Terence Stamp, known for playing General Zod in Superman and Superman II, has died aged 87, his family have confirmed. The actor was also known for his roles in The Adventures of Priscilla and A Season in Hell
Terence Stamp, the actor famed for his role as General Zod in the Hollywood blockbusters Superman and Superman II, has sadly passed away at the age of 87, his family has confirmed.
Born in London’s East End in 1938, the son of a tugboat stoker, Stamp endured the bombing of the city during World War Two in his early years.
The Oscar-nominated actor also starred in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem in 1968, A Season in Hell in 1971 and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994, where he played a transgender woman.
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Before embarking on his acting career, Stamp won a scholarship to drama school, leaving school to work in advertising.
In a statement, his family said: “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,” adding, “We ask for privacy at this sad time.”, reports the Mirror.
His cause of death has not been reported.
Known for his good looks and dress sense as well as his acting talent, Stamp was one half of what was dubbed one of Britain’s most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, his co-star in Far From the Madding Crowd in 1967.
Stamp also had a relationship with model Jean Shrimpton and served as a muse for photographer David Bailey. Despite missing out on the role of James Bond, Stamp went on to have a successful career in Italian cinema.
He collaborated with Federico Fellini during the late 1960s. Stamp chose to step away from Hollywood’s glamorous spotlight to pursue yoga studies in India.
Yet when he returned, he secured his most famous part. He portrayed General Zod, the power-mad Kryptonian commander, in Superman in 1978 and its follow-up in 1980.
The performer frequently recounted how he was on the verge of becoming a tantric sex instructor at an Indian ashram when a telegram arrived from his London representative.
“I was on the night flight the next day,” Stamp revealed to Watkins Books in 2015 regarding the moment he got the Superman opportunity after eight years without employment.
Stamp subsequently featured in Valkyrie alongside Tom Cruise in 2008, The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon in 2011 plus Tim Burton productions.
Reflecting on his journey, Stamp once remarked: “The great blessing of my life is that I had the really hard bit at the beginning because we were really poor.”
Prior to securing his drama scholarship, Stamp decided to hide his aspirations from his relatives as he worried about their disapproval. “I couldn’t tell anyone I wanted to be an actor because it was out of the question. I would have been laughed at,” he admitted.
Stamp wed chemist Elizabeth O’Rourke in 2002 at age 64. Nevertheless they separated in 2008 and Stamp remained unmarried thereafter.
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