LONDON – Terence Stamp, the renowned British actor renowned for portraying complex villains such as General Zod in the early Superman movies, has passed away at 87.
His passing on Sunday was revealed through a death notice online, which led to an outpouring of tributes from both fans and industry colleagues, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, known as Bafta.
Bill Duke, who starred with Stamp in director Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 crime drama “The Limey,” said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of his death.
“He brought a rare intensity to the screen, but off-screen he carried himself with warmth, grace, and generosity,” he said on Facebook.
The London-born Stamp started his film career with 1962’s seafaring “Billy Budd,” for which he earned nominations for Oscar and Bafta awards.
Over six decades, Stamp had a career filled with notable roles, including his touching depiction of the transsexual Bernadette in the 1994 film “The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” earning him one of his two Bafta nominations.
However, his role as the bearded Zod in 1978’s “Superman” and its sequel “Superman II” remains most iconic. As the Kryptonian foe to Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Stamp brought a darker, charming, and more vulnerable dimension to the series, a blueprint for many superhero films that followed.
Stamp began his acting journey on stage in the late 1950s, performing in repertory theatre where he befriended Michael Caine, who was five years his senior. They shared a flat in central London while seeking their breakthroughs.
His breakthrough came with “Billy Budd,” leading him in the early 1960s into the “angry young men” movement that infused British cinema with social realism.
That was perhaps most notable in the 1965 adaptation of John Fowles’ creepy debut novel “The Collector,” where he played the awkward and lonely Freddie Clegg, who kidnapped Samantha Eggar’s Miranda Grey in a warped attempt to win her love. It was a performance that would earn the young Stamp, fresh off his Oscar nomination, the best actor award at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.
While part of that 1960s British movement, Stamp learned from some of the most seasoned actors from the classical era, including Laurence Olivier.
“I worked with Olivier briefly on my second movie (1962’s “Term of Trial”),” Stamp recalled in an interview with the AP in 2013. “And he said to me, ‘You should always study your voice.’” Stamp then segued into a spot-on Olivier impersonation, continuing, “‘Because, as you get older, your looks go, but your voice will become empowered.’”
His career took a bit of a hiatus from the late 1960s after he missed out on the role of James Bond to replace Sean Connery, that included a years-long stint in India and which saw him embrace a more holistic approach to his self.
It was the unexpected role of General Zod that brought him back to the limelight. His career, which also saw him play the role of Finis Valoru, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, in 1999’s first Star Wars prequel “The Phantom Menace,” ended with the 2021 psychological thriller “Last Night In Soho.”
Born in London’s East End on July 22, 1938, Stamp lived a colorful life, particularly during the 1960s when he had a string of romances, including with actress Julie Christie and model Jean Shrimpton. He married 29-year-old Elizabeth O’Rourke in 2002 at the age of 64 but the couple divorced six years later. Stamp did not have any children.
Stamp retained his looks as the years ticked by, his natural handsomeness hardened by a more grizzled look.
He generally sought to keep his standards high, but up to a point.
“I don’t do crappy movies, unless I haven’t got the rent,” he said.
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