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BRITISH Hollywood star Terence Stamp has died aged 87.
The Oscar-nominated actor played villain General Zod in the original Superman movie and its sequel Superman II.
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His family said in a statement that Stamp died on Sunday morning.
“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,” the family said.
“We ask for privacy at this sad time.”
Stamp also starred in in films ranging from Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem in 1968 and A Season in Hell in 1971 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994 in which he played a transgender woman.
He went on to appear in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999.
Rise to fame
Born in London’s East End in 1938, the son of a tugboat stoker, he endured the bombing of the city during World War Two before leaving school to work initially in advertising, eventually winning a scholarship to go to drama school.
Famous for his good looks and impeccable dress sense, he formed one of Britain’s most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, with whom he starred in Far From the Madding Crowd in 1967.
He also dated the model Jean Shrimpton and was chosen as a muse by photographer David Bailey.
After failing to land the role of James Bond to succeed Sean Connery, he appeared in Italian films and worked with Federico Fellini in the late 1960s.
He dropped out of the limelight and studied yoga in India before landing his most high-profile role – as General Zod, the megalomaniacal leader of the Kryptonians, in Superman in 1978 and its sequel in 1980.
He went on to appear in a string of other films, including Valkyrie with Tom Cruise and Yes Man with Jim Carrey, both in 2008, The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon in 2011 and several movies directed by Tim Burton.
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