Bud Spencer
Carlo Pedersoli (31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016), known professionally as Bud Spencer, 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 Terence Hill. The duo "garnered world acclaim and attracted millions to theater seats".[1] Spencer and Hill appeared in, produced and directed over 20 films together.
Bud Spencer | |
---|---|
Spencer in June 2015 | |
Born | Carlo Pedersoli 31 October 1929 Naples, Italy |
Died | 27 June 2016 86) Rome, Italy | (aged
Resting place | Campo Verano, Rome, Italy |
Nationality | Italian |
Other names | Bud Spencer |
Alma mater | Sapienza University of Rome |
Occupation | Actor Professional swimmer Water polo |
Years active | 1950–2010 |
Height | 6 ft 3.5 in (192 cm) |
Spouse(s) | Maria Amato (m. 1960–2016) (his death) |
Children | 3 |
Awards | David di Donatello Special Award |
Website | www.budspencerofficial.com |
In his youth, Bud Spencer was a successful athlete and swimmer for the Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro.[2] He obtained a law degree and registered several patents. Spencer also became a certified commercial airline and helicopter pilot, and supported and funded many children's charities, including the Spencer Scholarship Fund.[3]
Early life
Son of Alessandro Pedersoli, Neapolitan of Lombard descent, and Rosa Facchetti from Chiari, Lombardy, Carlo Pedersoli was born on 31 October 1929 in Santa Lucia, a historical rione in Naples[4] and in the same building as the writer Luciano De Crescenzo. He played several sports and showed an aptitude for swimming, winning prizes. De Crescenzo was a classmate of his. In 1940, due to his father's work, he moved to Rome, where he attended high school and joined a swimming club. He finished school before his seventeenth birthday with the highest marks and enrolled at Sapienza University of Rome, where he studied chemistry. In 1947, the family moved to South America[5] and Pedersoli discontinued his studies. From 1947 to 1949, he worked in the Italian consulate in Recife, Brazil,[6] where he learned to speak fluent Portuguese.
Swimming and water polo career
Carlo Pedersoli in 1950 | |
Personal information | |
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National team | |
Born | Naples, Italy | 31 October 1929
Died | 27 June 2016 86) Rome, Italy | (aged
Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Strokes | Freestyle, water polo |
Club | Società Sportiva Lazio Nuoto |
Pedersoli returned to Italy in 1949 to play water polo in Rome for Società Sportiva Lazio Nuoto and won the Italian swimming championships in freestyle and mixed relay teams. As a professional swimmer in his youth, Spencer was the first Italian to swim the 100 m freestyle in less than one minute when on 19 September 1950 he swam the distance in 59.5 s in Salsomaggiore.[7] In 1949 he made his international debut and a year later he was called up for the European championships in Vienna where he swam in two finals, finishing fifth in the 100 m and fourth in the relay 4 × 200 m.
In the 1951 Mediterranean Games in Alexandria (Egypt), he won a silver medal in the same 100 m freestyle event.[8][9] Pedersoli participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, reaching the semi-finals in the 100 m freestyle (58.8 s heats, 58.9 s semi final).[10] Four years later, in Melbourne, he also entered the semi-finals in the same category (58.5 s heat, 59.0 s semi final).[8][11]
As a water polo player, he won the Italian Championship in 1954 with S.S. Lazio[8] and the gold medal at 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona with the Italian national team. His swimming career ended abruptly in 1957.[12]
On 17 January 2005, he was awarded the Caimano d'oro (Gold Caiman) by the Italian Swimming Federation.[13] On 24 January 2007, he received swimming and water polo coach diplomas from the Italian Swimming Federation's president Paolo Barelli.[14]
Acting career
Pedersoli's first film role was in Quel fantasma di mio marito, an Italian comedy short released in 1950.[15] 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.[3] 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.
In 1960, after the Summer Olympic games, Pedersoli married Maria Amato, daughter of Italian film producer Giuseppe Amato.[16] He signed a contract with RCA Records to write lyrics for singers such as Ornella Vanoni and Nico Fidenco and soundtracks. In the following years, his son Giuseppe was born (1961), followed by Cristiana (1962), his contract with RCA expired and his father-in-law died (1964). Pedersoli became a producer of documentaries for the national public broadcasting company RAI.[17]
Partnership with Terence Hill
In 1967, film director Giuseppe Colizzi offered him a role in God Forgives... I Don't!. On the set Pedersoli met Mario Girotti (Terence Hill). Although Pedersoli had met Girotti before on the set of Hannibal in 1959, this was the moment they went on to become a film duo. The film director asked the two actors to change their names, deeming them to be too Italian-sounding for a Western movie: Pedersoli chose Bud Spencer, with Bud inspired by Budweiser beer and Spencer by the actor Spencer Tracy.[18]
While Hill's characters were agile and youthful, Spencer always played the "phlegmatic, grumpy strong-arm man with a blessed, naive child's laughter and a golden heart".[19] Overall, Hill and Spencer worked together on over 20 films, including (named using their most common U.S. titles) God Forgives... I Don't! (1967), Ace High (1968), Boot Hill (1969), They Call Me Trinity (1970), Trinity Is Still My Name (1971), All the Way, Boys (1972), Watch Out, We're Mad (1974), Two Missionaries (1974), Crime Busters (1977), Odds and Evens (1978), I'm For the Hippopotamus (1979), Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure (1981), Go For It! (1983), Double Trouble (1984), Miami Supercops (1985) and Troublemakers (1994). Films with Spencer alone include The Five Man Army (1969), Even Angels Eat Beans (1973), The Fifth Day of Peace (1970), It Can Be Done Amigo (1972), Flatfoot (1973), Soldier of Fortune (1976), They Call Him Bulldozer (1978), The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979), Everything Happens to Me (1980), Banana Joe (1982), Bomber (1982) and Superfantagenio (1986).
Many of these have alternative titles, depending upon the country and distributor. Some have longer Italian versions that were edited for their release abroad. These films gathered popularity for both actors, especially throughout much of Europe and parts of Asia and South America.[3] Because of the duo's huge popularity, many producers wanted to exploit their likeness with visually similar duos. Most notable were Paul L. Smith (adopted name Adam Eden in later years, sometimes credited Anam Eden) and Michael Coby (real name Antonio Cantafora) with at least 6 movies in Bud & Terence-fashion from 1973 to 1977, and István Bujtor with 6 movies in Piedone-fashion from 1981 to 2008.
In the Italian versions of his films, Spencer was generally dubbed by actor Glauco Onorato due to his thick Naples accent,[20] although he was voiced by Sergio Fiorentini in Troublemakers, To the Limit (1997) and the Extralarge series (1991–93).[21][22] For English dubs, Spencer was usually voiced by Robert Sommer, Edward Mannix or Richard McNamara, although he occasionally provided his own voice.[23][24]
Spencer wrote the complete or partial screenplay for some of his movies. His feature film career slowed down after 1983, shifting more toward television. In the 1990s, he acted in the television action-drama Extralarge. His autobiography was published in 2011. In addition, Spencer also published a recipe book including his favorite dishes.[25]
Political career
In 2005, he entered politics, unsuccessfully standing as regional councilor in Lazio for the Forza Italia party. Spencer stated: "In my life, I've done everything. There are only three things I haven't been – a ballet dancer, a jockey and a politician. Given that the first two jobs are out of the question, I'll throw myself into politics."[3] The opposition criticized him for engaging in "politica spettacolo" ("showbiz politics").[3]
Personal life
Spencer married Maria Amato in 1960, with whom he had three children: Giuseppe (1961), Cristiana (1962) and Diamante (1972). After appearing in Più forte, ragazzi!, Spencer became a jet airplane and helicopter pilot.[3] He founded Mistral Air in 1984, an air-mail company that also transports pilgrims, but later sold it to Poste Italiane.[26] Spencer's grandson, Carlo Pedersoli, Jr., is a mixed martial arts fighter currently signed the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[27]
Death
Spencer died at 86 years of age on 27 June 2016 in Rome.[28] As son Giuseppe Pedersoli stated, his father "died without pain in presence of his family, and his last word was 'grazie'".[29][30][18][31]
Legacy
Spencer posthumously received the America Award in 2018 from the Italy-USA Foundation.[32]
In Hungary, where his films were hugely popular during the communist regime, a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of Spencer created by sculptor Szandra Tasnádi was unveiled on 11 November 2017 in downtown Budapest, with Spencer's daughter Cristiana in attendance.[33] The statue's pedestal bears the inscription "Mi sohasem veszekedtünk" ("We Never Fought"), a quote from Terence Hill's eulogy referring to their long-lasting friend- and partnership.[34]
A beat 'em up video game titled Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans, closely based on Spencer and Hill's cinematic work, was developed by the Italian firm Trinity Team srls and first published by the German firm Buddy Productions GmbH in 2018.[35][36][37]
Filmography
Title | English Title | Date | Role |
---|---|---|---|
That Ghost of My Husband | 1950 | Swimmer | |
Quo Vadis (as Carlo Pedersoli) | 1951 | Imperial Guard | |
Siluri umani (as Carlo Pederzoli) | Human Torpedoes | 1954 | Magrini |
Un Eroe dei nostri tempi (as Carlo Pedersoli) | A Hero of Our Times | 1955 | Fernando |
Il Cocco di Mamma (as Carlo Pedersoli) | Mamma's Boy | 1957 | Oscar |
A Farewell to Arms (as Carlo Pedersoli) | 1957 | Carabiniere | |
Annibale (as Carlo Pedersoli) | Hannibal | 1960 | |
Dio perdona... io no! | God Forgives... I Don't! | 1967 | Hutch Bessy |
Oggi a me... domani a te | Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die | 1968 | O'Bannion |
Al di là della legge | Beyond the Law | 1968 | James Cooper |
I quattro dell'Ave Maria | Ace High | 1968 | Hutch Bessy |
Gott mit uns (Dio è con noi) | The Fifth Day of Peace | 1969 | Cpl. Jelinek |
Un esercito di 5 uomini | The Five Man Army | 1969 | Mesito |
La collina degli stivali | Boot Hill | 1969 | Hutch Bessy |
Lo chiamavano Trinità... | They Call Me Trinity | 1970 | Bambino |
Il corsaro nero | Blackie the Pirate | 1971 | Skull |
...continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità | Trinity Is Still My Name | 1971 | Bambino |
4 mosche di velluto grigio | Four Flies on Grey Velvet | 1971 | Godfrey "God" |
Torino nera | Black Turin | 1972 | Rosario Rao |
...più forte ragazzi! | All the Way Boys | 1972 | Salud |
Si può fare... amigo | It Can Be Done Amigo | 1972 | Hiram Coburn |
Una ragione per vivere e una per morire | A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die | 1972 | Eli Sampson |
Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli | Even Angels Eat Beans | 1973 | Charlie Smith |
Piedone lo sbirro | Flatfoot | 1973 | Inspector "Flatfoot" Rizzo |
Porgi l'altra guancia | Two Missionaries | 1974 | Father/Padre Pedro |
...altrimenti ci arrabbiamo! | Watch Out, We're Mad | 1974 | Ben |
Piedone a Hong Kong | Flatfoot in Hong Kong | 1975 | Inspector "Flatfoot" Rizzo |
Il soldato di ventura | Soldier of Fortune | 1976 | Hector Fieramosca |
Charleston | 1977 | Charleston | |
I due superpiedi quasi piatti | Crime Busters | 1977 | Wilbur Walsh |
Piedone l'africano | Flatfoot in Africa aka The Knock-Out Cop | 1978 | Inspector "Flatfoot" Rizzo |
Lo chiamavano Bulldozer | They Called Him Bulldozer | 1978 | Bulldozer |
Pari e dispari | Odds and Evens | 1978 | Charlie Firpo |
Uno sceriffo extraterrestre... poco extra e molto terrestre | The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid | 1979 | Sceriffo Scott (Sheriff Hall) |
Piedone d'Egitto | Flatfoot in Egypt | 1979 | Inspector 'Flatfoot' Rizzo |
Io sto con gli ippopotami | I'm for the Hippopotamus | 1979 | Tom |
Chissà perché... capitano tutte a me | Everything Happens to Me | 1980 | Sheriff Hall |
Occhio alla penna | Buddy Goes West | 1981 | Buddy |
Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro | Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure | 1981 | Charlie O'Brien |
Cane e gatto | Cat and Dog | 1982 | Sergeant Parker |
Banana Joe | 1982 | Banana Joe | |
Bomber | 1982 | Bud Graziano | |
Nati con la camicia | Go for It | 1983 | Doug O'Riordan alias Mason |
Double Trouble (Italian title: Non c'è due senza quattro) | 1984 | Greg Wonder/Antonio Coimbra de la Coronilla y Azevedo | |
Miami Supercops (I poliziotti dell'8ª strada) | Miami Supercops | 1985 | Steve Forest |
Superfantagenio | Aladdin | 1986 | Genie |
Big Man (TV Series) | 1988–1989 | Jack Clementi | |
Detective Extralarge (TV Series) | 1990–1993 | Jack "Extralarge" Costello | |
Un piede in paradiso | Standing in Paradise aka Speaking of the Devil | 1991 | John "Bull" Webster |
Botte di Natale | The Fight Before Christmas aka Troublemakers | 1994 | Moses |
Noi siamo angeli (Mini TV Series) | We Are Angels | 1997 | Orso |
Fuochi d'artificio | Fireworks | 1997 | The blind singer |
Al limite | To the Limit | 1997 | Elorza |
Hijos del viento | Sons of the Wind | 1999 | Quintero |
Tre per sempre | 3–4 Ever | 2002 | Bops |
Cantando dietro i paraventi | Singing Behind Screens | 2003 | Il vecchio capitano |
Padre Speranza (TV) | Father Hope | 2005 | Padre Speranza |
Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling | Murder Is My Business, Honey | 2009 | Pepe |
I delitti del cuoco (TV Series) | 2010 | Carlo Banci |
Writer
- Banana Joe (1982, credited as Carlo Pedersoli)[38]
- Big Man (credited as Carlo Pedersoli)
- La Fanciulla che ride (1988) (TV)
- Diva (1989) (TV)
- Boomerang (1989) (TV)
- Extralarge (credited as Carlo Pedersoli)
- Ninja Shadow (1993) (TV)
- Diamonds (1993) (TV)
References
- Anderson, Ariston (27 June 2016). "Bud Spencer, Italian Spaghetti Western Star, Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- "Atleti Delle Fiamme Oro: Bud Spencer, Valentina Vezzali, Fabrizio Rampazzo, Enrico Fabris, Roberto Cammarelle, Stefano Mauro Pizzamiglio". libreriauniversitaria.it. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- Bud Spencer on imdb.com
- Ilaria Galateria (16 April 2015). "Pronto, parlo con Bud Spencer?" (in Italian).
- "Carlo Pedersoli: Cartão de imigração". familysearch.org (in Portuguese).
- Edgar Welzel (21 June 2012). "Meu encontro com Bud Spencer". revistabula.com (in Portuguese). Bula Revista.
- "Italian swimming records". agendadiana.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2007.
- Carlo Pedersoli. 1980 Passport
- Mediterranean Games, 1951. agendadiana.com
- Helsinki 1952 official report Archived 11 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine. la84foundation.org.
- Melbourne 1956 official report Archived 12 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine. la84foundation.org.
- Bud Spencer: Biography, citation: "Ein Jahr nach seinen zweiten olympischen Spielen beendet Carlo plötzlich seine Schwimmerkarriere "
- Fomiconi e Pedersoli Caimano d'Oro. federnuoto.it (17 January 2005) (in Italian)
- Coach Spencer Le foto più belle. federnuoto.it (30 January 2007) (in Italian)
- "Quel fantasma di mio marito (1950) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb".
- "Bud Spencer :" Totò è diventato uno scenziato di tutto ciò"". libero.it (in Italian).
- "Fear of dying ? So Bud Spencer thought about death". budterence. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- "Italian actor Bud Spencer dies at 86". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- Translated from German: pflegmatischen, bärbeißigen Haudrauf mit dem selig-naiven Kinderlächeln und dem goldenen Herzen Tagesspiegel
- Andrea Francesco Berni (31 December 2009). "E' morto Glauco Onorato, voce di Bud Spencer". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - La pagina di SERGIO FIORENTINI". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - La pagina di FERRUCCIO AMENDOLA". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "Full text of "Video.Watchdog.159.November.December.2010"". Archive.org. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- "Bud Spencer". Bud Spencer/Terence Hill Database. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- "BUD SPENCER". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "Mistral Air - ERA". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "UFC Signs Italian Welterweight Carlo Pedersoli Jr. to Face Bradley Scott at UFC Liverpool". Sherdog.com. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "Italian Actor Bud Spencer dies at age 86". Reuters. Milan. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- "Angst vor dem Sterben? So dachte Bud Spencer über den Tod" (in German). www.budterence.de. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- "Cinema, è morto Bud Spencer, il grande buono del cinema italiano". La Repubblica. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- "Actor Bud Spencer Dies at 86". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- "Fondazione Italia Usa, ecco i vincitori del Premio America". Gente D'Italia. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- "Statue of actor Bud Spencer unveiled in Budapest". Independent. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- "Statue of Actor Bud Spencer Unveiled in Budapest". Hungary Today. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- "Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans (official website)". Buddy Productions GmbH. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- McFerran, Damien (25 July 2018). "Bud Spencer & Terence Hill Arrive On Switch With Slaps And Beans In Tow". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Lopes, Gonçalo (30 July 2018). "Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps and Beans Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- "Banana Joe (1982)". IMDb. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bud Spencer. |
Italian Wikiquote has quotations related to: Bud Spencer - Bud Spencer official website
- Bud Spencer on IMDb
- Hill & Spencer website (in French)
- Carlo Pedersoli at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Carlo Pedersoli at the International Olympic Committee