Terence Stamp

Infobox actor
name = Terence Stamp


caption = Terence Stamp, January 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1939|07|22
birthplace = Stepney, London, England

Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1939 [http://www.filmreference.com/film/99/Terence-Stamp.html Terence Stamp Biography (1938?-) ] ] ) is an Academy Award-nominated English actor. He is best known for having played the character General Zod in the "Superman" movie franchise.

Biography

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. [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800014689/bio Terence Stamp Biography - Yahoo! Movies ] ] His early years were spent in the East End of London, [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,662828,00.html Mr Intolerant | Food and drink | Life and Health ] ] 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.

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(s) "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 "Stagione all'inferno, Una" (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), Richard Donner's "Superman" (1978) and Richard Lester's "Superman II" (1980) (as Kryptonian super-villain General Zod), 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 "" (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. Stamp returned to the "Superman" mythos in two roles. Not only did he provide the voice of Clark Kent's father, Jor-El, in the WBCW television series "Smallville" (2001-present), but, in a season six premiere, Stamp reprises his role of General Zod, his original "Superman" role.

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 "", 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 July 7, 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. [ [http://www.eastlondonhistory.com/stamp%20terence.htm terence stamp,east london history, tower hamlets history, stepney, whitechapel, mile end, bethnal green, poplar, shadwell, wapping, docklands ] ] 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. [citenews|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7373801.stm|title=Actor Stamp and wife get divorce|publisher=BBC News|date=29 April, 2008|accessdate=2008-04-29]

Filmography

* "Billy Budd" (1962)
* "The Collector" (1965)
* "Modesty Blaise" (1966)
* "Poor Cow" (1967)
* "Toby Dammit" episode directed by Fellini in "Histoires extraordinaires" (1967)
* "Far from the Madding Crowd" (1967)
* "Theorem" (1968)
* "Blue" (1968)
* "The Mind of Mr. Soames" (1970)
* "Hu-Man" (1975)
* "Striptease" (1976)
* "Black Out" (1977)
* "The Thief of Baghdad" (1978) (TV)
* "Superman" (1978)
* "Meetings with Remarkable Men" (1979)
* "Superman II" (1980)
* "The Hit" (1984)
* "The Company of Wolves" (1984) (uncredited)
* "The Cold War Killers" (1986)
* "Link" (1986)
* "Wall Street" (1987)
* "Young Guns" (1988)
* "Alien Nation" (1988)
* "The Real McCoy" (1993)
* "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994)
* "Limited Edition (Tiré à Part)" (1996)
* "Bliss" (1997)
* "The Hunger (serial)" (1997) TV
* "The Limey" (1999)
* "" (1999)
* "Bowfinger" (1999)
* "Red Planet" (2000)
* "Revelation" (2001)
* "Full Frontal" (2002)
* "Smallville" (2002- present) recurring, TV
* "" (2002)
* "My Boss's Daughter" (2003)
* "The Kiss" (2003)
* "The Haunted Mansion" (2003)
* "Dead Fish (2004)
* "Elektra" (2005)
* "These Foolish Things" (2005) (post-production)
* "" (2006)
* "" (2006)
* "Exclusion" (2007) (announced)
* "Halo 3" (2007)
* "September Dawn" (2007)
* "Wanted" (2008)
* "Get Smart" (2008)
* "Yes Man" (2008)
* "Valkyrie" (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.terencestamp.com Terence Stamp website]
*imdb name|id=0000654|name=Terence Stamp
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=dVx9D7nMcqs Terence Stamp interviewed] by Damian Pettigrew for the documentary "" at YouTube