Superman icon Terence Stamp dies aged 87
He was also loved for his role in 1994's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in which he played a trans woman named Bernadette.
Stamp's family announced in a statement that he died on Sunday morning, acknowledging the Oscar-nominee's extensive career.
'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,' they said.
His loved ones asked for privacy during this 'sad time'.
Throughout his career he returned to the DC superhero world multiple times, famously as General Zod in the original Superman film and it's sequel.
In the 00s, he returned as the voice of Jor-El for the TV series Smallville, as well as jumping to Marvel as Stick in 2005's Elektra film starring Jennifer Garner.
His other later roles in 2020's His Dark Materials, 2016's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and a final appearance in Last Night in Soho (2021).
Born in 1938, Stamp lived in London throughout the end of World War II, dropping out of school to work before winning a scholarship to drama school.
Stamp secured an Oscar nod for his leading role in Peter Ustinov's 1962 adaptation of Billy Budd.
He disappeared from the spotlight after losing out on James Bond to Sean Connery, but after a stint in Italian films, Superman brought him to Hollywood.
After this he worked with a variety of high profile actors and directors such as Tim Burton, Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, Yes Man with Jim Carrey, and The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon in 2011. More Trending
At the height of his career, the Billy Budd star dated Far From the Madding Crowd co-star Julie Christie, becoming something of a '60s celebrity power couple.
Stamp's romantic life made headlines repeatedly when he and Jean Shrimpton became one of the most-photographed couples of the era.
In 2002, he married Elizabeth O'Rourke, who was 29 at the time, while he was 64, causing quite a stir. They later divorced in 2008.
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Terence Stamp remembered by Priscilla director Stephan Elliott: ‘Those eyes turned everybody to jelly'
I first saw Terence in The Collector (1965) when I was a kid. It struck in my head as the ultimate horror film – it terrified the daylights out of me. Terence's greatest beauties were his eyes – in some of the early films you don't see it, but in person, when they were shining, he could hold a room. He'd sit there and say, 'Watch this, I'm going to stop a restaurant.' And he could do it. I saw him do it! It was extraordinary. He once told me that he used to have real fun on Superman when he was bored, stuck on top of the ice castle. 'I'd just stare down until everyone went quiet,' he said. We tried many actors when casting Bernadette in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but absolutely everybody turned the role down. Terence was easily on the top of our list, but we thought he'd never do it. The honest truth is, he turned it down at first. But out of nowhere, his agent said to him, 'Well, you're bored. You've just done superhero movies. Why don't you do something else?' It was astonishing when his agent reached out and said, 'No, he wants to talk.' We were falling over ourselves. If he wanted the role, it was his. We talked long and hard about why he'd initially said no. It was fear. And fair enough – you have got to remember we were coming out of the HIV/Aids mess. It was a taboo subject. I looked at the work that he'd done all the way through, like the Italian years when he worked with Fellini and Pasolini, and thought: this was a man who took chances. And I think he was at absolutely the right moment in his life where he was ready for another chance. Terence admitted he was absolutely terrified to play Bernadette – he was being voted one of the best-looking men on earth and suddenly in Priscilla he was, and this is a direct quote, 'dressed up as an old dog'. But he put the pain of what he was going through into the performance, and that's what made the film. In my head, I had a very clear idea of who Bernadette was. I remember looking at Terence when he came out presented as Bernadette for the first time. I said, 'Well this isn't what I pictured in my head, but it's interesting. Let's talk about it.' Meanwhile, Terence looked at the mirror and completely exploded. From that point in the film, no mirrors were allowed. It was the fear. But he worked it in – he knew what he was doing. Every day, they'd say, 'You want to see rushes?' And he'd say, 'No. If I'm committing, I'm going for it.' By the time we finished the shoot, he was way past being afraid and Priscilla was a real high point for him. Over the years, we became very close. He was a loner, but we became really good pals. Anytime I was anywhere near him, I would visit. Once you got through the layers, he was an East End boy, a working-class boy, and I think over the years, the thing I most loved was that he let me into that world. And sometimes it was very foul-mouthed! Terence would complain that he was only ever asked about two things: Priscilla or Superman. The amount of times he said to me, 'Far From the Madding Crowd [1967] – I've never worked so hard at something so magnificent and it has been forgotten.' I said, 'It's called time, Terence.' He said, 'But Priscilla is 30 years old. Why doesn't it go away? They only ask me about two films, and one of them's fucking Priscilla.' And I'd get the giggles. That's when we began talking about a Priscilla sequel. On that front, let's just say – he agreed to do the sequel a few years ago and we've been particularly busy over the past year. By the end of his career, he was working to keep himself entertained. He was discerning – if he'd already seen something like it, he didn't care. If something pressed his buttons and piqued his interest, he'd consider it. His Italian years were just breathtaking. Who the hell gets to work with all those people? He said to me, 'I just drifted from one to the other – if somebody had something interesting, I'd do it. That's the way it's always been.' Terence kept to himself. He was an enigma. And then he'd show up, use the eyes and turn everybody to jelly. He was a wonderful man – and he's not done yet. Stephan Elliott is a film-maker and director of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Leader Live
4 hours ago
- Leader Live
Dame Helen Mirren: I am such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy
It comes after Amazon MGM Studios, which has taken creative control over the 007 character, revealed last month that Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight would be writing the script for the next film. The Oscar-winning actress told Saga Magazine: 'I'm such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can't have a woman. It just doesn't work. 'James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.' Dame Helen, 80, stars alongside former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan in the new Thursday Murder Club film, a cosy crime drama adapted from the best-selling book by game show host Richard Osman. Brosnan, 72, agreed with the actress about the next portrayal of Bond and told the magazine: 'Oh, I think it has to be a man.' He added: 'I wish (Amazon) them well. I'm so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character. 'I adore the world of James Bond. It's been very good to me. It's the gift that keeps giving. 'And I'm just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying: 'Show us what you're going to do'.' Dame Helen previously told the Standard that 'the whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism' and added: 'Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been.' In the forthcoming Thursday Murder Club film, the veteran actress plays a retired spy, who is also the founder and leader of the club. Speaking about her character Elizabeth, she told Saga: 'So many women have worked in that world. She's a manifestation of a reality, that's for sure.' Asked if she is a better portrayal of a spy than Bond, Dame Helen said: 'More realistic. But not so much fun as Bond!' She added: 'The great thing about a movie like this is that it reminds everyone, as an older person I have a brain, I have agency, energy, commitment, passion and intellect. It doesn't all stop when you're 40.' Brosnan said the movie, directed by Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, would also appeal to anyone who likes the film series about wizardry and added: 'This is like a Harry Potter retirement home.' The film, which lands on Netflix on August 28, follows a crime-busting group of retirees, played by Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen, Mamma Mia! star Brosnan, Calendar Girls actress Celia Imrie and Gandhi star Sir Ben Kingsley. You can read the full interview in Saga Magazine's September issue.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
James Bond should be a man, says Dame Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren has said James Bond should be played by a man, even though she is "such a feminist".In a new interview with Saga Magazine, the Oscar-winning actor said "you can't have a woman. It just doesn't work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else". Amazon MGM Studios will produce the next iteration of the spy franchise, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight set to write what will become the 26th film in the Studios previously said they were planning a "fresh" take on franchise but would honour the "legacy" of the "iconic character". The 80-year-old is currently starring opposite former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan in the much anticipated film adaption of The Thursday Murder Club, in which she plays a retired 72, also told the magazine that he believed a male actor should continue to play Bond and he was excited to "see a whole new exuberance and life for this character." He starred in four Bond films during his tenure as 007, starting with GoldenEye in 1995 and finishing with Die Another Day, which was released in 2002. Mirren has previously been quoted saying that the concept of James Bond was "born out of profound sexism", and that women have always been an "incredibly important part" of the Secret Service. Mirren and Brosnan are not the first to push back on the idea of Bond being played by a woman, with the sentiment echoed by Brosnan's Die Another Day costar, Halle Berry. "In 2025, it's nice to say, 'Oh, she should be a woman.' But, I don't really know if I think that's the right thing to do," she said, speaking at Cannes Film Festival in May. The James Bond franchise was owned by the Broccoli family for more than 60 years, but producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson sold creative control to Amazon for a reported $1bn (£760m) earlier this year. Speculation about who will next play the titular character has been rife, with British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton rumoured as frontrunners for the is no current release date set for the next film.
