We are saddened to relate news of the death of Terence Stamp, the legendary actor who brought General Zod to life in Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II (1980). His unique voice, commanding presence and iconic performance made General Zod one of the most memorable villains in superhero cinema history. He passed away on August 17, 2025. He was 87 at the time of his passing.

Terence was born in London and spent his early years watching American films and dreamed of being like the stars on the screen, He was awarded a scholarship for the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art. In his second year, during an audition, Peter Ustinov signed him for the title role in Billy Budd (1962). This was not only his remarkable film debut but his performance earned him his first and only Oscar nomination too in 1962 and marked the start of his international stardom.

He consolidated his career by working with some of the top directors such as William Wyler (The Collector (1965)), Joseph Losey (Modesty Blaise (1966)), John Schlesinger (Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)), Ken Loach (Poor Cow (1967)) and Pier Paolo Pasolini (Teorema (1968)).

He then took a break from films and traveled around the world returning to cinema in a variety of films including, among others, Superman (1978), Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Superman II (1980), The Hit (1984) (for which he was awarded the Grand Medaille de Vermeil in Paris), Legal Eagles (1986), The Sicilian (1987), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Alien Nation (1988), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Valkyrie (2008) and Unfinished Song (2012). He has also published the first two instalments of his autobiography, Stamp Album, which became a best seller.

Terence Stamp’s contribution to the Superman myth cannot be overstated. His commanding screen presence comes to a sharp focus in a line he immortalized:

“Kneel before Zod.”

Thank you, Terence. For everything.