luck in the future and Bruce DiMattia wishes him the same.”

The name of DiMattia’s attorney was not immediately known, and there was no telephone listing for DiMattia in the Los Angeles area.