Terence Stamp Dies at Age 87
The brilliant character actor and Superman II mega villain, Terence Stamp, has died at the age of 87 and leaves a diverse body of cinematic work behind.
Terence Stamp officially began his movie career with an acclaimed role in the 1962 film, Billy Budd, but it was probably his even juicier role as General Zod in a couple of movies in the Superman franchise that really put him on the map with mainstream movie-going audiences. Stamp continued to appear in small roles in big movies for many years until 1994’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert proved he had tremendous range as an actor which was unparalleled in certain respects. Stamp was a true original when it came to taking on a role, making it his own and commanding the audience’s respect and attention at all times, whether he was a good or bad guy. That is not an easy feat.
Remembering Stamp’s supporting role in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street from 1987, one could easily sense the actor’s professionalism and the -pardon the expression- stamp that he left on the movie screen through the forcefulness of his work. When Stamp made The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Stamp’s trans character was remarkably conveyed on-screen and showed the actor’s ability to inhabit any character which the actor decided to take on. It’s easy to remember one of his more recent roles in The Adjustment Bureau from back in 2011 too, but, occasionally, he felt underused in the bigger blockbusters outside of the Superman pictures.
In Superman II, though, he was the definitive movie villain where he was the most sinister of the sidekicks who tried to defeat the one and only Superman. General Zod leaped off the screen thanks to the tremendous passion Stamp brought to the role. Zod’s evilness was perfectly conveyed in that sequel and proved a formidable opponent for Superman within the film.
The Limey from the late 1990’s also showcased Stamp at his most superb. It is disappointing, however, the actor had smaller parts than he could have had in fairly big films. When I reviewed Last Night in Soho back in 2021, I mentioned that Stamp was underused which was an unfortunate disadvantage of being a character actor. There were surely scenes in great films that featured the actor which were most likely left on the cutting room floor. Still, Stamp’s work in movies like Billy Budd, Superman II and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert gave the actor to chance to strut his chops as a dramatic performer and he will be missed for his legendary and prolific work in some of the most intriguing films of their time.
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