Profile of Terence Stamp on Famous Like Me

Terence Stamp (born July 22, 1939 in Bow, London, England) is a British actor.

Early Life

His parents were Tom and Ethel Stamp who had five children in total. Terence being the eldest. Because his father was away for long periods with his job in the Merchant Navy, young Terence was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. He grew up wanting to be the film actor Gary Cooper after his mother had taken him to see Beau Gest.

At the age of 12 whilst at a convalescent home after an operation, Stamp had a brief sexual relationship with Nurse Grace - about 15 years his senior. 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. The realisation came when Stamp found he no longer had to serve two years National Service after been rejected for once having treatment on his feet.

Biography

His motion picture debut was 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.

After his success in Billy Budd, 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 the Maestro's Toby Dammit, a 50 minute portion of the Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation(s) Histoires extraordinaires (1968, aka Spirits of the Dead). Stamp made Italy is home for several years, during which time his film work included Pier Palo Pasolini's Teorema (1968) opposite Silvana Magano, and Stagione all'inferno, Una (1970). Terence Stamp was considered for the title role of "Alfie" 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), 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 the actor 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 Pierce and Hugo Weaving.

In 1999, it was Terence's lead role in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey, which debuted that year to widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, that once again made him popular to a whole new generation of moviegoers. For his performance, Terence 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), Frank Oz's Bowfinger (1999) opposite Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, and Red Planet (2000) opposite Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore.

In recent years, Terence 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, playing the diabolical butler 'Ramsley', and Elektra (2005), opposite Jennifer Garner, playing "Stick", Elektra's blind master.

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 alternatives to those who are wheat and dairy-intolerant.

Terence Stamp is a very private man. He has sometimes referred to relationships in interviews, but has remained a bachelor throughout most his life. Stamp and Julie Christie were a couple in the late 1960s. It is rumoured that The Kinks song Waterloo Sunset was written about them, although guitarist Dave Davies denies this. On News Year's Eve 2002, Stamp got married. His 29-year-old bride was Elizabeth, whom Stamp first met during the mid-1990s at a pharmacist's in Bondi, Australia. Elizabeth was raised in Singapore, and came to Oz in her early 20s to study pharmacology.

Stamp's current projects include the video game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in which he plays a villain, and the films Zombie Island and These Foolish Things.

Selected Filmography

• These Foolish Things (2005) (post-production)
• Elektra (2005)
• The Haunted Mansion (2003)
• The Kiss (2003)
• My Boss's Daughter (2003)
• Full Frontal (2002)
• Revelation (2001)
• Red Planet (2000)
• Bowfinger (1999)
• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
• The Limey (1999)
• The Hunger (1997) TV
• Bliss (1997)
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
• The Real McCoy (1993)
• Alien Nation (1988)
• Young Guns (1988)
• Wall Street (1987)
• Link (1986)
• Hud (1986)
• The Company of Wolves (1984) (uncredited)
• Superman II (1980)
• Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979)
• Superman (1978)
• The Thief of Baghdad (1978) (TV)
• Striptease (1976)
• Blue (1968)
• Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
• Poor Cow (1967)
• Modesty Blaise (1966)
• The Collector (1965)
• Billy Budd (1962)

External Links

• IMDb page
• Terence Stamp Website

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