Rome, Italy – Terence Hill, now 87 years old, has finally broken a silence that lasted nearly a decade. The legendary actor, whose real name is Mario Girotti, has opened up about his partner, Bud Spencer, in a series of candid reflections that pull back the curtain on one of cinema’s most enduring friendships. For years, Hill maintained a polite distance from the topic of Spencer’s passing, focusing on projects and memories that were safe and celebratory.
Now, for the first time, he has shared the raw, unfiltered emotional weight of losing Carlo Pedersoli, the man the world knew as Bud Spencer, revealing struggles and private moments that fans have never glimpsed before.
The actor spoke with a gravity that resonates deeply in the wake of the physical comedy era they defined. “It is a strange shift when someone goes from being known by many to being left in private life,” Hill reflected, his voice heavy with remembrance. He did not lean into sadness as a performance, but instead offered a contemplative look at how grief redefines identity.
This breaking of his long-held silence is a significant pivot for Hill, a move that feels less like an interview and more like an intimate tribute, marking a moment where the man behind the role steps forward to share the burden of carrying a legacy alone.
Hill’s decision to speak comes from a quiet necessity to honor a bond that has outlasted the final credits. He described Bud as “a lifelong friend and a true partner, like a brother,” not merely a co-star with whom he shared billing and box office receipts. The actor detailed the complexity of mourning in the public eye, revealing how grief can feel isolating even when millions share in your adoration.
He explained that the silence he maintained for years was not due to distance or discomfort; it was a protective cloak for a pain that felt too raw, too fresh, and too personal to be processed in the glare of media attention.
The story of this extraordinary duet began on a film set in 1967, with God Forgives, I Don’t marking the initial spark. Hill spoke about that first meeting with a nostalgia that borders on spiritual. Neither actor knew at that moment that they were planting the seed for one of the most beloved duos in cinematic history.
The connection was instant—a meeting of personalities where Hill’s calm, deft charm balanced Spencer’s imposing, robust on-screen presence. It was more than just physical contrast, it was a chemistry that would define a genre and capture the imagination of audiences across the globe.
Their bond was tested and refined through the production of countless films where they blended the absurd with the heartfelt with unmistakable ease. Hill and Spencer created a new language of cinema, one where a punchline could sit just as comfortably as a punch, and where they could be both heroic and tender. They understood the delicate dance of timing and tone on an intuitive level, contributing more than just their acting abilities.
The two would often shape scripts, influence the staging of the scenes, and choreograph their own fight sequences, ensuring their collaborations had a unique, authentic flavor that has become their lasting signature.
Behind the laughter, however, Hill revealed private lives marked by depth and quiet complexity. Bud Spencer, a man of immense physicality, was also an accomplished swimmer, a lawyer, and a businessman. He showed the world a discipline that was the complete opposite of the jovial giant he played.
Hill recalled how these personal qualities made Spencer a grounded force, one who preferred the simplicity of family and work to the cacophony of celebrity status. Both men navigated the temptations of stardom with a wariness that kept them protected from the ego of the entertainment industry, choosing to value craftsmanship and authentic relationships over the trappings of fame.
When Spencer’s health began to decline, the friendship became the largest lifeline. The final years were brutal, marked by heart complications and respiratory troubles that confined a man once known for his brawling stature to a fragile body. Hill admitted that those last years were filled with unspoken losses and a strange loneliness, even amidst family.
He shared that seeing his partner become weak forced a change in Hill’s outlook, pushing him to appreciate the mundanity of shared quiet moments. The slow, unglamorous end of an era forced Hill to find honor in the decay, remembering Spencer not for the strength of his 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒 punches, but for the resilience of his spirit.
When Bud Spencer died at age 86 in Rome, the world lost a star, but Hill lost the person who understood him best. The passing left a “void that reaches far beyond the loss of a colleague.” Hill described the feeling of “quiet emptiness” after a lifetime of shared experiences and trust.
He described grief as an intimate threshold that cannot be crossed by an audience, even those who love you most. It was this very rawness that has historically prevented him from speaking in such detail, as he feared that articulating the loss would make it too real and diminish his friend’s legacy into a story of sadness.
Terence Hill’s grief was not a testament to what was lost, but a celebration of what was given. He emphasizes a significant turn from sorrow to gratitude, explaining that he feels lucky to have shared a life and a career with his brother in arms. He does not want the sadness to erase the impact of their work.
Instead, he wants to be sure to preserve the bright parts, making sure the humor, the friendship, and the values of determination they embodied continue to reach a new generation, ensuring they remain relevant in a world that is constantly changing.
In his career after Spencer, Hill has become the custodian of the massive legacy they built together. He participates in documentaries, interviews, and special screenings, shunning the simple “curator” label for the more active role of an “ambassador of memory”. Hill has worked to reintroduce their films to a modern audience who may not yet know the duo’s magic.
He knows that for a legacy to endure, it needs to be renewed, a way to connect the timelessness of their storytelling with the contemporary viewers who need a reminder of loyalty, grit, and genuine humor.
Hill also spoke about his work beyond the screen, supporting initiatives and events that align with the values the duo stood for capturing solidarity and empathy. This broader form of memory serves as a way to keep Spencer’s influence alive in everyday ways, not just in the reflect to the glamour of movie history. It’s a quiet, deliberate mission, one that aims to show that the bond they shared was real and that it can serve as a lesson in the power of human relationships to all who care to listen.
Life after Bud Spencer has been a navigation of the changing tides of his own reality. Hill has remained active, but he has taken a more selective approach to his work, often lending his voice to projects that feel autobiographical and reflect a loneliness that is now part of his identity. His later roles carry a weight of nostalgia, as if every performance is both a fond tribute and a step towards carving out an individual path without his partner.
He has described this period as achieving a balance where he is “one man carrying a two-man story.”
The tone of Hill’s recent conversations feels softened, more deeply attuned to the fleeting nature of time. He was candid that the grief would not evaporate, but that it taught him to focus on small, tender victories. He urges others to notice the small moments of connection, to be in a present mind of their own, and to value the quiet ties that do not depend on fame.
His personal journey defines that one can move forward without ever letting go of the past, transforming loss into gratitude and memory into light.
The natural honesty of Terence Hill’s reflections offers a greater gift to the world. He has broken the silence not to stay locked in a dark room of regret, but to affirm the goodness of a life built alongside Carlo. The actor has demystified the concept of the masculine icon, proving that strength and vulnerability can co-exist with an ease that is truly heroic.
His willingness to show his own grief provided a “shared emotional space” for the millions who grew up watching him, allowing them to find comfort in their own remembrances.
As his 87 years begin to stand upon him with a new purpose, Hill no longer looks back at the loss of his partner. He now looks forward through a lens of a renewed sense of connection. He exemplifies a truth: that a legacy isn’t just a professional record, it is a living, breathing entity carried in the heart of the one who remains.
Terence Hill must sit here at the peak of an unbelievable career, still married to the memories of the man who was always by his side, and hung on every frame of their shared life.
He doesn’t just narrate the past; he invites the world to feel it. Hill has not completely closed the emotional wound, but somehow, his refusal to let the pain define him makes the love they shared all the more tangible. By speaking up, he has given fans a chance to see the heroes in full truth.
He left them with a lesson about true companionship that continues past death. In breaking his silence, at 87, Terence Hill has given us a gift; it is a reminder that the most legendary of heroes are not defined by the strength of their fists, but by the depth of their hearts.
