Acting icon Terence Hill (83, "My Name is Nobody") has recently become a German citizen. He received the necessary documents from the German Consul General in Los Angeles, reports the "Bild" newspaper. "My wonderful mother and thus my mother tongue have always been formative for me. I'm happy that I now have this ID card," he told the newspaper. Born in Venice, whose real name is Mario Girotti, he has an Italian as well as a US passport. His son Jess Hill (53) lives in the USA, he currently lives in Gubbio, Italy, where his father Girolamo also comes from.

His mother Hilde comes from Lommatzsch in Saxony, where he lived with his family from 1943 to 1947. He also experienced some air raids during the Second World War. So the actor has German roots. More than a year ago, Hill contacted the Federal Office of Administration with the help of his friend Marcus Zölch (44) and proved this with his mother's marriage certificate, among other things. The step is "also a commitment to my roots," said Hill in "Bild".

An appearance on the talk show "Markus Lanz" also made naturalization easier. The "Nobody" star spoke fluent German in 2018, which apparently didn't go unnoticed by someone in the naturalization service. "The nice officer had seen a visit from me on Markus Lanz's show," said Hill. The obligatory proof of language proficiency was therefore no longer required.

The prolonged applause in the "Markus Lanz" studio also showed that the 83-year-old still enjoys huge cult status in his mother's homeland. Together with his colleague and friend Bud Spencer (1929-2016), he inspired in films such as "Four Fists for a Hallelujah" (1971) or "The Crocodile and His Hippopotamus" (1979). Hill can still be seen in Italy today as the investigating pastor "Don Matteo" - and with great success.

Soon he will also be back on TV in this country. The Bible TV station broadcasts the first episode on Friday evening from 8:15 p.m.