Terens Hill Actor of Italian origin. Country: Italy

Biography of Terence Hill

Terence Hill is an Italian-born actor who gained fame for his roles in spaghetti western films. He was born Mario Girotti and spent his childhood in Germany, where his mother was from, before moving to Rome with his family. As a child, Mario developed a passion for swimming and rowing, and it was during his training sessions that he met his future film partner Carlo Pedersoli, better known as Bud Spencer.

At the age of 12, Mario made his film debut in the movie "Vacanze col gangster" directed by Dino Risi. The film was a success and quickly made the young actor popular. In 1957, Mario starred in the film "Wide Blue Road" alongside Yves Montand, and in 1958, he appeared in a TV movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

In 1963, Italian director Luchino Visconti invited Mario to be part of the cast of the film "The Leopard", which also starred Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon. After the film's release, Mario decided to leave university, where he was studying classical philology, and focus on his acting career.

Mario spent some time in Germany working on projects that would later bring him fame in German-speaking countries. In the late 1960s, the spaghetti western genre started gaining popularity, and it was during this period that Mario decided to take on a stage name. There are at least two versions of how the name Terence Hill originated. According to one version, Mario chose a name from a list provided by producers, based on the fact that his mother had the same initials - "T.H.". According to another version, which Mario himself denies, he took his wife's American surname, Hill, and the name Terence from the ancient Roman thinker Terence.

In the credits of the film "God forgives, I don't", Terence Hill's real name was replaced with his stage name for the first time. This film marked the first collaboration between Terence and his former swimming buddy Bud Spencer. Their contrasting characters created a unique and atypical atmosphere in their western comedies, leading film critics to speak of a new subgenre within spaghetti westerns - the comedy western. The films "They Call Me Trinity" and "Trinity is Still My Name" became the epitome of this new style of acting.

Over time, Terence Hill relocated to Hollywood, where he not only acted but also directed his own films. He also continued to work in the European film market. In 1999, he portrayed the character Don Matteo in the film of the same name, produced for Italian television. Don Matteo is a priest who assists the police in solving complex crimes. Terence's hobbies include motorcycles, skiing, and classical music.