Bud Spencer and the Germans: a great love reciprocated
Bud Spencer, born Carlo Pedersoli, achieved extraordinary popularity in Germany, in some ways even greater than that achieved in Italy. In Germany he became a true pop icon, thanks to the enormous success of his films in the 1970s, to autobiographies that entered the bestseller lists, and even to the birth of the colloquial verb sich budspenceren, which roughly means “to beat someone up in the Bud Spencer way.”
German audiences turned him into a cult figure: merchandise was sold in large quantities, online fan clubs were very active, and special screenings of his films were organized, especially in Berlin. There was also no shortage of tattoos with his face, in much the same way as in Italy. Moreover, the link with Germany had existed for a long time: in 1951 Carlo Pedersoli achieved a historic result in Schwäbisch Gmünd in swimming, becoming the first Italian to go under a minute in the 100-meter freestyle in Germany.
Even in bookstores his success was remarkable. His autobiographies, including My Life, My Movies and I Eat Therefore I Am, sold extremely well and confirmed how deeply his character was embedded in the German collective memory.
Bud Spencer was a frequent guest on German television. In 1978 he took part in Stars in der Manege, taped at Circus Krone in Munich, where he amusedly “entertained” with an elephant. An episode he recounted in Innsbruck, during a meeting with an Austrian dietician, also remains famous: 1.92 meters tall and weighing 125 kilos, he had gone there to lose weight. “You have a big problem,” the doctor said. “I know, that’s why I’m here.” “For 15 days she will drink only water and walk a lot.” “When he said ‘only water,’ I thanked him and left.”
This gruff giant, who between fistfights and playful bickering with his friend Terence Hill always made good values triumph, has won the hearts of entire generations around the world. Even in Germany, June 27, 2016, the day of his death at the age of 86, was a day of genuine mourning.
