Terence Stamp, best known for his role playing the villain General Zod in the blockbuster films Superman and Superman II, has died at the age of 87. The news on Stamp, who first broke out as a popular actor in London in the 1960s, came from his family.
Stamp, an Oscar-nominated actor, leaves behind a legacy of movies that were popular with a range of generations. He 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, to name a handful. So, he was more than just the Superman actor.
“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,” his family said in a statement sent out on Aug. 17. They added, “We ask for privacy at this sad time.”
According to Reuters, Stamp was born in London’s East End in 1938 and lived through the bombing of the city during World War II. He left school to go into advertising, but theater was calling his name. He won a special scholarship to go to drama school and ended up pursuing the arts.
The moved proved a good one for him. Stamp kicked off his feature film career with 1962’s seafaring Billy Budd, and the film earned him an Oscar nomination.
Later roles for Stamp included, of course, the role of General Zod, the feared head of the Kryptonians, in the 1978 version of Superman and its 1980s sequel. He also appeared in Valkyrie with famed actor Tom Cruise in 2008 and The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon in 2011. His last major film role was in 2021’s Last Night in Soho.
In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, he played a transgender woman.
“From wearing the high heels, my spine was completely out of alignment, and it took me about six months to get my spine re-orchestrated,” he told CBS News in an interview that took place in 1999.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Stamp’s family during this difficult time.
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