Terence Stamp Dies: Superman's General Zod Was 87

Actor Terence Stamp has died astatine property 87, his household announced Sunday. Stamp whitethorn beryllium champion known to IGN readers for his roles arsenic General Zod successful 1978’s Superman and Superman II and arsenic Supreme Chancellor Valorum successful ​Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

"He leaves down an bonzer assemblage of work, some arsenic an histrion and arsenic a writer that volition proceed to interaction and animate radical for years to come," the household said. "We inquire for privateness astatine this bittersweet time,” Stamp’s household said successful a connection to Reuters.

Born successful 1938 successful Stepney, London, England, Stamp began his vocation successful the theatre and was adjacent roommates with Michael Caine for a clip earlier making his movie debut playing the rubric relation successful 1962’s Billy Budd, which earned him an Academy Award information for Best Supporting Actor.

Terence Stamp successful 2012. (Photo: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)

He soon became an icon of the 1960s London country and aboriginal recalled however helium blew his accidental to win Sean Connery arsenic James Bond.

“Like astir English actors, I’d person loved to beryllium 007 due to the fact that I truly cognize however to deterioration a suit,” Stamp recalled successful an interrogation with The Standard successful 2013. Franchise shaper Harry Saltzman took him retired to meal to sermon the role, but Stamp said, “I deliberation my ideas astir it enactment the frighteners connected Harry. I didn’t get a 2nd telephone from him.”

Stamp went connected to prima successful The Collector, Modesty Blaise, and Far From the Madding Crowd. In the precocious 1960s, helium starred successful Federico Fellini’s information of the Edgar Allan Poe fearfulness anthology movie Spirits of the Dead and manager Pier Paolo Pasolini’s surrealist play Teorema.

Stamp was formed arsenic the Kryptonian supervillain General Zod successful the 1978 movie Superman. He reprised the relation successful Superman II, which saw Zod and his minions, Ursa and Non, flight the Phantom Zone and effort to conquer Earth. The relation of Zod wasn’t Stamp’s lone crook successful a DC Comics project, arsenic helium aboriginal voiced Jor-El successful the 2000s TV bid Smallville.

"At the beginning, it was pugnacious for maine to really go an actor. And erstwhile I got my archetypal break, I was truthful thrilled that I was capable to gain my surviving doing thing that I genuinely loved. What I wanted much than thing was a agelong career," Stamp told IGN successful 2005.

"So I conjecture it's truly precise satisfying for maine due to the fact that there's a full conception of the nationalist that remembers Billy Budd, there's a full conception who remembers maine from Far from the Madding Crowd, and past there's an atrocious batch of radical for whom their archetypal movie acquisition was I oregon II of the Superman movies. And astatine the clip that I did it, I conscionable had the feeling that by the clip each these kids turn up, arsenic galore of them who emotion Superman volition emotion Zod."

Stamp appeared successful respective high-profile films passim the 1980s, including Wall Street, Young Guns, Legal Eagles, and Alien Nation. He starred other John Hurt and Tim Roth (in his movie debut) successful manager Stephen Frears’ 1984 transgression flick The Hit.

He earned acclaim, arsenic good arsenic Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, for his show arsenic resistance queen Bernadette Bassenger successful 1994’s roadworthy drama The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Stamp earned much accolades for his pb relation successful Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey, wherever helium played an English transgression who comes to the U.S. to analyse the decease of his daughter.

Following his lone crook successful a Star Wars movie successful 1999’s The Phantom Menace, Stamp appeared successful Red Planet, The Haunted Mansion, and Elektra, wherever helium played the unsighted sensei Stick other Jennifer Garner arsenic the titular Marvel Comics assassin.

Stamp’s aboriginal roles see Wanted, Get Smart, Yes Man, Valkyrie, Big Eyes, The Adjustment Bureau, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

His last movie relation was successful Edgar Wright’s 2021 intelligence thriller Last Night successful Soho. Stamp besides lent his distinctive dependable to video games similar The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Halo 3.

What’s your favourite Terence Stamp role? Let america cognize successful the comments.