‘Superman' and ‘Star Wars' Actor Terence Stamp Dies at Age 87
In a statement to Reuters, the actor's family revealed he passed on Sunday morning. Born July 22, 1938, he made his film debut with the 1962 adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd as the title character. The role earned him an Academy Award nomination and recognition that allowed him to star in films like 1965's The Collector 1967's Poor Cow.
Genre-wise, Terence Stamp famously played General Zod in the first two Superman movies, and Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Other notable roles include Stick in 2005's Elektra, Bud Chantilas in Red Planet, and Ramsley in Disney's 2003 Haunted Mansion. Stamp would later return to DC for Smallville (as Jor-El) and Static Shock (Professor Menace), and voiced the Prophet of Truth in Halo 3 and Mankar Camoran in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. He was also a potential James Bond candidate after Sean Connery retired from the role, which ended up not working out. He also appeared in Tim Burton's Big Eyes and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
More recently, Stamp could be seen in Netflix's Murder Mystery, HBO's His Dark Materials series and Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho. Archival audio of his performance as Mankar was also used for the recent Oblivion remaster.
In its statement, Stamp's family noted his 'extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come.'
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Colin Kaepernick docuseries produced by Spike Lee no longer moving forward at ESPN amid 'creative differences'
An ESPN docuseries on quarterback Colin Kaepernick that was being produced by acclaimed director Spike Lee and Jemele Hill is no longer moving forward. The six-time Academy Award nominee revealed to Reuters during a red carpet entrance at a fundraising dinner for the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner on Friday that the multi-part documentary will not be released. "I can't. I signed a nondisclosure," he said. "I can't talk about it." Asked why the series — tentatively titled "Da Saga of Colin Kaepernick" — won't be seen, Lee cited a nondisclosure agreement in talking about the development. "I can't. I signed a nondisclosure," he added. "I can't talk about it." ESPN issued a statement to Reuters on Saturday in response to an inquiry about the docuseries' status. "ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences," the statement said. "Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film." Kaepernick played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons from 2011-16. He quarterbacked the 49ers to the 2013 NFC championship game, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. However, he is most known for protesting the U.S. national anthem before games by taking a knee as a gesture to protest systemic racism in the culture and police brutality. That made him a nationally controversial figure, drawing criticism from many including President Donald Trump, and presumably led to no NFL teams signing him after he became a free agent. He never played in the NFL again after the 2016 season. Last September, Puck's Matthew Belloni reported that creative differences between Kaepernick and Lee stalled the docuseries' development. Kaepernick preferred for the series to focus more on his career and personal experience. Yet Lee wanted the scope of the project to cover wider cultural issues, including the history of Black athletes in professional sports, social justice and police brutality. Though the series was reportedly completed, Kaepernick held ultimate approval over the project and wanted material added to Lee's final cut. The project stalling over creative differences between Kaepernick and Lee was confirmed to The Athletic, though specifics beyond what Belloni originally reported were not provided. Yet as Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand point out, ESPN's relationship with the NFL is different now than when the project was initially being developed in 2022. In an agreement worth billions of dollars, ESPN will acquire NFL RedZone and other NFL Media properies with the NFL taking a 10% equity stake in the network. A docuseries that potentially casts the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's 32 teams in a bad light likely wouldn't be viewed favorably under those circumstances. Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against NFL team owners with teammate Eric Reid. That lawsuit was eventually settled in 2019. The Kaepernick docuseries is reportedly finished or close enough to where it could air on another network or streaming platform. According to Belloni's report, Kaepernick and Lee largely worked out their differences. Yet based on the finality of Lee's remarks to Reuters, it appears that the project will not be shopped around to other outlets.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Quentin Tarantino Says Directing ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Sequel ‘Unenthused Me,' Needs to Be in ‘Uncharted Territory' For Final Movie: ‘I've Got to Not Know What I'm Doing Again'
Quentin Tarantino is happy to pass directing duties to David Fincher for Netflix's highly anticipated 'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood' sequel. During a recent interview on 'The Curch of Tarantino' podcast, the two-time Oscar winner said he passed on directing 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth' because the idea of his final film being a sequel 'unenthused' him. More from Variety Quentin Tarantino Scrapped 'The Movie Critic' Because It 'Was Too Much Like' 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and 'Who Wants to See a Movie About a F-ing Movie Critic?' Simon Pegg Says Quentin Tarantino's Unmade 'Star Trek' Movie Was 'Bats-- Crazy': 'It Was Everything You Would Expect' 'Weapons' Director Zach Cregger on David Fincher's Advice, Sequel Plans and What His 'Resident Evil' Movie Will Look Like 'I love this script, but I'm still walking down the same ground I've already walked,' Tarantino explained. 'It just kind of unenthused me. This last movie, I've got to not know what I'm doing again. I've got to be in uncharted territory.' He went on to praise Fincher, adding that his involvement is emblematic of the film's importance to Netflix. 'I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors,' he said. 'So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work, to me, shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account.' Tarantino still serves as writer and producer on the project. He said he'll 'be around' if the production needs him for anything. 'I'm moving back and forth between here and Israel, so I won't be on the set every day and everything. But, yeah, I'll be around if they need me to do something, you know, I will.' In the same interview, Tarantino explained why his long-rumored 10th and final film, 'The Movie Critic,' was scrapped. Similar to the reason he passed on 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth,' the film would've been too close to his previous work to be worthy of his final directorial effort. 'I wasn't really excited about dramatizing what I wrote when I was in pre-production, partly because I'm using the skillset that I learned from 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' [of] 'How are we going to turn Los Angeles into the Hollywood of 1969 without using CGI?'' Tarantino said. 'It was something we had to pull off. We had to achieve it. It wasn't for sure that we could do it. … 'The Movie Critic,' there was nothing to figure out. I already kind of knew, more or less, how to turn L.A. into an older time. It was too much like the last one.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Terence Stamp, General Zod in 'Superman' and 'Billy Budd,' dead at 87
Terence Stamp, the British actor known for his roles in "Billy Budd," "Superman" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," has died. He was 87. Stamp's death on Sunday was disclosed in a death notice published online, according to The Associated Press. "He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come," his family said in a statement to Reuters. Throughout his six-decade career, Stamp — who was nominated for an Oscar for his film debut role in the 1962 film "Billy Budd" — made a name for himself with roles such as General Zod in "Superman" and "Superman II," Freddie Clegg in "The Collector," and Sergeant Troy in "Far From the Madding Crowd." A representative for Stamp did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Born in London in 1938, Stamp found his passion for film at a young age. His father was in the Merchant Navy and spent much of Stamp's childhood away from the family. As a child, Stamp experienced the World War II bombing of London. "The first film I ever saw was called 'Beau Geste,' with Gary Cooper," he told BFI in 2013. "My mother took me to see that. I was probably under 4 years old. It was Cooper playing a soldier in the Foreign Legion. I didn't realize the impact, but it made an indelible impression on me." "It wasn't until we got our first TV — I would've been about 17 I think, and I was already at work — that I started saying things like, 'Oh, I could do that,'" he told BFI. "My dad just turned me off it. He was probably trying to save me a lot of aggro. He genuinely believed that people like us didn't do things like that." After scoring a Golden Globe Award for his role in "Billy Budd," Stamp became one of the most sought-out actors in the 60s. However, everything seemed to take a turn as a new decade approached. "It's a mystery to me," he told The Guardian in 2015. "I was in my prime. When the 1960s ended, I just ended with it. I remember my agent telling me: 'They are all looking for a young Terence Stamp.' And I thought: 'I am young.' I was 31, 32. I couldn't believe it." "During that time away from the screen, I had transmuted myself," he added. "I no longer saw myself as a leading man. What had happened inside of me enabled me to take the role and not feel embarrassed or depressed about playing the villain. I just decided I was a character actor now and I can do anything." After starring opposite Christopher Reeve in the 1978 "Superman," work picked up for Stamp with roles in the 1984 film "The Hit," 1986's "Legal Eagles," Oliver Stone's 1987 "Wall Street," "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," and more. Stamp was married to Elizabeth O'Rourke from 2002-08. He did not have children.
