Terence Stamp, the famous English actor known for films like Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorema, Federico Fellini’s Toby Dammit, and his role as the villain in two Superman movies, has died at the age of 87.
Stamp passed away on Sunday morning, according to a family statement shared with Reuters. No cause of death was given.
Born Terence Henry Stamp on July 22, 1938, in London’s East End, he was the oldest of five children. His father worked as a tugboat stoker in the merchant Navy. Before becoming an actor, Stamp worked in the advertising industry during the 1960s. Later, he won a scholarship to study classical acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
His stage performances soon led to his movie debut in Peter Ustinov’s Billy Budd (1962), based on Herman Melville’s novella. The film, co-starring Robert Ryan and Melvyn Douglas, earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination at just 24 years old.
Stamp’s career quickly took off. After Billy Budd, he starred in Term of Trial with Laurence Olivier and Simone Signoret, and then won Best Actor at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival for his role in William Wyler’s psychological thriller The Collector.
That film made him famous for playing villains, although Stamp later admitted it wasn’t among his favorites. In a 2012 interview with Roger Ebert, he said, “I didn’t much go for Wyler. Old-fashioned. But it was a good role.”
Over the years, Stamp appeared in many acclaimed films by directors such as Pier Paolo Pasolini (Teorema), Ken Loach (Poor Cow), and Federico Fellini (Toby Dammit). Reflecting on his work with Fellini, he told The Sunday Business Post in 2011, “I think of my career as before and after Fellini. Prior to him, I was always fearful in front of the camera.”
Stamp later gained international recognition for playing General Zod in Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). In a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he recalled how the production team tried to make him look “hideous” with makeup and costumes, but he felt the camera still brought out the best in him.
He continued acting in both independent and blockbuster films. He received critical praise for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999) and played Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. He also wrote several books, including memoirs such as Stamp Album (1987) and The Ocean Fell Into the Drop (2017).
In his later years, Stamp appeared in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, the sci-fi thriller The Adjustment Bureau, and Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho (2021), which became his final film role.
