Bud Spencer (born October 31, 1929 in Naples), born as Carlo Pedersoli, is a famous Italian actor.

Spencer holds a doctorate in law, as well as several patents; he also was a successful swimmer and water polo player, participating in the Olympic Games in 1952, 1956 and 1960 and also winning several titles.

His first movie appearance was as an emperor's guard in Quo Vadis in 1951; he later on met Terence Hill, with whom he did a large number of Italian Westerns, including God forgives, I don't (1968), They call me Trinity (1971) and Flatfoot (1974). Spencer has a large fanbase, particularly in Europe; he also wrote screenplays and texts for some of his movies.

Spencer married Maria Amato in 1960; the couple has three children, Giuseppe (1961), Christine (1962) and Diamante (1972). He legally changed his name to Bud Spencer in 1967; the name was chosen as an homage to Spencer Tracy as well as his favourite American beer. Other sources report that he found it funny to call himself "bud" despite his weight and body size.

In 2005 Spencer entered politics, declaring his intention to stand as regional councillor in Lazio for the Forza Italia party.

External links

• Berlusconi picks film cowboy as his sidekick, telegraph.co.uk, 16th February 2005, Bruce Johnston