Terence Stamp. It all begins with a childhood dream

It was a zigzag: he started as an actor, then (almost) a sex teacher, and finally, he returned to the cameras with a vengeance. Iconic British actor Terence Stamp, known worldwide for playing the villain General Zod in the Superman saga, died on Sunday. He was 87 years old. "He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, which will continue to move and inspire people for many years to come," his family said in a statement sent to Reuters, without mentioning the cause of death. "We ask for privacy at this sad time."

Terence Henry Stamp was born on July 22, 1938, in London, United Kingdom, and grew up during the Second World War. He was the eldest of five children born to Ethel and Thomas Stamp, a stoker on tugboats in the Merchant Navy, and grew up in the humble family. His early years were spent in the capital's East End, but the intensification of the war and the accompanying bombings forced the family to move to Plaistow.

He did well in his studies, but decided to leave high school to work at various advertising agencies and save some money, at a time when the economy was shaky.

But the dream, that childhood dream of becoming an actor, was never extinguished or dormant. On the contrary: he applied for and won a scholarship to the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington, London.

The news came as a surprise to the entire family. "I couldn't tell anyone I wanted to be an actor, because that was out of the question. They would have laughed at me," he later explained in an interview cited by Reuters.

First steps

Terence Stamp began his career as an assistant stage manager and then as an actor with a company in Devon. In 1960, he made his Arts Theatre debut in the play A Trip to the Castle and toured in The Long, the Short, and the Tall.

But his breakthrough came when he was chosen by Peter Ustinov to star in The Law of the Sea, where he played the young and handsome sailor Billy Budd. For the director, it was a long shot, as the young actor was chosen more for his handsome face than his experience. But he was spot on, as the role earned Stamp an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His peak came in the 1960s, when the British actor solidified his career as a movie star. He appeared in films such as Modesty Blaise (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Extraordinary Stories (1968), and Poor Cow (1967).

A spiritual retreat

Living in Rome, Italy, Terence Stamp continued to do some film work, but a major tangent was about to arrive. He was cast as the poet Arthur Rimbaud in Nelo Risi's A Season in Hell (1971), but by the time the film was released, the actor was already in India, having met spiritual guide Jiddu Krishnamurti and ended his relationship with model Jean Shrimpton. "That's what made me withdraw into myself," he said, according to The Guardian. "If I'd been a bit more foolish, I would have gone after the next supermodel."

It was during his stay in India that Stamp disconnected from the world of theater, beginning training as a tantric sex instructor, an ancient Hindu tradition. His spiritual retreat, however, was interrupted in 1977 by a single phone call from his agent, which changed his life once again: there was an idea for a Superman film, and Stamp was being considered for a role. "The next day I caught a flight," the actor later said.

His portrayal of General Zod, both in Superman (1978) and later in Superman II (1980), reestablished his reputation as an actor worldwide, and pop culture bowed to his dedication. From then on, he was on a roll: in 1987, he appeared in Wall Street alongside Michael Douglas, and, fast-forward to 1994, he played a drag queen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He also became part of the Star Wars galactic family with a role in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Once again in the spirit of General Zod, he even appeared on the series Smallville.