| Terence Stamp | |
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Terence Stamp, January 2009 |
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| Born | Terence Henry Stamp 22 July 1938 Stepney, London, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse | Elizabeth O'Rourke (2002–08) |
Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938)[1][2] is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.
His other major roles include butterfly collector Freddie Clegg in The Collector, arch-villain General Zod in Superman and Superman II, trans woman Bernadette in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, tough guy Wilson in The Limey, Supreme Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, ghost antagonist Ramsley in The Haunted Mansion, Elektra's master Stick in Elektra, Pekwarsky in Wanted, Maxwell Smart's arch-villain Siegfried in Get Smart, council of high help Terrence Bundley in Yes Man and General Ludwig Beck in Valkyrie.
Stamp has won a Golden Globe, a Cannes Film Festival Award, a Seattle International Film Festival Award, a Satellite Award and a Silver Bear.
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Stamp, the eldest of five children, was born in Stepney, London in 1938, the son of Ethel Esther (née Perrott) and Thomas Stamp, who was a tugboat captain.[2][3] His early years were spent in Canal Road, Bow,[4] in the East End of London,[5] but later in his childhood the family moved to Plaistow, West Ham, London (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 idolising 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 the 1950s avant-garde Method actor James Dean.
On leaving school Stamp worked in a variety of advertising agencies in London, working his way up to a very respectable wage. In the mid-1950s he also worked for a time as an assistant to professional golfer Reg Knight at Wanstead Golf Club in East London. He describes this period of his life very positively in his autobiography (Stamp, 1987).
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 had treatment for his feet.
Stamp won a scholarship to train at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, then performed in various provincial repertory theatres,[6] most notably in a national tour of Willis Hall’s play The Long the Short and the Tall alongside another young actor Michael Caine.[7]
Stamp made his film debut in Peter Ustinov's film adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd (1962). His 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. He 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 reunited 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 in favour of Modesty Blaise (1966).
His subsequent film credits included The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970), Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), and The Hit (1984). Also in 1984, he had the opportunity to play the Devil in a cameo in The Company of Wolves. He also appeared in Link (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), The Sicilian (1987), and Wall Street (1987). His 1992 film, Beltenebros (aka Prince of Shadows), was awarded the Silver Bear at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.[8] Stamp began his fourth decade as an actor wearing some of the choicest of Tim Chappel's Academy Award-winning costumes for the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) which co-starred Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving.
In 1999, Stamp played a lead role in 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. Also in 1999, Stamp appeared in the blockbuster Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Chancellor Finis Valorum, followed by Bowfinger (1999), and Red Planet (2000). He also appeared in Damian Pettigrew's award-winning documentary, Fellini: I'm a Born Liar (2002), offering insights into the mind and working methods of Italian director Federico Fellini whom Stamp had worked with in the 1960s.
In recent years, Stamp has appeared in the films Ma femme est une actrice (aka My Wife Is An Actress, 2001), My Boss's Daughter (2003), Disney's The Haunted Mansion (2003), and the superhero fantasy Elektra (2005). In 2008, he appeared in the film remake of the spy comedy Get Smart, and with Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, based on the true story of Col. Claus von Stauffenberg's failed attempt to assassinate Hitler.
Stamp portrayed the Kryptonian supervillain General Zod in Richard Donner's Superman (1978), in which he appeared in a scene with Marlon Brando. 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 franchise in a new role, by portraying the voice of Clark Kent's biological father Jor-El in the WB/CW television series Smallville. He also provided the scream of Zod (being exorcised from the body of Lex Luthor) in the sixth season premiere episode "Zod". In 2006, he appeared as Zod once again in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (a re-tooled version of the 1980 film which predominantly features footage shot by Donner, the film's original director).
In addition to his acting career Terence 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 recent projects include the video game The 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. In 2005, Stamp also narrated the BBC Four documentary Jazz Britannia, which chronicles the evolution of British Jazz music.
On 7 July 2007 Stamp gave a speech on climate change at the UK leg of Live Earth in Wembley Stadium before introducing Madonna.
In the 1960s, Stamp shared a flat with actor Michael Caine before and during their rise to fame.[9] 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 to take the role in Alfie".
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, spending time in Pune at the ashram of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, meditating and studying his teachings, and dropping out from society for several years.[10][11][12]
On New Year's Eve 2002, at the age of 64, Stamp married for the first time. His 29-year-old bride was Elizabeth O'Rourke, whom Stamp first met in the mid-1990s at a pharmacy in Bondi, New South Wales. A Eurasian of Australian and Singapore [Indian Singaporean] parentage, O'Rourke 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.[13]
Stamp found success with his first film Billy Budd (1962), for which we won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer. Stamp won recognition for the film The Collector (1965), which is commemorated in Cannes Film Festival.
For The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) Stamp won a Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor and was nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role, an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, a Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor. For The Limey (1999) he won a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor.
Golden Globe
Cannes Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
Satellite Award
Academy Award
BAFTA Award
Australian Film Institute Award
Chlotrudis Award
Independent Spirit Award
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award
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