It’s pretty close to impossible to find a hero more beloved than Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard. But things were often different behind the scenes. Willis was notoriously hard to work with, and there’s a long list of folks who would rather not repeat the process. On the other hand, Willis proved to be a regular pussycat when it came to his family life.

This sunny beach boy just barely survived a friendship with one of the most feared men in American history.

Daredevil Evel Knievel was an irresistible cocktail of bravery, masculinity, and audacity. He certainly had his share of young men as fans, and they looked up to him in a way that went beyond sports—he was truly a hero. All that came tumbling down when Knievel went looking for revenge from a writer threatening to ruin his career.