Terence Stamp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Terence Stamp
Stamp in 2009
Born	Terence Henry Stamp (1938-07-22) 22 July 1938 (age 86) Stepney, London, England
Alma mater	Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1960–present
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth O'Rourke ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2008)​
Relatives	Chris Stamp (brother)

Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. He is well-known for playing clever villain roles. Terence has won several awards, including a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a Silver Bear. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards.

After studying acting in London, Stamp began his career in 1960. His first movie, Billy Budd, earned him nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA. He was a big part of the "Swinging London" scene in the 1960s. During this time, he was photographed by David Bailey for a famous collection called Box of Pin-Ups. He also starred in Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) and Ken Loach's drama Poor Cow (1967).

Stamp became even more famous for playing the supervillain General Zod in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). For his main role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), he was nominated for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. Other movies he appeared in include Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Elektra (2005), Wanted (2008), and Last Night in Soho (2021).

Early life and inspirations

Terence Stamp was born on 22 July 1938 in Stepney, London, England. He was the oldest of five children. His father worked on a tugboat, so he was often away. Terence was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts.

He spent his early years in the East End of London. Later, his family moved to Plaistow. As a child, he loved actor Gary Cooper after seeing his movie Beau Geste. He was also inspired by James Dean, an actor from the 1950s.

After school, Stamp worked in different advertising agencies in London. He also worked as an assistant to a professional golfer. He wrote about this time in his book Stamp Album.

Acting career highlights

Starting out and becoming famous

Terence Stamp won a special award to train at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He then acted in many plays in different theaters. He even toured with another young actor, Michael Caine. Caine and Stamp became friends and spent time with Peter O'Toole in London.

Stamp's first movie was Billy Budd (1962). His acting in this movie made him famous around the world. He was even nominated for an Academy Award. After that, he appeared with Laurence Olivier in Term of Trial (1962).

Stamp with actress Monica Vitti in 1965 during filming Modesty Blaise

Stamp worked with many famous filmmakers. He starred in The Collector (1965) and Modesty Blaise (1966). He also worked on Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) and Ken Loach's first movie Poor Cow (1967).

He was asked to play James Bond once, but he did not get the role. He lived in Italy for several years and made movies there, like Teorema (1968).

Later, he appeared in movies like The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970) and A Season in Hell (1971). He also won an award for Best Actor for his role in The Hit (1984). He played a small role as the Devil in The Company of Wolves (1984). Other films include Link (1986) and Wall Street (1987). He played John Tunstall in Young Guns (1988). His movie Beltenebros (1992) won an award at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 1994, he starred in the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

In 1999, Stamp played a main role in The Limey, which was praised by critics. He was nominated for awards for his acting in this film. Also in 1999, Stamp was in the big movie Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as Chancellor Finis Valorum. He also appeared in Bowfinger (1999) and Red Planet (2000). He was also in a documentary about director Federico Fellini in 2002.

Playing General Zod

Stamp played the Kryptonian supervillain General Zod in Superman (1978). He appeared in a scene with Marlon Brando. The first Superman movie and its sequel were planned as one long film. Zod and his friends were supposed to return later to fight Superman. But the script was too long, so they split it into two movies.

Stamp returned as General Zod in Superman II (1980), where he was the main villain. Total Film magazine ranked his portrayal of General Zod as one of the "Top 50 Greatest Villains of All Time" in 2007.

In 1988, Stamp introduced a BBC Radio special called Superman On Trial. In 2003, he returned to the Superman world by voicing Clark Kent's biological father, Jor-El, in the TV series Smallville. He also provided the scream of Zod in one episode. In 2006, he appeared as Zod again in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which was a new version of the 1980 film.

Recent roles

In recent years, Stamp has appeared in many films. These include My Wife Is an Actress (2001), My Boss's Daughter (2003), Disney's The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Elektra (2005).

In 2008, he was in the movie remake of Get Smart. He also appeared in the comedy Yes Man with Jim Carrey. He worked with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in Wanted. He also starred with Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, a movie based on a true story about a plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

In the 2010s, Stamp appeared in The Adjustment Bureau (2011) with Matt Damon. In 2012, he was in the music video for "Night & Day" by Hot Chip. He played a grumpy husband named Arthur in Song for Marion (2012). He also appeared in the comedy The Art of the Steal (2013).

In 2014, Stamp was in Tim Burton's film Big Eyes. In 2016, he appeared in another Tim Burton movie, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, playing Abe.

Stamp's other recent projects include Crooked House (2017) and Bitter Harvest.

Books, music, and voice acting

Besides acting, Terence Stamp is also a writer. He has written three books about his life, including Stamp Album. He also wrote a novel called The Night. He co-wrote a cookbook for people who cannot eat wheat or lactose.

Stamp has also done voice acting for video games. He voiced Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the Prophet of Truth in Halo 3. In 2005, he narrated a BBC Four documentary called Jazz Britannia, which was about British jazz music.

He appeared in the music video for "At the Bottom of Everything" by Bright Eyes. Stamp has been a guest on BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs twice.

In 2002, Stamp narrated History of Football: The Beautiful Game, a series about soccer. He attended every England game at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. In 2016, he narrated 1966 – A Nation Remembers for the 50th anniversary of England's World Cup win.

On 7 July 2007, Stamp gave a speech about climate change at the Live Earth concert in London. His book, The Ocean Fell into the Drop, was published in 2017. Stamp also narrated the BBC's The Story of Only Fools and Horses in 2017.

Personal life

Stamp in 1973, photographed by Allan Warren

In the 1960s, Stamp shared a house in London with actor Michael Caine. They lived together as they became famous.

Stamp's brother, Chris Stamp, helped make the band The Who famous in the 1960s. He also started Track Records.

In 1984, the band the Smiths released a song called "What Difference Does It Make?" The cover of the single used a photo of Stamp from his movie The Collector. At first, Stamp did not want the photo to be used. Later, he changed his mind, and the original photo was put back on the cover.

Terence Stamp got married for the first time on New Year's Eve in 2002. He was 64 years old. His wife was Elizabeth O'Rourke. They met in Australia. The couple divorced in 2008.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Terence Stamp para niños