biography Born Mario Girotti in Venice, Italy, on March 29, 1939, actor Terence Hill was born to a German mother and an Italian father, who was a chemist. Raised in Italy and Germany, he was discovered for films in Italy at the age of 13 and was cast in a small role in his first film Il viale della speranza (1953; with Marcello Mastroianni). Continuing to act throughout his teenage years, he enrolled at the University of Rome in 1957 while acting in films. Hill successfully made the transition from child actor to major spaghetti western star in the 1960s and 1970s. One of his first adult roles came in the romantic comedy Fast and Sexy (1958; with Gina Lollobrigida and Dale Robertson). Hill remained in supporting roles in such films as the adventures Hannibal (1959; with Victor Mature), Carthage in Flames (1960; with Anne Heywood), and Seven Seas to Calais (1962; with Rod Taylor and Anthony Dawson) into the mid 1960s.  Dividing his time between Italy and Germany, Hill began to get noticed in several international hit films, including The Leopard (1963; with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale) and Last of the Renegades (1964; with Lex Barker). At the age of 28, he finally landed his first starring role in the western comedy Little Rita of the West (1967; with Kirk Morris and Rita Pavone) and, finding a niche in spaghetti westerns, he officially changed his name to Terence Hill in 1967, with the release of God Forgives...I Don't! (1967; with Bud Spencer).  The successful pairing of Hill and Spencer in God Forgives...I Don't! spurred a string of western comedy films for the duo, including Ace High (1968; with Eli Wallach and Kevin McCarthy), Boot Hill (1969; with Woody Strode), My Name Is Trinity (1970; with Farley Granger), and Trinity Is Still My Name! (1971; with Harry Carey Jr.). After the spaghetti western genre wound down in the 1970s, Hill left Italy for the U.S., starring in Mr. Billion (1977; with Valerie Perrine and Jackie Gleason) and March or Die (1977; with Gene Hackman and Catherine Deneuve). |
the films of terence hillSeven Seas to Calais (1962)
From the Italian adventure Seven Seas to Calais with Rod TaylorFlaming Frontier (1965)
With Leticia Roman and Stewart Granger in the German western Flaming FrontierGod Forgives...I Don't! (1967)
Hill as Cat Stevens in the spaghetti western God Forgives...I Don't!Ace High (1968)
With Bud Spencer in the spaghetti western comedy Ace HighBoot Hill (1969)
With Bud Spencer in the spaghetti western comedy Boot HillMy Name is Trinity (1970)
From the western comedy My Name is Trinity. The Trinity films were wildly popular with early 1970s drive-in audiencesMan of the East (1972)
Hill portrays Sir Thomas Moore, a man with no interest in the ways of the west who is taken in by three outlaws, in the western comedy Man of the EastMy Name is Nobody (1973) 
From Sergio Leone's much-loved spaghetti western comedy My Name is Nobody. LEFT: With Henry Fonda. RIGHT: Hill as the title characterMr. Billion (1977)   
From the 20th Century Fox comedy Mr. Billion. LEFT and CENTER: Hill as Guido Falcone. RIGHT: With Valerie PerrineCrime Busters (1977)  
From the Italian-made (but shot in Florida) comedy Crime Busters with Bud SpencerMarch or Die (1977)
With Catherine Deneuve in the big budget war drama March or DietodayInto the 1980s, Terence Hill continued to act in comedies, including Super Fuzz (1980; with Joanne Dru and Ernest Borgnine), A Friend Is a Treasure (1981; with Bud Spencer), and Go for It (1983; with Bud Spencer and David Huddleston), all of which were shot in Florida. But by the end of the 1980s, Hill's film career was at a standstill. He attempted to revive it with Lucky Luke (1991; with Nancy Morgan), but during pre-production for the movie Hill's 16-year-old son Ross was killed in an accident near Hill's Massachusetts home. He acted little until 2000, when he was cast in the popula r long-running Italian television series Don Matteo. Now 83 years old, Hill continues to act and, on occasion, write and direct. He divides his time between Italy and the U.S. |
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This page premiered April 19, 2012.
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