Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti on March 29, 1939) is a film director, screenwriter, and producer from Italy. He began his career as a child actor and rose to worldwide prominence for his parts in action and comedy films, many of which he co-starred in with old film partner and friend Bud Spencer. Hill was one of Italy’s highest-paid performers during the height of his fame.
His most successful films are comedy and traditional Spaghetti Westerns, some based on classic Wild West books by German author Karl May. Lo chiamavano Trinità (They Call Me Trinity, 1970);…continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità (Trinity Is Still My Name, 1971), the biggest grossing Italian film to date; and Il mio nome è Nessuno (My Name Is Nobody, 1973), co-starring Henry Fonda, are among the most notable. Hill, whose stage name was a publicity gimmick devised by film producers, also had a successful television career in Italy, where he has played the titular role in the long-running Rai 1 series Don Matteo since 2000.