Terence Stamp

Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
	Terence Stamp, January 2009
Spouse	Elizabeth (2002–2008)

Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1939)^[1] is an Academy Award-nominated English actor.

Early life

Stamp, the eldest of five children, was born in Stepney, London, the son of Ethel Ester (née Perrott) and Thomas Stamp, who was a tugboat captain.^[1]^[2] His early years were spent in Canal Road, Bow,^[3] in the East End of London,^[4], but later in his childhood the family moved to Plaistow, Essex (now Greater London). His brother, Chris, is a rock 'n roll impresario credited with helping to bring The Who to prominence during the 1960s. As his father was away for long periods with his job in the Merchant Navy, the young Stamp was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. He grew up idolizing the film actor Gary Cooper after his mother had taken him to see Beau Geste at the age of three. He was also inspired by James Dean.

On leaving school Stamp worked in a variety of advertising agencies in London, working his way up to a very respectable wage. Deep down he wanted to be an actor, a realisation that came when Stamp found he no longer had to serve two years National Service after being rejected for once having treatment on his feet.

Career

Stamp made his film debut in Peter Ustinov's 1962 film adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd. Stamp's portrayal of the title character brought him not only an Academy Award nomination, but also international attention. He then appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in Term of Trial (1962).

Stamp collaborated with some of the cinema's most revered filmmakers. Stamp starred in William Wyler's adaptation of John Fowles' The Collector (1965), opposite Samantha Eggar, and in Modesty Blaise (1966), for director Joseph Losey and producer Joe Janni. Stamp reteamed with producer Janni for two more projects: John Schlesinger's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) starring Julie Christie, and Ken Loach's first feature film Poor Cow (1967).

Stamp then journeyed to Italy to star in Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit, a 50-minute portion of the Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation Histoires extraordinaires (1968, aka Spirits of the Dead). 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 (1970). Stamp was considered for the title role of Alfie (1966), but turned it down.

His subsequent film credits included Alan Cooke's The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970), Peter Brook's Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Stephen Frears' The Hit (1984). Also in 1984, he had the opportunity to play the Devil in a cameo in The Company of Wolves. He also starred in Richard Franklin's Link (1986), Ivan Reitman's Legal Eagles (1986), Michael Cimino's The Sicilian (1987), and Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987). The film Beltenebros (1992, aka Prince of Shadows), in which Stamp starred for director Pilar Miro, was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Stamp began his fourth decade as an actor wearing some of the choicest of Lizzy Gardiner's Academy Award-winning costumes for the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) for director Stefan Elliot and starring with Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving.

In 1999, Stamp played a lead role in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey, to widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. For his performance, Stamp received nominations for Best Male Lead at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards, and for Best British Actor at the London Film Critic Circle (ALFS) Awards. Stamp can also be seen in George Lucas' global blockbuster Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) as Chancellor Finis Valorum; Frank Oz's Bowfinger (1999) opposite Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy; and Red Planet (2000) opposite Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore.

In recent years, Stamp has completed the features Ma femme est une actrice (2001, aka My Wife Is An Actress) for Timothy Burrill Productions; My Boss's Daughter (2003) opposite Ashton Kutcher; Disney's The Haunted Mansion (2003), opposite Eddie Murphy, and Elektra (2005), opposite Jennifer Garner. He has also starred in the recent Get Smart movie adaption.

Superman roles

Terence Stamp portrayed Kryptonian super-villain General Zod in Richard Donner's Superman (1978). Stamp went on to reprise his role as General Zod in the sequel, Superman II (1980), directed by Richard Lester. In 2003, Stamp returned to the Superman mythos in a new role, by vocally playing Clark Kent's father, Jor-El, in the WB\CW television series Smallville (2001-present). Terrence Stamp reprises his role as General Zod for the sixth season premiere episode "Zod" through the use of computer generated imagery.

Other

In addition to his acting career, Stamp is an accomplished writer and author. He has published three volumes of his memoirs, including Stamp Album (written in tribute to his late mother), a novel entitled The Night, and a cookbook co-written with Elizabeth Buxton to provide alternative recipes for those who are wheat and dairy-intolerant.

Stamp's current projects include the video game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in which he lends his voice to the villainous cult leader Mankar Camoran; and the films Zombie Island and These Foolish Things. Stamp appeared in the music video for "At the Bottom of Everything" by Bright Eyes. Stamp has recently voiced the Prophet of Truth in Halo 3, replacing Michael Wincott. He next appeared as the villain in the film adaptation of Get Smart starring Steve Carell.

On 7 July 2007, Stamp gave a speech on Climate Change at the UK leg of Live Earth in Wembley Stadium, before introducing Madonna.

Personal life

In the 1960s, Stamp shared a flat with Michael Caine before and during their rise to fame.^[5] In his autobiography, Double Feature, Stamp describes his life with Caine, including an incident in which Caine tried to force Stamp to reverse his decision to turn down the starring role in Alfie, which Caine later accepted. In his autobiography, What's it All About, Caine states that he "still wakes up sweating in the night as he sees Terence agreeing to accept my advice".

Stamp received extensive media coverage of his romances in the 1960s with film stars Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. His and Julie Christie's romance, and their high profiles during London's 'swinging 60s', was at one point thought to be referenced in The Kinks' 1967 song, Waterloo Sunset, with the lines about "Terry and Julie". He and Jean Shrimpton were one of the most photographed couples of Mod London. It was after Shrimpton ended her relationship with Stamp that he moved to India. There, he lived in an ashram, dropping out from society for several years.

On New Year's Eve 2002, Stamp married for the first time. His 29-year-old bride was Elizabeth, whom Stamp first met during the mid-1990s at a pharmacy in Bondi, New South Wales. A Eurasian of Australian and Singapore Chinese parentage, Elizabeth was raised in Singapore before moving to Australia in her early 20s to study pharmacology. The couple divorced on the grounds of his unreasonable behaviour in April 2008.^[6]