Carlo Pedersoli, better known as Bud Spencer, was born in Naples, Italy on 31st October 1929 and passed away on 27th June 2016. He was married and had 3 children.
As a kid, Bud practised various types of sports, but was particularly interested in swimming and managed to win several prices. After moving to Rome, he went to high school and continued with swimming lessons. Once finished, he proceeded with attending University studying chemistry but had to stop since his family travelled to South America. He found a job and learnt to speak Portuguese.
Back to his native Italy in 1949, Bud played water polo and became a professional swimmer, winning the local championships in different categories. He then participated in the European Championships, placing 5th, and in the years that followed managed to win Gold and Silver Medals in the Olympics.
Spencer’s acting career began in 1950 and continued throughout that decade with minor roles in various films. In 1967, he was offered a part in the Western movie ‘God forgives..I don’t!’ with actor Terence Hill. Actually, they had already acted together years earlier, but this was the movie that led them to become a duo. Altogether, they starred in 18 films namely ‘They call me Trinity’, ‘Who finds a friend finds a Treasure’, ‘Miami Supercops’ and ‘Troublemakers’, amongst others.
These movies were very popular, especially in most European countries, Asia and South America and rendered Spencer and Hill famous. Bud even wrote part or the whole of some of the films’ screenplay. After 1983, however, Bud’s movie career started taking a downturn and so he starred more in TV productions, one of which was the series ‘Extralarge’, which ran between 1991 and 1993.
Spencer had 2 books published, one being his autobiography and the other a recipe book featuring his favourite dishes.
Bud died in 2016 at the age of 86. In his honour, a bronze statue was created in 2017 in Hungary where his movies were extremely popular, and a museum was opened in Berlin, Germany in 2021.
During his 60-year career, Spencer starred in over 50 films and 6 TV productions and was honoured with the David di Donatello Special Award. He also had a degree in Law as well as an aircraft and helicopter pilot license. Bud was also an active philanthropist.