Terence Stamp, best known for his appearances as General Zod in the beloved 70s Superman movies, has died aged 87.
He was also loved for his role in 1994’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in which he played a trans woman named Bernadette.
Stamp’s family announced in a statement that he died on Sunday morning, acknowledging the Oscar nominee’s extensive career.
‘He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come,’ they said.
His loved ones asked for privacy during this ‘sad time’.
Throughout his career, he returned to the DC superhero world multiple times, famously as General Zod in the original Superman film and its sequel.
In the late 1960s, Stamp appeared in Italian films, working with Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini. He said about the experience: ‘I view my life really as before and after Fellini.
‘Being cast by him was the greatest compliment an actor like myself could get.’
Around this time, he also began studying yoga in India, inspired by Indian spiritual speaker Jiddu Krishnamurti.
He recalled in a 2015 interview with Watkins Books: ‘There was a rumour around the ashram that he was preparing me to teach the tantric group.’
Fast forward to the 00s, and he returned as the voice of Jor-El for the TV series Smallville, as well as jumping to Marvel as Stick in 2005’s Elektra film starring Jennifer Garner.
His other later roles include 2020’s His Dark Materials, 2016’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and a final appearance in Last Night in Soho (2021).
Born in 1938, Stamp lived in London throughout the end of World War II, dropping out of school to work before winning a scholarship to drama school.
Stamp secured an Oscar nod for his leading role in Peter Ustinov’s 1962 adaptation of Billy Budd.
He disappeared from the spotlight after losing out on James Bond to Sean Connery, but after a stint in Italian films, Superman brought him to Hollywood.
After this, he worked with a variety of high-profile actors and directors, such as Tim Burton, Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, Yes Man with Jim Carrey, and The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon in 2011.
Asked in one interview how he persuaded directors to cast him, he replied: ‘I believed in myself.
‘Originally, when I didn’t get cast, I told myself there was a lack of discernment in them. This could be considered conceit.
‘I look at it differently—cherishing that divine spark in myself.’
What’s more, Stamp had a plethora of famous friends, having counted the late Princess Diana as one of them.
The actor told the Daily Express in 2017 about their bond: ‘It wasn’t a formal thing; we’d just meet up for a cup of tea, or sometimes we’d have a long chat for an hour.’
At the height of his career, the Billy Budd star dated Far From the Madding Crowd co-star Julie Christie, becoming something of a 60s celebrity power couple.
Stamp’s romantic life made headlines repeatedly when he and Jean Shrimpton became one of the most-photographed couples of the era.
In 2002, he married Elizabeth O’Rourke, who was 29 at the time, while he was 64, causing quite a stir. They divorced in 2008.
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