Terence Henry Stamp was born on July 22 1938 in Stepney, London. His father was often away from home for long stretches of time as part of the Merchant Navy, so that he was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. His desire to become an actor began when he was three years old and his mother took him to see Beau Geste (1939). Because of that film, he became a fan of both Gary Cooper and movies in general. When he was older he became a fan of James Dean.
After he left school, Terence Stamp worked at various advertising agencies in London. He won a scholarship to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and he began performing at various repertory theatres. At the time his roommate was fellow actor Michael Caine. It was also at this time that he became friends with Peter O'Toole. Terence Stamp toured the United Kingdom in The Long and the Short and the Tall in 1959 and then in 1960 appeared in This Year, Next Year at the Vaudeville Theatre on the West End. He made his television debut in an episode of Spy-Catcher in 1960.
Terence Stamp made his movie debut in Billy Budd (1962), for which he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. At the Cannes Film Festival, he won the award for Best Actor in The Collector (1965). In the Sixties, Terence Stamp also appeared in the movies Term of Trial (1962), Modesty Blaise (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Poor Cow (1967), Blue (1968), the "Toby Dammit" segment of Histoires extraordinaires (1968), Teorema (1968), and The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970). He appeared on Broadway in Alfie, and turned down the role for the movie version (which his former roommate Michael Caine ultimately played).
In the Seventies, Terence Stamp appeared in the films Una stagione all'inferno (1971), Hu-Man (1975), Divina Creatura (1975), Striptease (1977),. Black-Out (1977), Superman (1978), Meetings with Remarkable Man (1979), Amo non amo (1979), and Superman II (1980). He appeared on television in the TV movie The Thief of Baghdad. He appeared on stage in Dracula at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the West End and The Lady from the Sea at the Roundhouse on the West End.
In the Eighties, Terence Stamp appeared in the movies Misterio en isla de los monstruos (1981), Morte in Vaticano (1982), The Hit (1984), The Company of Wolves (1984), Link (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), Hud (1986), The Sicilian (1987), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Alien Nation (1988), Genuine Risk (1990), and Stranger in the House (1990). He starred on the TV series Chessgame. He appeared in the mini-series All the World's a Stage.
In the Nineties, he appeared in the movies Beltenbros (1991), The Real McCoy (1993), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Tiré à Part (1996), Love Walked In (1997), Bliss (1997), Kiss the Sky (1998), The Limey (1999), Star Wears Episode One -- The Phantom Menace (1999),. Bowfinger (1999), and Red Planet (2000). He was a regular on the TV series The Hunger.
In the Naughts, Terence Stamp was the voice of Jor-El on the TV show Smallville. He appeared in three episodes of His Dark Materials and was a guest voice on Static Shock. He appeared in the films Ma feeme est une actrice (2001), Revelation (2001), Full Frontal (2002), My Boss's Daughter (2003), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Elektra (2005), Separate Lies (2005), Dead Fish (2005), These Foolish Things (2006), September Dawn (2007), Wanted (2008),. Get Smart (2008). Yes Man (2008), and Valkyrie (2008).
In the Teens, Terence Stamp appeared in the movies The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Song for Marion (2012), The Art of the Steal (2013), Big Eyes (2014),. Crow (2016), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Bitter Harvest (2017),. Crooked House (2017),. Viking Destiny (2018), and Murder Mystery (2019). He appeared on television in the TV series His Dark Materials. His last appearance was in the movie Last Night in Soho (2021).
Terence Stamp was an actor of such great talent that to list all of his remarkable performances could easily take a booklet. Over the years, he gave many impressive performances, well beyond those for which he is best known. I have to think Terence Stamp will always be best remembered as General Zod in Superman II by many, and there can be no doubt that it was an incredible performance. Indeed, apart from Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight, I think Terence Stamp's General Zod may well be the greatest comic book supervillain on film of all time. He was impressive even in his film debut, as the title character in Billy Budd. Billy is innocent and naive to the point that he has difficulties dealing with evil.
Over the years, Terence Stamp would play many other impressive roles. In The Collector he played awkward, lonely butterfly collector Freddie Clegg who abducts art student Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar). He was the debauched Shakespearean actor of the title in "Toby Dammit." In Young Guns he played John Tunstall, the English-born rancher who employed William Bonney AKA Billy the Kid). In The Hit, he played London gangster Willie Parker who betrayed his fellow gangsters in exchange for immunity. He also played a criminal, albeit a much more serious, much grittier one, in The Limey. In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert he played witty, strong-willed trans woman Bernadette. Terence Stamp could play a wide array of roles, from an innocent like Billy Budd to the worldly but noble John Tunstall to archvillain General Zod. He was quite simply one of the most talented actors of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.