Terence Stamp is an Academy Award-nominated English actor, known for his films such as Billy Budd, The Collector and The Limey.
He was born in London on July 22, 1938. As a young man, he idolized actors Gary Cooper and James Dean. He worked on different advertising agencies until he realized his dream of becoming an actor, with the 1962 film adaptation Billy Budd. His portrayal of the title character—a crewman of the HMS Avenger—gave him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Terence Stamp appeared in other films, such as The Collector in 1965; Modesty Blaise in 1966; Far from the Maddening Crowd in 1967; and Poor Cow, also in 1967. He appeared in Federico Fellini’s contribution to the film Histoires extraordinaries, a collection of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, in 1968. He then stayed in Italy, performing in several Italian films.
His film credits in the 1980s include: Superman in 1978; Meetings with Remarkable Men in 1979; Superman II in 1980; Link in 1986; Legal Eagles in 1986; and Wall Street in 1987. His performance for Pilar Miro’s film Beltenebros won him a Silver Bear at the 1992 Berlin Film Festival.
In 1999, Stamp was given the lead role in Steven Soderbough’s The Limey. His performance as a parolee investigating his daughter’s death was applauded at the Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor, and won a Golden Satellite Award for the performance.
In the 2000s, Terence Stamp starred in films such as Red Planet in 2000; Ma femme est un atrice in 2001; My Boss’ Daughter in 2003; The Haunted Mansion in 2003; and Elektra in 2005. He also played the voice of Clark Kent’s father in the CW series Smallville. His recent film was the adaptation Get Smart, alongside Steve Carell, and is set to appear in the film’s sequel.