Terence Stamp, Superman and Star Wars Actor, Dies at 87

Legendary actor Terence Stamp, known for iconic roles such as General Zod in Superman, has died at age 87. Terence Stamp is one of the great actors that even if you didn’t know his name, you likely know his face and his voice. The British actor was in a long list of great films, TV shows, and even video games throughout his long career, even garnering an Oscar nomination for one of his first ever film performances in Billy Budd as the titular character. The actor would go on to play some of the most important supporting comic book characters out there including General Zod, Jor-El, and Stick.

Stamp died on Sunday, August 17th with his family confirming it via a statement to Reuters. The cause of death is currently unknown, but his family paid tribute by noting his extensive career that left an indelible mark on audiences. You can read the statement from Terence Stamp’s family below.

“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.”

As already noted, Terence Stamp played General Zod twice in Richard Donner’s Superman and its sequel, Superman II. He gave a career-defining performance as the Superman villain and set a high bar for future actors in the role, such as Michael Shannon. Ironically, Stamp would eventually play another important Kryptonian in Smallville, a CW series that follows Clark Kent before he properly becomes Superman. In that series, Stamp played the voice of Jor-El, Superman’s biological father from Krypton, who existed within the Fortress of Solitude.

Around the same time of joining Smallville, Stamp also played Stick, a martial arts mentor who trained both Daredevil and Elektra in the comics. However, he only appeared in Elektra starring Jennifer Garner and he didn’t have any connections to Matt Murdock in that iteration of the character. It was the second comic-book character he ever played.

As if starring in one of the biggest superhero films of all-time wasn’t enough, Terence Stamp also played Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, serving as one of the most notable political characters in the Star Wars universe. His character was removed from office before Attack of the Clones, so he did not appear in any of the sequels, but his character did appear in the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars where he was voiced by a new actor.

The acclaimed actor also lent his iconic voice to a number of video games including Halo 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The actor’s original performance for the latter was re-used earlier this year in a remaster of Oblivion for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.

What was your favorite Terence Stamp performance? Let me know in the comments down below.