Bud Spencer (born Carlo Pedersoli; 31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016) was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player. He was known for action, comedy, and spaghetti Western roles with his long-time film partner and friend Terence Hill. They appeared in 18 films together.
Biography[]
Born in Naples to Alessandro Pedersoli and Rosa Facchetti, Spencer spent the first few years of his life there before moving to Rome in 1940. During his youth, he played several sports, particularly swimming, and joined a swimming club while in high school. He graduated before his 17th birthday and subsequently enrolled at the Sapienza University of Rome, where he studied chemistry; he dropped out in 1947, when he and his family moved to Recife, Brazil. There, he worked at the Italian consulate for two years, learning to speak fluent Portuguese.
He returned to Italy in 1949, and played water polo for Rome's Società Sportiva Lazio Nuoto and won several Italian swimming championships in freestyle and mixed relay teams. He continued to compete in swimming and water polo events over the next few years, including the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where he reached the semi-finals in the 100 m freestyle (58.8 s heats, 58.9 s semi final). He would also compete in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, also reaching the semi-finals in the same category.
As a water polo player, he won the Italian Championship in 1954 with S.S. Lazio and the gold medal at 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona with the Italian national team. His swimming career ended in 1957.
Spencer began his film career in 1950. His first film role was in Quel fantasma di mio marito, an Italian comedy short film. In 1951, he played a member of the Praetorian Guard in Quo Vadis, an epic film shot in Italy made by MGM and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Spencer appeared playing minor parts in Italian including Mario Monicelli's movie A Hero of Our Times, with Alberto Sordi and the 1954 war film Human Torpedoes with Raf Vallone.
Outside from acting, Spencer was an avid pilot. In 1984, he founded Mistral Air, an air-mail company that also transports pilgrims, but later sold it to Poste Italiane. He briefly entered politics in 2005. He died in Rome on June 27, 2016, from natural causes.
Partnership with Terence Hill[]
Spencer's first film with Terence Hill was Hannibal (1959), although the two never shared any scenes. As a duo, their first official film was the spaghetti Western film God Forgives...I Don't! (1967). It was the first film in a trilogy, followed by Ace High (1968) and Boot Hill (1969). They became a huge hit with the 1970 spaghetti Western comedy They Call Me Trinity and its sequel, Trinity Is Still My Name (1971). Both films were financial successes internationally, leading their popularity as a duo to increase significantly.
After starring in many spaghetti Westerns, All The Way, Boys (1972) was the first film set in a modern context, although many other slapstick elements of the earlier films were carried over. They starred in more adventure comedies, starting with Watch Out, We're Mad! (1974) and Two Missionaries (1974). By 1975, their films had grossed over $50 million (30 billion lire) in Italy. After a three-year break, they reunited in Crime Busters (1977), which was the first of their following films that were filmed in Miami. Next, they starred in Odds and Evens (1978), I'm for the Hippopotamus (1979), Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981), Go for It (1983), and Double Trouble (1984). Miami Supercops (1985) was their final non-Western film together and their last movie before they reunited nine years later for their final pairing in Troublemakers (1994).
Dubbing History[]
Despite being fluent in both Italian and English, Spencer was often dubbed by other actors in the two languages. For the Italian versions of his movies, Spencer was usually dubbed by actor Glauco Onorato due to his thick Naples accent, although he was voiced by Sergio Fiorentini in Troublemakers, To the Limit (1997) and the Extralarge series (1991–93). For English dubs, he was voiced by Mel Welles in some Rome-based dubs in the 1960s before being replaced by Richard McNamara in 1970. From Crime Busters onward, McNamara was replaced by Edward Mannix and Robert Sommer, although Spencer would sometimes dub his own voice. For Titra Studios-based dubs, the actor who dubbed Spencer is currently unknown.
Dub Actors[]
| Actor | No. of Titles | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Sommer | 11 | 
|
| Edward Mannix | 7 | |
| Richard McNamara | 7 | |
| Mel Welles | 2 | |
| Frank Latimore | 1 | |
| Robert Spafford | 1 | |
| Roger Worrod | 1 |
Filmography[]
Original Actor[]
External Links[]
- Bud Spencer at the Internet Movie Database