XPost: rec.arts.tv
From: YourName@YourISP.com
He was also the voice of Jor-El in the Superman TV series "Smallville",
among MANY other roles.
Actor Terence Stamp, who starred as Superman villain, dies aged 87
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Oscar-nominated actor Terence Stamp had a film career that spanned
six decades
Terence Stamp, the English actor who played the arch-villain
General Zod in the original Superman films, has died at the age of
87.
In a career that spanned six decades, the Oscar-nominated actor
starred in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of
the Desert, Far From the Madding Crowd and Valkyrie.
Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to
Reuters news agency.
"He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor
and a writer that will continue to touch people for years to come,"
they said.
Bafta said it was "saddened" to hear of Stamp's death and
highlighted his two Bafta nominations in 1963 and 1995.
His Superman co-star Sarah Douglas described him as "beyond
gorgeous and talented".
"So saddened to learn that Terence has left us," she wrote on
Instagram.
"I learnt so very much from him. What a start to my career to have
spent so many months in his company.
"My love and heartfelt condolences to all who cared for him. What
a loss."
Born in Stepney, east London, to working-class parents on 22 July
1938, Stamp attended grammar school before pursuing a career in
advertising.
After securing a scholarship for drama school, he shot to fame in
the 1960s, making his debut playing the titular role in Billy Budd,
a 1962 film about a naive young seaman in the 18th century.
His performance earnt him an Oscar nomination for best supporting
actor and a Golden Globe for best newcomer.
He went on to make a name for himself as a villain, with stand-out
performances in Superman and Superman II as General Zod, kidnapper
Freddie Clegg in The Collector, and Sergeant Troy in Far From the
Madding Crowd.
During his heyday in the 1960s, Stamp was known for his good looks,
fashion sense and high-profile girlfriends, including actress Julie
Christie - who he later starred alongside in Far From the Madding
Crowd - and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.
His relationship with Christie only lasted a year but was
immortalised by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset with the line
"Terry meets Julie", believed to reference the pair.
Stamp was approached to replace Sean Connery when he relinquished
his role as James Bond, but said his radical ideas about how he
could interpret the character put off producer Harry Saltzman.
"I think my ideas about it put the frighteners on Harry," he said.
"I didn't get a second call from him."
He spent some time in Italy, working with directors Pier Paolo
Pasolini and Federico Fellini, but found his star had faded when he
returned to London at the end of the 1960s.
"When the 1960s ended, I think because I'd been so identified with
it, I kind of ended as well," he later told BBC Radio 4's Desert
Island Discs.
"I thought if I could be good looking, and I could be successful
and I could be famous, everything would be solved. And when it all
kind of came to an end, I thought to myself there's been a lot of
fun but there hasn't been any real, deep internal satisfaction."
He moved away from acting for a while, buying a round-the-world
ticket and ending up in India where he studied yoga and spent time
living in a spiritual retreat.
Despite describing the decision as "epic", Stamp admitted he was
"distraught".
"I never imagined this would happen," he told Desert Island Discs.
"I always thought after six months or so some great part would
come up and nothing did."
That opportunity finally arrived in 1976 when he was offered his
most high-profile role as General Zod in the first Superman film.
Returning to the silver screen, the following decades saw dozens of
appearances in films including Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace, A Song for Marion, Wall Street, The Adjustment Bureau and
Last Night in Soho.
"My only regrets," he told Desert Island Discs, "are the films that
I passed on because I was fearful." Noting Camelot and Romeo and
Juliet with Audrey Hepburn, he added that he would "like to have
them in my canon".
One of his most celebrated and notable performances came in 1994
when he played a transgender woman in the Australian film,
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - earning him
BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.
Stamp was reportedly onboard to return for a sequel to Priscilla,
director Stephan Elliott confirmed last year.
Elliott described the then 85-year-old Stamp as the "fittest man
I've ever met in my life" who "has never drunk and basically eats
grass".
"It took him a long time to think about it until he got there," he
told The Guardian, "but eventually he said to me, 'You know what?
You're right. We're not finished yet. The story is untold.'"
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* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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