Terence Stamp, British actor who played the villain in Superman, dead at 87

Actor Terence Stamp has passed away at the age of 87. The U.K. native was a multiple-time Oscar nominee and played Superman's main villain, General Zod, in the first films made about the famous superhero. His latest film was “Last Night in Soho,” released in September 2021.

Among other roles, he was in films such as “The Adventures of Priscilla“ (for which he received Golden Globe nominations), “Queen of the Desert,” “Far From the Madding Crowd,” “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace” and “Valkyrie,” where he coincided with Tom Cruise.

In a statement shared to Reuters, the actor's family recalled his career and asked for privacy at this difficult time: "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."

"During his heyday in the 1960s, Stamp was known for his good looks, fashion sense and high-profile girlfriends, including actress Julie Christie - who he later starred alongside in 'Far From the Madding Crowd' - and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. His relationship with Christie only lasted a year but was immortalized by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset with the line 'Terry meets Julie,' believed to reference the pair," reported The Guardian.

In addition, he was one of the names circulated to replace Sean Conneryin the James Bond franchise. However, he himself recounted that some of his ideas for the character did not convince the director, Harry Saltzman. "I think my ideas about it scared Harry off. I didn't get a second call from him," Stamp later recounted.

Throughout his six-decade career, he also acted in theater and television, even doing some voices for video game characters.