Terence Stamp was perhaps best known for his role as General Zod in two Superman movies in the 1970s and the Oscar-nominated title role in the 1962 film Billy Budd. The legendary British actor died on Aug. 17 at age 87, per Reuters. He left behind a lengthy resume of film credits that also included memorable roles in Far From the Madding Crowd, The Limey, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
One of Stamp’s most iconic roles was in the classic movie The Collector. Released in June 1965, the psychological drama was directed by William Wyler and starred Stamp as Freddie Clegg, a socially awkward amateur entomologist who stalks an art student, Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar). Clegg eventually kidnaps the woman and imprisons her in the basement of his rural mansion, hoping that she will grow to love him.
The Collector was Stamp’s third credited film role, after Term of Trial and Billy Budd.
Terence Stamp Won a Best Actor Award for ‘The Collector’
In May 1965, Stamp won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of the creepy butterfly collector in The Collector, per The Hollywood Reporter. Eggar also won the Cannes Award, as well as a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role as Miranda in the film.
Stamp once told the British Film Institute that The Collector was one of the films he was most proud of.
In an interview with Roger Ebert, he admitted, “I didn’t much go for Wyler. Old-fashioned. But it was a good role.”
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