Terence Stamp

Terence Henry Stamp (22 July 1938 – 17 August 2025) was an English actor. Known for his sophisticated villain roles, he received various accolades including a Golden Globe Award,^[1] a Cannes Film Festival Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards. He was named by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995.^[2]

Stamp trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, before acting in the Wolf Mankowitz production of This Year Next Year (1960) at the West End's Vaudeville Theatre. He made his American film debut^[3] playing the title role in the film Billy Budd (1962), which earned him a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He starred in the psychological horror film The Collector (1965) for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He went on to appear in films such as Modesty Blaise (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Poor Cow (1967), Teorema (1968), Spirits of the Dead (1968), and The Mind of Mr. Soames (1969).

Stamp gained wider fame for his role as archvillain General Zod in the superhero films Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). For his leading role in the Australian road comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) he earned BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. He then starred in The Limey (1999), earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination. He also acted in films such as Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Elektra (2005), Wanted (2008), Get Smart (2008), Yes Man (2008), Valkyrie (2008), Song for Marion (2012), and Big Eyes (2014). His final performance was in Last Night in Soho (2021).