Terence Stamp, Iconic Star Of ‘Superman II’ And ‘Wall Street’, Dead At 87
First reported by The New York Times, Oscar-nominee and supervillain extraordinaire, Terence Stamp, who seduced moviegoers for nearly seven decades with unforgettable performances such as General Zod in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) died last Sunday. He was 87 years old. The actor’s family confirmed his passing, but they have not yet disclosed the cause of death, or the location.
Born on July 22nd, 1938, in London’s famous East End district, Terence Henry Stamp was the son of a tugboat captain in the Queen’s Merchant Navy, and the eldest of five children. His family fled London during Germany’s Blitz in 1940, and relocated to Essex. Inspired by actors Gary Cooper, and the OG bad boy James Dean, the acting bug bit Terence at an early age.
Like most English actors, Stamp began his career onstage in several repertory theaters where he went under the wing of thespian kings (and legendary drinkers) like Laurence Olivier, and Peter O’Toole. He even shared a flat with the up-and-coming great Michael Caine for a brief period, and one can only imagine the din of Cockney accents blasting from out of those windows all throughout the night.
Terence made his acting debut as the eponymous merchant in the adaptation of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd (1962) which earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 35th Academy Awards, but he lost to Ed Begley for his performance in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). Despite not winning the gold statue, Stamp gained worldwide attention for the performance, and this blew the doors wide open for him.
He went on to play creepy Freddie Clegg in the classic thriller The Collector (1965), the knife-happy Willie Garvin in Modesty Blaise (1966), the aptly-named Terence in the bizarre sci-fi flick Hu-Man (1975), the devil in the cult classic The Company of Wolves (1984), a quick drive-by as Sir Larry Wildman in Wall Street (1987), the doomed cattleman John Tunstall in Young Guns (1988), and there’s no forgetting his most famous role as the megalomaniacal Kryptonian who told the son of Jor-El to “Kneel before Zod!”
It turns out that he was telling people to do that way before meeting Christopher Reeve’s Kal-El.
Aside from having a long, storied career on stage and screen, Terence Stamp was a cultural icon of England’s “Swinging Sixties” who stayed in the tabloids with high-profile hookups that included actress Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. His first and only marriage was in 2002 at age 64, and to 29-year-old Australian pharmacist Elizabeth O’Rourke, but they divorced in 2008.
Tributes from friends, fans, and peers have flooded social media since the announcement. Producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, The Walking Dead), who worked with Terence on the 1988 cult classic Alien Nation, expressed her admiration for his undeniable charisma over on X.
“Terence Stamp was a brilliant actor,” her tweet reads. “I think he and Peter O’Toole not only had the most mesmerizing eyes…but delivered equally indelible performances.”
His The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) costar, Guy Pearce, laments the passing of his former bus mate through the Australian Outback.
“Fairwell dear Tel,” Pearce said (via X) “You were a true inspiration, both in & out of heels. We’ll always have Kings Canyon, Kings road & F’ing ABBA. Wishing you well on your way ‘Ralph’! xxxx”
Rolling Stones guitarist, and alleged vampire Keith Richards gave a concise, coherent send-off to one of his swinger sidekicks from the long-gone psychedelic age on his X account.
“Terence Stamp,” the tweet says. “Farewell, my friend!!…Keith”
Below is the scene from Superman II when Zod pays a visit to the White House, and begins his very short reign as ruler of Earth. In memory of Mr. Stamp, kneel and enjoy!
