Actor Terence Stamp has passed away at the age of 87 years old. The English actor, known for his role as the villain General Zod in the Superman films, had a career that spanned six decades with many different roles.
Fans of The Walt Disney Company may recognize Stamp as Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. He also appeared as the Ghost Butler Ramsley in The Haunted Mansion (2003).
Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to Reuters. “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.
The actor was born in Stepney, in east London, to working-class parents on July 22, 1938. He attended grammar school and then initially pursued a career in advertising. He would then go on to earn a scholarship to drama school. He shot to fame in the 1960s and debuted playing the main role in Billy Budd in 1962. This was a movie about a naive young seaman in the 18th century. This performance earned him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for best newcomer.
Through the remainder of the 60s, Stamp remained busy in a variety of films. He was also approached about replacing Sean Connery as James Bond. However, the meeting didn’t go well enough with producer Harry Saltzman to secure the role. Stamp said of the meeting, “My ideas about [how the role should be portrayed] put the frighteners on Harry. I didn’t get a second call from him.”
As the 60s concluded, it appeared that Stamp’s run as a movie star might also be doing the same. In 1976, this changed when he appeared as General Zod in Superman. Following his appearance in the Superman movies, Stamp continued to keep busy in the coming decades. His final role was in 2021 in Last Night in Soho.
