Terence Hill
Encyclopedia
Terence Hill is an Italian
actor
. He is best known for starring in multiple action and western films (so-called spaghetti western
s) together with his longtime filmpartner Bud Spencer
.
, Germany
from 1943 to 1945 during World War II
, surviving the Dresden Bombing. His mother was German, his father an Italian
chemist.
After being discovered by Italian filmmaker Dino Risi for Vacanze col Gangster (Holiday with the Gangster, 1951) at an early age of 12, he had, after 27 movies in Italy (including Gli sbandati
), a major film role in Luchino Visconti
's The Leopard
(Il Gattopardo, 1963). In 1964, he returned to Germany and there, appeared in a series of Heimatfilmen, adventure and western films, made after novels by German author Karl May
. In 1967, he returned to Italy to act in God Forgives... I Don't!
(Dio perdona... Io no!, 1968). He changed his name to Terence Hill in the same year. The name was made up, as a publicity stunt, by the film producers; he had to choose from a list of twenty names and picked the one with his mother's initials. In a Q&A, he dismissed as a journalist's invention the rumour that it might have been taken from the Roman playwright Terence
and his wife's surname (his wife was Lori Zwicklbauer; she later took her husband's surname).
In the following years, he starred in many action and Spaghetti Western
s together with his longtime partner Bud Spencer
. The pair were notable for their comedy films, successful not only in Italy, but also abroad. They made a large number of Italian Westerns and other films together. Many of these have alternate titles, depending upon the country and distributor. Possibly their most famous film is the 1971 western Lo chiamavano Trinità (They Call Me Trinity
) and the 1972 sequel Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità (Trinity Is STILL My Name!). He has stated in interviews that Il mio nome è Nessuno (My Name Is Nobody
, 1973), in which he co-starred with the American Henry Fonda
, is his personal favorite of all his films.
His first American films were Mr. Billion and March or Die
(both 1977), after which he divided his time between Italy and the US.
Hill's adopted son Ross was killed in an accident in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
in 1990 while the actor was preparing to film Lucky Luke
on the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe
. Hill later went on to a successful television career in Italy. In 2000, he landed the leading role in the Italian television series Don Matteo
, as a crimefighting parish
priest
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for starring in multiple action and western films (so-called spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s) together with his longtime filmpartner Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer is an Italian actor, filmmaker and former swimmer . He is known for past roles in spaghetti westerns together with his long time filmpartner Terence Hill...
.
Biography
Hill was born in Venice, Italy. As a child, he lived in the small town of LommatzschLommatzsch
Lommatzsch is a municipality located in the district of Meißen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.- Geography :Lommatzsch lies amidst the so called Lommatzscher Pflege, an area of land that is featuring high quality loessic soil and therefore is mainly used agriculturally.-...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1943 to 1945 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, surviving the Dresden Bombing. His mother was German, his father an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
chemist.
After being discovered by Italian filmmaker Dino Risi for Vacanze col Gangster (Holiday with the Gangster, 1951) at an early age of 12, he had, after 27 movies in Italy (including Gli sbandati
The Abandoned (1955 film)
Abandoned. The Runaways or The Abandoned was the United States title for the 1955 Italian film Gli Sbandati, set during the aftermath of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943 during World War II .-Cast:*Lucia Bosé - Lucia...
), a major film role in Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
's The Leopard
The Leopard (film)
The Leopard is a 1963 Italian film by director Luchino Visconti, based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel of the same name.-Cast:* Burt Lancaster as Prince Don Fabrizio Salina* Claudia Cardinale as Angelica Sedara / Bertiana...
(Il Gattopardo, 1963). In 1964, he returned to Germany and there, appeared in a series of Heimatfilmen, adventure and western films, made after novels by German author Karl May
Karl May
Karl Friedrich May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East . In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America...
. In 1967, he returned to Italy to act in God Forgives... I Don't!
God Forgives... I Don't!
God Forgives... I Don't! is 1967 spaghetti Western by Giuseppe Colizzi. The film is the first in a trilogy continued with Ace High and ended with Boot Hill.-Plot:...
(Dio perdona... Io no!, 1968). He changed his name to Terence Hill in the same year. The name was made up, as a publicity stunt, by the film producers; he had to choose from a list of twenty names and picked the one with his mother's initials. In a Q&A, he dismissed as a journalist's invention the rumour that it might have been taken from the Roman playwright Terence
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
and his wife's surname (his wife was Lori Zwicklbauer; she later took her husband's surname).
In the following years, he starred in many action and Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s together with his longtime partner Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer
Bud Spencer is an Italian actor, filmmaker and former swimmer . He is known for past roles in spaghetti westerns together with his long time filmpartner Terence Hill...
. The pair were notable for their comedy films, successful not only in Italy, but also abroad. They made a large number of Italian Westerns and other films together. Many of these have alternate titles, depending upon the country and distributor. Possibly their most famous film is the 1971 western Lo chiamavano Trinità (They Call Me Trinity
They Call Me Trinity
They Call Me Trinity also known as My Name is Trinity, is a 1970 Italian spaghetti western film starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Plot summary:...
) and the 1972 sequel Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità (Trinity Is STILL My Name!). He has stated in interviews that Il mio nome è Nessuno (My Name Is Nobody
My Name Is Nobody
My Name is Nobody is a 1973 Spaghetti Western comedy film. The film was directed by Tonino Valerii and, in some scenes, by Sergio Leone. It was written by Leone, Fulvio Morsella and Ernesto Gastaldi. Leone was also the uncredited executive producer...
, 1973), in which he co-starred with the American Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, is his personal favorite of all his films.
His first American films were Mr. Billion and March or Die
March or Die (film)
March or Die is a 1977 film directed by Dick Richards, starring Gene Hackman, Terence Hill, Catherine Deneuve and Ian Holm.The film celebrates the 1920s French Foreign Legion...
(both 1977), after which he divided his time between Italy and the US.
Hill's adopted son Ross was killed in an accident in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
in 1990 while the actor was preparing to film Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke is a Belgian comics series created by Belgian cartoonist, Maurice De Bevere better known as Morris, the original artist, and was for one period written by René Goscinny...
on the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. Hill later went on to a successful television career in Italy. In 2000, he landed the leading role in the Italian television series Don Matteo
Don Matteo
Don Matteo is an Italian television series that has been airing since 2000 on the premier channel of Italian national television, Rai 1. Protagonist of the series is Father Matteo , a Catholic priest in a parish of the town of Gubbio , who is also known for his unrivaled talent in investigating...
, as a crimefighting parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
.
Filmography
- Vacanze col gangster (1951)
- Un Amore per te (1952)
- Villa Borghese (1953)
- La voce del silenzio (1953)
- Divisione Folgore (1954)
- Gli sbandati (1955)
- La vena d'oro (1955)
- I vagabondi delle stelle (1956)
- Mamma sconosciuta (1956)
- Lazzarella (1957)
- Guaglione (1957)
- La grande strada azzurra (1957)
- La spada e la croce (1958)
- Novelliere: The picture of Dorian Gray, Il (1958, TV)
- Anna di BrooklynAnna di BrooklynAnna of Brooklyn is a 1958 comedy film by Italian directors Vittorio De Sica and Carlo Lastricati. It stars Gina Lollobrigida and Vittorio de Sica.-Cast:* Gina Lollobrigida - Anna* Vittorio De Sica - Don Luigi* Dale Robertson - Raffaele...
(1958) - Cerasella (1959, as Mario Girotti)
- Spavaldi e innamorati (1959)
- Padrone delle ferriere, Il (1959)
- Primo Amore (1959
- Giuseppe venduto dai fratelli (1960)
- Militare e mezzo, Un (1960)
- Cartagine in fiamme (1960)
- AnnibaleAnnibale (film)Annibale is a 1959 Italian film. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti....
(1960) - Juke box urli d'amore (1960)
- Pecado de amor
- Le meraviglie di Aladino(1961)
- Il Giorno più cortoIl giorno più cortoIl giorno più corto is a 1962 Italian Comedy film. It is a parody of the war movie The Longest Day and stars the popular duo Ciccio Ingrassia and Franco Franchi in the leading roles...
(1962) - Il Dominatore dei sette mari (1962)
- Il Gattopardo (1963)
- Winnetou - 2. Teil (1964)
- Among VulturesAmong VulturesAmong Vultures is a 1964 Western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, Elke Sommer and Götz George. An American frontiersman Old Surehand and his Apache companion Winnetou expose a criminal gang who are murdering settlers and laying the blame on the local...
(1964) - Duell vor Sonnenuntergang (1965)
- Schüsse im Dreivierteltakt (1965)
- Der Ölprinz (1965)
- Ruf der Wälder (1965)
- Old Surehand (1965)
- Die Nibelungen, Teil 1: Siegfried (1966)
- Rita nel West (1967)
- La feldmarescialla (1967)
- Io non protesto, io amo (1967, as Mario Girotti)
- Die Nibelungen, Teil 2: Kriemhilds Rache (1967)
- Dio perdona... Io no! (1967)
- Preparati la bara! (1968)
- I quattro dell'Ave Maria (1968)
- Barbagia (1969)
- La collina degli stivali (Boot Hill) (1969)
- La collera del vento (1970)
- They Call Me TrinityThey Call Me TrinityThey Call Me Trinity also known as My Name is Trinity, is a 1970 Italian spaghetti western film starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Plot summary:...
(1970) - Blackie the PirateBlackie the PirateBlackie the Pirate is a 1971 comedy film with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, unusual in that the popular team has little screen time together.-Story:...
(Il corsaro nero, 1971) - Trinity Is Still My NameTrinity Is Still My NameTrinity Is Still My Name also known as All the Way Trinity is a 1971 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Enzo Barboni. It is a sequel to They Call Me Trinity, also starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Plot:...
(1971) - Più forte, ragazzi! (1972)
- Il vero e il falso (1972)
- E poi lo chiamarono il magnificoMan of the EastMan of the East is a 1971 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Enzo Barboni starring Terence Hill.The film is set in the Wild West during the time of the railway construction...
(Man of the East, 1972) - Il mio nome è NessunoMy Name Is NobodyMy Name is Nobody is a 1973 Spaghetti Western comedy film. The film was directed by Tonino Valerii and, in some scenes, by Sergio Leone. It was written by Leone, Fulvio Morsella and Ernesto Gastaldi. Leone was also the uncredited executive producer...
(My Name Is Nobody, 1973) - Porgi l'altra guancia (1974)
- Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo (1974)
- A Genius, Two Partners and a DupeA Genius, Two Partners and a DupeA Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe is a 1975 spaghetti western comedy film directed by Damiano Damiani and, in the opening scene, Sergio Leone. It is notable for being the last western that Leone worked on.-Plot:...
(1975) - I Due superpiedi quasi piatti (Crime Busters, 1976)
- Mr. BillionMr. Billion-Plot:Guido Falcone , an easygoing Italian mechanic, is heir to a billion-dollar inheritance after his uncle dies in a freak accident. In order to claim his inheritance, he must reach San Francisco within twenty days to sign a document...
(1977) - March or DieMarch or Die (film)March or Die is a 1977 film directed by Dick Richards, starring Gene Hackman, Terence Hill, Catherine Deneuve and Ian Holm.The film celebrates the 1920s French Foreign Legion...
(1977) - Pari e dispari (1978)
- Io sto con gli ippopotamiIo sto con gli ippopotamiIo sto con gli ippopotami , or Jugamos con los Hipopótamos is a film starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.- Plot :...
(1979) - Poliziotto superpiù (Superfuzz, 1980)
- Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro (1981)
- Nati con la camicia (Go For It!, 1983)
- Non c'è due senza quattroDouble Trouble (1984 film)Double Trouble is a 1984 Italian action comedy directed by Enzo Barboni and starring the comedy team of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Plot:...
(Double Trouble, 1984) - Don Camillo(1984)
- Miami SupercopsMiami SupercopsMiami Supercops is a 1985 Italian action comedy starring the well known comedy team of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.-Synopsis:In 1978, $20 million was stolen from a Detroit bank. One of the robbers was caught, one was found dead, and the third disappeared. The money was never found. Seven years...
(1985) - Renegade (1987)
- Lucky LukeLucky LukeLucky Luke is a Belgian comics series created by Belgian cartoonist, Maurice De Bevere better known as Morris, the original artist, and was for one period written by René Goscinny...
(1991) - Lucky LukeLucky Luke (TV Series)Lucky Luke was a short-lived Italian western-comedy series starred by Terence Hill that aired in 1992, and was based on the Belgian comic book series Lucky Luke and on a movie with the same title directed and produced by the same Hill in 1991...
(8 episodes, 1992) - Botte di Natale (1995)
- Cyberflic (1997)
- Don MatteoDon MatteoDon Matteo is an Italian television series that has been airing since 2000 on the premier channel of Italian national television, Rai 1. Protagonist of the series is Father Matteo , a Catholic priest in a parish of the town of Gubbio , who is also known for his unrivaled talent in investigating...
(8 seasons/168 episodes, 2000–2011) - L'uomo che sognava con le aquile (2006, TV)
- L'uomo che cavalcava nel buio (2009)
- Doc WestDoc WestHarold "Doc" West was an American jazz drummer.West learned to play piano and cello as a child before switching to drums. In the 1930s he played in Chicago with Tiny Parham, Erskine Tate, and Roy Eldridge . Late in the 1930s he filled in for Chick Webb when Webb was unable to lead his own orchestra...
(2008-2009) - Tiggremann (2010)
- Un passo dal cielo (12 episodes, 2010–2011)