Terence Stamp, Oscar-Nominated Star of ‘Superman’ Fame, Dies at 87

Terence Stamp, who is best known for playing General Zod in the movies "Superman" and "Superman II," passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 87. His family confirmed his death and shared a message expressing how much they miss him. They said, "He leaves behind a remarkable body of work as an actor and writer that will touch and inspire people for many years to come. We ask for privacy during this difficult time."

Terence first wanted to work in advertising, but he ended up getting a scholarship to a drama school.

 His acting career began in 1962 with the movie "Billy Budd."

The 1960s were a big time for him.

 He was part of a famous acting duo with Julie Christie and appeared in movies like "Far From The Madding Crowd" and "The Collector." However, he decided to stop acting at the end of the decade and it wasn't clear if he would ever return.

After some time away, Terence came back to acting.

 He acted in several movies, including "Superman," "Wall Street," "The Hit," "Star Wars: Episode I," "Red Planet," and "Bowfinger," among others.

In a 2021 interview with Terry Gross on NPR, Terence talked about his early days in the film industry.

 He and Michael Caine were roommates then, and although Michael wasn't well-known at the time, he taught Terence the technical side of filming. "I knew how to hit marks. I knew about camera angles. I knew about lenses. And frankly, when I started the movie, a kind of amazing thing happened because I just discovered that — it was like I knew it. It was as though it was absolutely second nature to me," he said.

His role in "Billy Budd" earned him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.

Terence was born in 1938 in Stepney, London.

 He almost became James Bond after Sean Connery passed away, but he decided not to take the role because he thought his ideas about how the character should be portrayed didn't match those of the producer, Harry Saltzman.

Besides acting, Terence also wrote three memoirs, a novel, and a cookbook.

He first married in 2002 when he married Elizabeth O'Rourke, who was 29 at the time.

 The couple divorced in 2008.