Terence Stamp, SUPERMAN II’s General Zod, dead at 87

Per various media outlets, British actor Terence Stamp died on Sunday, August 17, aged 87. Best known for embodying the villainous Kryptonian General Zod in 1980’s Superman II, as well as its 1978 predecessor, Stamp was a prolific, award-winning actor, and a sex symbol, whose striking good looks made him synonymous with the Swinging ‘60s when he first rose to fame. He also voiced Kal-El’s father Jor-El on the TV series Smallville from 2003 to 2011, and starred in Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Wall Street (1987), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), The Limey, and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (both 1999).

Terence Stamp in Last Night in Soho (2021), his final acting appearance

Born into a working class family in the East End of London in 1938, Stamp initially worked in advertising, before landing an acting scholarship. He made his film debut in 1962’s Billy Budd, for which he won a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. His profile declined by the 1970s, leading him to spend a hiatus in India, studying yoga. Zod marked his major comeback role, with him being introduced in the first Superman film’s prologue, before taking center stage as the main villain in the sequel.

Stamp would’ve appeared at the end of the first film, which was originally planned to end on a cliffhanger, before filming on both movies was halted to finish the first. Like most of the cast of Superman II, he declined to do the press for the film as a result of original director Richard Donner’s firing. Regardless, he became indelibly connected to the role, with his appearance eventually being adopted for his comics counterpart (who was originally clean-shaven and wore a hat); it was actually Donner who introduced his incarnation to the main DC comics universe, in the 2006-08 storyline “Last Son,” written with Geoff Johns and illustrated by Adam Kubert.

Terence Stamp (center), Sarah Douglas (left), and Jack O’Halloran as Zod, Ursa and Non in Superman II

Stamp remained a prolific actor. He was nominated for several awards for his portrayal of a trans woman in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994, for his lead role in 1999’s crime thriller The Limey, and for his portrayal of a widower in the 2012 comedy-drama Song for Marion (aka Unfinished Song). Other comics-related roles included 1966’s Modesty Blaise movie, 2005’s Elektra (where he portrayed Stick), 2008’s Wanted, its video game tie-in Weapons of Fate, and a 2003 episode of Static Shock, where he voiced the original villain Dennis/Professor Menace.

His theater parts included the title role of Alfie! on Broadway in 1964 (a part taken on by his then flatmate Michael Caine in the 1966 film), while additional video game parts included Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and the Prophet of Truth in Halo 3 (2007). He was also a writer, penning memoirs, cookbooks, and the 1993 novel The Night. His final role came in 2021, in Edgar Wright’s supernatural thriller Last Night in Soho, which also marked the final appearance of his fellow 1960s icon Diana Rigg.

Stamp was the subject of much media attention for his relationships with actress Julie Christie, and supermodel Jean Shrimpton in the ‘60s. However, he was only married once, to Elizabeth O’Rourke, an Australian pharmacist, from 2002 to 2008: he was 64, while she was only 29. He had no children, and was preceded in death by his brother, music producer Chris Stamp, who passed away in 2009, aged 70. His surviving family told Reuters, “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. We ask for privacy at this sad time.”

His passing comes roughly six months after another Christopher Reeve Superman villain, Gene Hackman, was reported dead in February. At the time of writing, the most prominent surviving 1978 Superman cast members are Jeff East, 67, Valerie Perrine, 81, Marc McClure, 68, and Stamp’s fellow evil Kryptonians, Sarah Douglas, 72, and Jack O’Halloran, 82.