"Kneel before Zod!"
We have some sad news to report this morning, as it's been confirmed that screen icon Terence Stamp has died. The actor was 87. His family shared the news of his passing with Reuters, revealing that he died earlier today.
"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," Stamp's family said in a statement. "We ask for privacy at this sad time."
The actor left an indelible mark on cinema over a six-decade career. Born in 1938 in Stepney, London, Stamp's journey began with a scholarship to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, leading to his film debut in Billy Budd. That role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.
He later starred in The Collector, Far from the Madding Crowd, Poor Cow, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. However, most of you reading this will surely know Stamp best for his chilling portrayal of General Zod in Superman: The Movie and Superman II.
Stamp also played Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and later returned to Superman's world as the voice of Jor-El in Smallville. In recent years, you'll have likely seen him in Last Night in Soho and His Dark Materials.
In a 2013 interview, the actor was asked if he'd watched Man of Steel, and while he hadn't at that time, he used the opportunity to reflect positively on the time he spent in Superman's world.
"I haven’t seen it, and I won’t see it for a while. I have such tender feelings about working with Richard Donner and Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve. I was sad that they are doing it again and using a lot of the same characters. It impinged on my memory. There’s something else in the consciousness of the Superman fan. Donner took 15 years finding all the old footage and they gave him a director’s cut."
"The BFI recently gave me a retrospective, and I insisted they get the director’s cut. It got a standing ovation, and I just knelt before everyone. There’s such an affection for it. There was rarely a day in the last 10 years when I don’t see someone eyeing me, and they ask, 'Were you in Superman II?' and I say, 'Kneel before Zod, you bastard!'"
Our thoughts go out to Terence's friends and family at this time.