Terence Stamp, the British actor who made his name in 1960s British cinema and starred as villain General Zod in the original Superman films, has died aged 87.
Stamp died on the morning of Sunday, August 17, according to his family.
“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,” said a family statement, published by Reuters. “We ask for privacy at this sad time.”
London-born Stamp started his career on the stage in the UK, before significant acclaim for his first screen role in Peter Ustinov’s 1962 historical drama Billy Budd. Stamp won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year for his performance, and was nominated for the Oscar for best supporting actor and Bafta for best newcomer.
Throughout the 1960s he developed a reputation as one of British cinema’s most distinctive, talented performers. He starred opposite Julie Christie in John Schlesinger’s 1967 Thomas Hardy adaptation Far From The Madding Crowd, and led films including Ken Loach’s social realist drama Poor Things and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1968 Teorema.
Stamp was also associated with the Swinging London scene of the decade, including through his high-profile relationships with Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.
Wider fame came to Stamp in 1978 through his role as Zod, the leader of the Kryptonian criminals unwillingly set free by Christopher Reeve’s Superman; Stamp reprised the role in 1980’s Superman II.
He received his second Bafta nomination, this time for best actor in a leading role, for playing transgender woman Bernadette Bassenger in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Stamp continued to work throughout the 90s and into the millenium, with credits including 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Christopher McQuarrie’s Valkyrie with Tom Cruise and George Nolfi’s 2011 The Adjustment Bureau. His final film role recalled his 1960s start, as the Silver Haired Gentleman in Edgar Wright’s 2021 Last Night In Soho.
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