Oscar Profile #510: Terence Stamp

Born July 22, 1938 in London, England, Terence Stamp was the eldest of five children of Ethel and Thomas Stamp, a tugboat stoker. With his father away for long periods of time with the Merchant Navy, he was raised mostly by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. His family endured heavy bombing during the World War II Blitz, forcing them to move from the canal area of London to higher ground. He worked for several advertising agencies before winning a scholarship to the Webber Academy of Dramatic Art in the mid-1950s.

Stamp befriended fellow actor Michael Caine during a touring production of The Long and the Short and the Tall, and invited him to share a house with him in London. Their circle of friends included fellow rising star Peter O’Toole. Both Stamp and O’Toole became major stars in the 1962 films, Billy Budd and Lawrence of Arabia, Stamp for the former, O’Toole for the latter. Both were nominated for Oscars for their performances. Caine later received his first Oscar nomination for Alfie, a role Stamp turned down, recommending his then still roommate for the role.

The actor had a second high-profile role in 1965’s The Collector for which he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed that with 1967’s Poor Cow and Far from the Madding Crowd.

Stamp was famous for his off-screen romances with the likes of Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot, and supermodel Jean Shrimpton in the mid-1960s. He and Shrimpton were the most photographed couple of Mod London. After breaking up with Shrimpton, he moved to India, with side trips to Italy for such Italian-made films as 1968’s Spirits of the Dead 1969’s Teorema, but was mostly forgotten until his comeback as General Zod in 1978’s Superman and 1981’s Superman II.

A character actor now, Stamp shared several awards with co-stars John Hurt and Tim Roth for 1984’s The Hit but his next role of distinction came ten years later with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert for which he was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Actor.

Stamp won the 1999 Best Actor – Drama Satellite award for his performance in 1999’s The Limey. He was discovered by a whole new generation with his portrayal of Supreme Chancellor Valorum in 2001’s Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. He married for the first time in 2002, at the age of 64. His wife was 29-year-old Elizabeth O’Rourke. The marriage ended in divorce in 2008.

Since then, Stamp has been seen to advantage in 2008’s Valkyrie, 2011’s The Adjustment Bureau, 2013’s Song for Marion AKA Unfinished Song, 2014’s Big Eyes, 2016’s Miss Peregine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and 2017’s Crooked House.

His latest film, Last Night in Soho, which takes place in the swinging London of the 1960s, is scheduled for release in 2021. The cast includes fellow 60s icons Diana Rigg and Rita Tushingham.

Terence Stamp is still going strong at 82.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

BILLY BUDD (1962), directed by Peter Ustinov

Stamp became an overnight sensation, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in this, his first film, as Herman Melville’s kindly, naïve, sailor whose goodness incenses sadistic master-at-arms Robert Ryan on a British Royal Navy vessel during the Napoleonic wars. When Ryan’s Claggart is murdered, Stamp’s Billly Budd is tried and found guilty. Ustinov wrote the screenplay, based on a previous stage version, as well as directed and co-starred as the ship’s captain. Melvyn Douglas led the strong supporting cast in his first film role in 11 years. He would win his first of two Oscars for Hud the following year.

THE COLLECTOR (1965), directed by William Wyler

Based on John Fowles’ bestselling novel, Stamp had another showcase role as the disturbed butterfly collector who kidnaps a young woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there. Stamp and Samantha Eggar both won acting awards at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival. Eggar was nominated for an Oscar for her performance and director Wilder, already a three-time Oscar-winning director, received his 12th and final Oscar nomination for Best Director. Stamp’s career went into a severe downfall from 1968-1978 when he re-emerged as villain General Zod in Richard Donner’s Superman.

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994), directed by Stephan Elliott

Stamp had another career resurgence with his portrayal of a transgender woman traversing the Australian outback with two drag queens (Guy Pearce, Hugh Weaving). According to the actor, he had gotten into character by imagining himself as a beautiful woman, but the director told the makeup man to make him look as bad as possible. Not one to watch his dailies, Stamp had no idea how he looked until he attended the film’s premiere to his great shock. The result was a slew of acting honors including Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for the actor. The film won an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

THE LIMEY (1999), directed by Steven Soderbergh

Stamp won the Best Actor-Drama Satellite award for his portrayal of an ex-convict, an extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter’s death. The film was nominated for five Independent Spirit awards including Best Feature, Director and Actor (Stamp). Soderbergh would go on to earn Oscar nominations for his direction of both Erin Brockovich and Traffic, winning for the latter. The film’s cast included Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman, Barry Newman, Joe Dallesandro, Nicky Katt, Peter Fonda, and Melissa George.

UNFINISHED SONG (2013), directed by Paul Andrew Williams

Stamp has said that one of the great regrets of his life was turning down the role of King Arthur in the 1967 film version of Camelot because he thought his singing voice would be dubbed. Nearly fifty years later, he got the chance to play another character named Arthur who sings opposite Camelot’s Vanessa Redgrave, who like Stamp, also got to sing in her voice. The result was another awards grabber for both stars. Stamp was nominated for Best Actor and Redgrave for Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Film Awards. The film was also cited by the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.