Bud Spencer

Bud Spencer (born Carlo Pedersoli; 31 October 1929) is an Italian actor, filmmaker and former swimmer (he was the first Italian to swim 100m in less than a minute). He is known for past roles in action-comedy films together with his long time film partner Terence Hill. Growing from a successful swimmer in his youth, he got a degree in law, and has registered several patents. Spencer was born in Santa Lucia, a historical rione of the city of Naples. He married Maria Amato in 1960, with whom he had three children: Giuseppe (1961), Christine (1962) and Diamante (1972). From 1947 to 1949 he worked in the Italian consulate in Recife, Brazil, where he learned fluent Portuguese. He changed his screen name in 1967 reportedly chosen to pay homage to Spencer Tracy as well as his favorite beer, Budweiser. Other sources report that he found it funny to call himself "bud" despite his weight and his imposing height at almost 6 ft 4 in (192 cm). A successful swimmer in his youth, Spencer was the first Italian to swim the 100 m freestyle in less than one minute. He achieved this on 19 September 1950, when he swam the 100 m in 59.5 s.

Actor