Terence Stamp was born in London in 1938 and made a breakthrough with his first major role, as Billy Budd in the film of the same name from 1962 – a role he was Oscar-nominated for.
During the decade that followed, he played in a number of well-known films such as "Modesty Blaise", Ken Loach's "Poor Cow" and Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Teorema". At the same time, he became one of the 1960s most famous British sex symbols and had a highly publicized relationship with, among others, Julie Christie, whom he later played against in "Far from the Madding Crowd" in 1967.
But when the 1960s became the 1970s, he was considered, at 31, passé. "When the 60s were over, I was over with it. I remember how my agent said to me: Everyone is looking for a young Terence Stamp", he writes, according to BBC in one of his autobiographies.
Priscilla new breakthrough
He exchanged his life as a star for a long journey to, among other places, India to find himself, and only several years later, when he was offered the role of General Zod in "Superman" (1978), did he return to the world of film.
Stamp and General Zod were also in the film's sequel in 1980, but after that followed roles in films that rarely made an impact on film history.
A major exception came in 1994. As the transsexual Bernadette in "Priscilla – Queen of the Desert" he got a second breakthrough, for a new generation of cinema-goers. But he admitted afterwards that it took persuasion to take the role.
It was not until I got there (to Australia) that it became one of the greatest experiences of my career. It was probably the most fun I've ever had, he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Wrote cookbook
The role – and the attention – gave a new boost to his career, not least with the lead role in Steven Soderbergh's "The Limey" and a smaller role in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace".
Besides his acting career, Stamp wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter, several autobiographies, a novel and a cookbook. His last film role came in 2021 in "Last Night in Soho", where he at least on the screen got to return to 1960s "Swinging London".
Terence Stamp became 87 years old.
