On 17 August 2025, British actor Terence Stamp (1939) died. A leading cultural figure of the Swinging Sixties, the strikingly handsome Stamp dated Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Shrimpton, and worked with such directors as John Schlesinger, Ken Loach, Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Joseph Losey. Later, he appeared in the blockbusters Superman (1978), Superman II (1980) and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) - as Chancellor Valorum. In a departure from anything he had ever done before, Stamp dragged up for Stephan Elliott’s delicious cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) as trans woman Bernadette. Another of our Stamp favourites is Stephen Soderbergh's crime film The Limey (1999). Terence Stamp was 87.
Vintage postcard.
Spanish postcard. Photo: Coprensa. Terence Stamp in Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov, 1962), based on the novel by Herman Melville.
Terence Stamp was born in Stepney, the 'Cockney' part of London, in 1939. He was the eldest of the five children of Ethel Esther (née Perrott) and Thomas Stamp, who was a tugboat captain. His younger brother, Christopher Stamp, would become an impresario and film producer for the pop group The Who. On leaving school, Stamp worked in a variety of advertising agencies in London, working his way up to a very respectable wage. All the time, he wanted to be an actor. But, as he recalled as cited in the necrology of The Guardian: “It wasn’t until I saw James Dean in East of Eden that I began to think that maybe I could actually do this.”
He then applied for and won a scholarship to the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington. After appearing in several plays, he made his film debut as an ill-fated young seaman in the film adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov, 1962). Stamp, whose dark hair was dyed blond for the role, managed to convey the essence of Melville’s stammering, angelic innocent. His portrayal brought him an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination, a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year, and international attention.
Roger Phillip Mellor notes in the Encyclopaedia of British Cinema: "Terence Stamp was one of a new generation of stars with fresh attitudes who found favour in the 1960s. And with his soulful, intense looks, ladies found him irresistible". He then appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in Term of Trial (Peter Glenville, 1962). He won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and got his lead in William Wyler's adaptation of John Fowles' The Collector (1965) with Samantha Eggar.
His brooding looks made him ideal for portraying enigmatic, other-worldly characters, such as in Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966) with Monica Vitti. Director Losey wanted to make a pop art-inspired spy spoof, parodying the Bond films and other Eurospy films. Location shooting was done in London, Amsterdam and Naples. Interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios. Gabriel's island fortress was filmed at Castello di Sant'Alessio Siculo in Sicily.
Stamp also starred in Ken Loach's first film, Poor Cow (1967), and John Schlesinger's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), starring Julie Christie. His romance with Christie received extensive media coverage during London's 'swinging 60s'. He and his next girlfriend, pre-supermodel Jean Shrimpton, became one of the most photographed couples of Mod London.
Poster postcard for Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966), starring Monica Vitti and co-starring Terence Stamp.
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 86. Julie Christie and Terence Stamp in Far from the Madding Crowd (John Schlesinger, 1967).
In 1968, Terence Stamp journeyed to Italy to star in Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit, a 50-minute segment of the Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation Histoires extraordinaires / Tre passi nel delirio / Spirits of the Dead (1968). This Franco-Italian co-production contains three segments: Roger Vadim's Metzengerstein, starring Jane and Peter Fonda; Louis Malle's William Wilson, starring Alain Delon and Brigitte Bardot; and Fellini's Toby Dammit.
Vintage postcard.
Spanish postcard. Photo: Coprensa. Terence Stamp in Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov, 1962), based on the novel by Herman Melville.
Brooding looks
Terence Stamp was born in Stepney, the 'Cockney' part of London, in 1939. He was the eldest of the five children of Ethel Esther (née Perrott) and Thomas Stamp, who was a tugboat captain. His younger brother, Christopher Stamp, would become an impresario and film producer for the pop group The Who. On leaving school, Stamp worked in a variety of advertising agencies in London, working his way up to a very respectable wage. All the time, he wanted to be an actor. But, as he recalled as cited in the necrology of The Guardian: “It wasn’t until I saw James Dean in East of Eden that I began to think that maybe I could actually do this.”
He then applied for and won a scholarship to the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington. After appearing in several plays, he made his film debut as an ill-fated young seaman in the film adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov, 1962). Stamp, whose dark hair was dyed blond for the role, managed to convey the essence of Melville’s stammering, angelic innocent. His portrayal brought him an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination, a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year, and international attention.
Roger Phillip Mellor notes in the Encyclopaedia of British Cinema: "Terence Stamp was one of a new generation of stars with fresh attitudes who found favour in the 1960s. And with his soulful, intense looks, ladies found him irresistible". He then appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in Term of Trial (Peter Glenville, 1962). He won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and got his lead in William Wyler's adaptation of John Fowles' The Collector (1965) with Samantha Eggar.
His brooding looks made him ideal for portraying enigmatic, other-worldly characters, such as in Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966) with Monica Vitti. Director Losey wanted to make a pop art-inspired spy spoof, parodying the Bond films and other Eurospy films. Location shooting was done in London, Amsterdam and Naples. Interiors were filmed at Shepperton Studios. Gabriel's island fortress was filmed at Castello di Sant'Alessio Siculo in Sicily.
Stamp also starred in Ken Loach's first film, Poor Cow (1967), and John Schlesinger's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), starring Julie Christie. His romance with Christie received extensive media coverage during London's 'swinging 60s'. He and his next girlfriend, pre-supermodel Jean Shrimpton, became one of the most photographed couples of Mod London.
Poster postcard for Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966), starring Monica Vitti and co-starring Terence Stamp.
Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 86. Julie Christie and Terence Stamp in Far from the Madding Crowd (John Schlesinger, 1967).
Superman
In 1968, Terence Stamp journeyed to Italy to star in Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit, a 50-minute segment of the Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation Histoires extraordinaires / Tre passi nel delirio / Spirits of the Dead (1968). This Franco-Italian co-production contains three segments: Roger Vadim's Metzengerstein, starring Jane and Peter Fonda; Louis Malle's William Wilson, starring Alain Delon and Brigitte Bardot; and Fellini's Toby Dammit.
Stamp lived in Italy for several years, during which time his film work included Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema (1968) opposite Silvana Mangano, and Una stagione all'inferno / A Season in Hell (Nelo Risi, 1970) as the poet Arthur Rimbaud opposite Jean-Claude Brialy in the role of Paul Verlaine.
He withdrew from mainstream films after his girlfriend Jean Shrimpton left him, and he went on a 10-year sabbatical in India. He spent time in Pune at the ashram, meditating and studying the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
He returned home in the late 1970s to portray Kryptonian super-villain General Zod in Superman (Richard Donner, 1978). Stamp went on to reprise his role as General Zod in the sequel, Superman II (Richard Lester, 1980). In 2003, Stamp returned to the Superman myths in a new role, by vocally playing Clark Kent's biological father, Jor-El, in the WB/CW television series Smallville (2001-2009).
A publicity shot for The Collector (William Wyler, 1965), showing Terence Stamp holding a chloroform pad, was used for the cover of The Smiths' single 'What Difference Does It Make'. After some copies were printed, Stamp decided he didn't want his photo to be used, and the rest of the copies appeared with Morrissey in the exact same pose, looking very much like him but holding a glass of milk instead. Later, Stamp agreed, and the photo was reinstated on the 12" single cover.
Spanish postcard by Editorial Filkasol. Japanese poster for Teorema (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968), with Silvana Mangano and Terence Stamp.
French poster postcard by Ed. Encyclopédie du cinéma. Poster by Georges Gaillard. Affiche for the Horror anthology film Histoires extraordinaires / Tre passi nel delirio / Spirits of the Dead (1968).
Trans woman Bernadette
Terence Stamp appeared as the Supergrass in Stephen Frears' The Hit (1984), as the trans woman Bernadette in the worldwide hit and cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephen Elliot, 1994). He won Bafta and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as Bernadette. His crime film The Limey (1999) was a critical but not popular success, yet it is a film we cherish personally. Stamp shone as a vengeful gangster, a role especially created for him by director Steven Soderbergh.
Stamp, who has been wheat and dairy intolerant since the 1960s, launched The Stamp Collection range of organic wheat and dairy-free products in 1994. He also co-wrote a cookbook with Elizabeth Buxton to provide alternative recipes for those who are wheat and dairy-intolerant.
In the cinema, Stamp could be seen in Hollywood blockbusters (and often megaflops) like Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999) as Chancellor Finis Valorum, Bowfinger (Frank Oz, 1999) with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, Red Planet (Antony Hoffman, 2000) with Val Kilmer, My Boss's Daughter (David Zucker, 2003) with Ashton Kutcher, Disney's The Haunted Mansion (Rob Minkoff, 2003) opposite Eddie Murphy, Elektra (Rob Bowman, 2005) with Jennifer Garner, and Valkyrie (Bryan Singer, 2008) starring Tom Cruise.
He also appeared in European productions like Ma femme est une actrice / My Wife Is An Actress (Yvan Attal, 2001) with Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Dead Fish (Charley Stadler, 2004) with Robert Carlyle. Stamp returned to Great Britain to star opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Song for Marion (Paul Andrew Williams, 2012). In Canada, he appeared in The Art of the Steal (Jonathan Sobol, 2013) with Jay Baruchel and Kurt Russell. Other later films included the heist caper The Art of the Steal (2014) and Tim Burton’s time-loop fantasy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016), adapted from the bestselling novel by Ransom Riggs. He made a guest appearance in the television series of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials in 2020, and his last film role was in the psychological Horror film Last Night in Soho (Edgar Wright, 2021).
Terence Stamp died in 2025 at the age of 87. He was married to Elizabeth O'Rourke, an Australian pharmacist, from 2002 till their divorce in 2008. He wrote three autobiographies: 'Stamp Album' (1987), 'Coming Attractions' (1988), and 'Double Feature' (1989).
British poster postcard by Vintage Classics / ICO / BFI / Studiocanal. Terence Stamp and Carol White in Poor Cow (Ken Loach, 1970). Caption: Newly restored and back in the cinemas.
Vintage lobby card. Terence Stamp in Wall Street (Oliver Stone, 1987). Note the early mobile phone model and the early computer & keyboard in the back.
Scene from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). Source: LiFers (YouTube)
Sources: Ronald Bergan (The Guardian), Roger Phillip Mellor (Encyclopedia of British Cinema), The Madcap Laughs and Tonto (IMDb), IMDb and Wikipedia.
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