Terence Stamp, Intense Star of 'Billy Budd,' 'Superman' & 'Priscilla,' Dies at 87

Terence Stamp, one of the original "angry young men" of British cinema — who went on to show his range in the box-office smashes "Superman" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" — has died at 87.

Stamp's family confirmed to The New York Times that he died Sunday.

Born July 22, 1938, in London, he came from a large working-class family, none of whom could have dreamed he would pursue acting, becoming inspired after seeing a '30s Gary Cooper movie.

After studying drama on a scholarship, he made his British TV debut in 1960 and became an overnight star in the title role of the film "Billy Budd" (1962), earning an out-of-the-gate Oscar nomination as the sweet sailor doomed by his competing allegiances and an obsessive master of arms.

Stamp quickly became a sex symbol — high-profile romances with model Jean Shrimpton and fellow acting up-and-comer Julie Christie fanned the flames — known for his intense performances in a series of influential dramas.

In 1964, when the acclaimed play "Alfie" transferred to Broadway, Stamp played the lead during its surprisingly short run, earning raves. When asked to recreate the role for the 1966 film, Stamp declined — and his former roommate Caine took it all the way to an Oscar nomination when it became a surprise box-office hit and pop cultural event.

He won for Best Actor at Cannes for 1965's "The Collector," his performance as a psychotic man who holds a young woman (Samantha Eggar) captive taking its place among the best of his career.

He excelled in "Far from the Madding Crowd" (1967), "Poor Cow" (1967), "Blue" (1968), "Spirits of the Dead" (1968) for Federico Fellini, and worked with Pier Paolo Pasolini in the cinematic masterpiece "Teorema" (1968), a steamy document of Stamp's brooding sex appeal.

In 1978, Stamp took on what would become his most famous role, that of evil General Zod in "Superman." The massive hit launched the superhero-movie craze that continues nearly 50 years later. He reprised the role in the 1980 sequel, and would later remark it was the character he was most asked about by fans.

After such films as "The Hit" (1984), "Legal Eagles" (1986), "Wall Street" (1988), and "Alien Nation" (1988), Stamp achieved another career peak in the '90s with his performance as trans drag performer Bernadette in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994). The Australian film was one he dreaded going into due to the logistics of the shoot, and which he later called the most fun he ever had had making a movie.

His deadpan, empathetic performance was universally acclaimed, and the film made a star out of Guy Pearce.

In 1999, he appeared with Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin in "Bowfinger," as Chancellor Valorum in "Star Wars: Episide I: The Phantom Menace," and — in another dramatic highlight for him — as the star of the gut-wrenching thriller "The Limey," directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Late-career films included "Get Smart" (2008), Tom Cruise's "Valkyrie" (2008), "Big Eyes" (2014), and "Murder Mystery" (2019).

He gave his final feature-film performance in "Last Night in Soho," a darkly comic horror film that was also Diana Rigg's last movie.

His work on television was limited, but he notably voiced Superman's dad Jor-El on "Smallville" (2003-2011).

Stamp wrote expressively, even poetically, of his life and career in several memoirs: "Stamp Album" (1987), "Coming Attractions" (1988), "Double Feature" (1989), "Rare Stamps: Reflections on Living, Breathing and Acting" (2011) and "The Ocean Fell Into the Drop" (2017).

He was also the author of the 1993 novel "The Night" and co-wrote a healthy-eating tome.

Married and divorced just once, he was preceded in death by his brother Chris Stamp, famous for managaing the Who and Jimi Hendrix, in 2012.