Terence Stamp, acclaimed British actor and unforgettable General Zod, dies at 87

Terence Stamp, the British actor who could light up a screen just by staring into the camera, has passed away at 87.

If you know him, chances are it’s because of Superman. Stamp’s General Zod, beard, booming voice, that mix of menace and charm, basically rewrote the playbook for movie villains back in 1978 and again in Superman II. For a whole generation, he was the bad guy.

But his career was way bigger than just Zod. He burst onto the scene with Billy Budd in 1962, landing Oscar and BAFTA nominations straight away. A few years later, he took home Best Actor at Cannes for The Collector. And he kept surprising people, whether it was his heartbreaking performance as Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert or popping up in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Young Guns, or even goofy comedies like Get Smart and Yes Man. Gamers probably even recognize his voice from Halo 3 or Oblivion.

Director Edgar Wright, who worked with him on his last film (Last Night in Soho), described him as “kind, funny, and endlessly fascinating,” and said the camera adored him as much as audiences did.

His life off-screen was just as colorful as his career. He was part of that swinging ’60s London scene, dating the likes of Julie Christie and Jean Shrimpton. Later, he married Elizabeth O’Rourke in 2002 (she was 35 years younger), but they split after six years. He never had kids.

And there were detours too. After missing out on the chance to play James Bond, Stamp disappeared for a while, spending years in India and diving into a more spiritual, holistic lifestyle. When he came back to acting, though, he still had that same magnetic presence — the kind that made you forget anyone else was on screen.