He may have been a coke-addicted sleazebag but Die Hard's Harry Ellis certainly left an impression. Fans of the series may not realize Die Hard is an adaptation of a novel called Nothing Lasts Forever, which is itself a sequel to author Roderick Thorp's The Detective. The latter book was turned into a movie with the same title in 1968, which starred Frank Sinatra. Thorp was heavily inspired by The Towering Inferno when it came to penning a follow-up book, which found the retired Joe Leland trapped in a skyscraper following a terrorist takeover.
Nothing Lasts Forever is surprisingly close to Die Hard in many of its key story beats and setpieces, but is also darker in tone. Contractually Sinatra had to be offered the lead for a sequel, but by that point, he had retired from movies following 1984's Cannonball Run II. After bigger names turned it down, Moonlighting's Bruce Willis signed on to play John McClane in Die Hard, which was a huge hit and made him a star. Die Hard became a long-running franchise, with the most recent entry being 2013's A Good Day To Die Hard. While there was talk of a prequel/sequel concept dubbed McClane, there are no signs of it moving forward.
Die Hard soon evolved into a Christmas classic and is annual viewing for fans. One thing that made it last the test of time is a great script and characters, with even antagonist Hans Gruber being oddly likable despite his many evil deeds. Another fan favorite is Harry Ellis, played with scene-chewing glee by Hart Bochner. Ellis is first introduced hitting on Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), John's wife at the Nakatomi plaza's Christmas party.
John is later introduced to Die Hard's Harry Ellis in Holly's office, where he's snorting coke off her desk. He quickly cleans up, explaining he had to make an urgent call and Holly's phone was the nearest. Of course, McClane immediately pegs what kind of fellow Ellis is, who later brags about the corporation giving Holly a Rolex for her good work. While Ellis is a walking, talking stereotype of a coke-addicted yuppie, Bochner's peerless comic timing makes each of his scenes a treat. He's constantly spewing quotable dialogue like "Hey, sprechen ze talk?" or "Hans, bubby, I'm your white knight," and it's hard not to like him.
A combination of ego and coke contributes to Ellis' fall when he decides to use his negotiating skills to barter with Hans. He at least has the decency not to give up Holly and claims he was the one who invited John to the Christmas party. and offers to help Die Hard's villains lure him out of hiding. Ellis' confidence is admirable as it becomes increasingly clear John isn't going to give up the detonators the terrorists are seeking and that he's doomed. Hans executes Ellis to make an example out of him, but in a decade that featured world-class sleazebags like Biff in Back To The Future or Walter Peck in Ghostbusters, Die Hard's Harry Ellis remains in a class of his own.