PARIS?Hollywood hardman Bruce Willis has been given a three percent stake in struggling French drinks company Belvedere in exchange for endorsing its vodka brand, the firm said Tuesday.

Belvedere is the world's seventh biggest vodka producer, and owns some iconic brands, but has been put under bankruptcy protection while it restructures its $760 million (580 million euro) debt.

The star of Moonlighting, Die Hard and The Sixth Sense has agreed to promote Belvedere's Sobieski Vodka, and in exchange has been given 83,000 shares in the firm, equivalent to 3.3 percent of its total capital.

"Sobieski will therefore be able to draw on Bruce Willis' worldwide fame and on his personal involvement to speed its development in new markets and in particular in the United States," the company said.

Aside from Sobieski, Burgundy-based Belvedere is best known for the drinks brand Marie Brizard. It employs 4,700 people around the world.