Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor, best known to many for his role as General Zod in Superman: The Movie and Superman II. Unlike Alec Guinness's disappointment with being best known for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise, Stamp was forever grateful he got to play such a role in a seminal science fiction series, considering it gave his career a boost at a time when it was most needed.note
Stamp was born in London's Stepney district, and spent his early years in the East End. When his family moved to Plaistow, West Ham, he attended Plaistow County Grammar School. He grew up idolizing Gary Cooper, and was inspired by James Dean.
He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his very first film role, as the title character in Billy Budd.
Film Roles:
- Billy Budd (1962) — Billy Budd
- The Collector (1965) — Freddie Clegg
- Modesty Blaise (1966) — Willie Garvin
- Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) — Sgt. Frank Troy
- Spirits of the Dead (1968) — Toby Dammit
- Teorema (1968) — "The Visitor"
- Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II (1980) — General Zod
- Jules Verne's Mystery on Monster Island (1981) — J.R. Taskinar/Skinner
- The Company of Wolves (1984) — The Devil
- Wall Street (1987) — Sir Larry Wildman
- Young Guns (1988) — John Tunstall
- Alien Nation (1988) — William Harcourt
- The Real McCoy (1993) — Jack Schmidt
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) — Bernadette Bassinger/Ralph
- Bowfinger (1998) — Terry
- The Phantom Menace (1999) — Chancellor Finis Valorum
- The Limey (1999) — Wilson
- My Boss's Daughter (2003) — Jack Taylor
- The Haunted Mansion (2003) — Ramsley
- Get Smart (2008) — Siegfried
- Yes-Man (2008) — Terrence Bundley
- Valkyrie (2008) — Ludwig Beck
- The Adjustment Bureau (2011) — Thompson
- The Art of the Steal (2013) — Samuel Winters
- Crooked House (2017) — Chief Inspector Taverner
- Last Night in Soho (2021) — the Silver-Haired Gentleman
Voice Acting Roles:
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion — Mankar Camoran
- Smallville — Jor-El
- Static Shock: Dennis/Professor Menace.
- Ultramarines
- Halo 3 —The Prophet of Truth
Tropes:
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He stands a solid six feet tall, was dark-haired in his younger days, and retains a fair bit of his aristocratic good looks, all of which have served him well in his various roles.
