In Memoriam: Terence Stamp

The BBC announced the passing of actor Terence Stamp on Sunday, August 17, 2025. The 87-year-old British star was immediately hailed across American media as "the late star of the 1980s Superman films," or, probably more accurately, "the late co-star of the 1980s Superman films," an understandable choice, as most Americans never heard of him until he starred as General Zod. But Stamp was two decades into his career by the time Superman came along, already a household name in the U.K. for receiving an Academy Award nomination for his first-ever film role, Peter Ustinov's Billy Budd.

Stamp was a fixture of the U.K. tabloid scene of the 1960s, dating both Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton, the latter of whom turned him into one of the most photographed men of the era. Showing how hip and of the moment Stamp was, when she dumped him, he responded by moving to India and studying under the ashram of Krishnamurti.

However, for most Americans, Stamp will forever be the quintessential British villain, against whom most others will be judged. That's unfortunate, considering the incredible body of work the "master of the brooding silence" was known for. Here are ten films to check out and how they're available in the U.S.

Adapted from Louis O. Coxe and Robert H. Chapman's stage play version of Herman Melville's short novel Billy Budd, by Peter Ustinov, a then-unknown Terence Stamp was cast in this 1962 film as the titular Budd. Budd is an innocent, a true believer, who is set up by the evil members of the ship's crew for the crime of being positive. Stamp was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 1963 Oscars and the 1963 BAFTAs for his performance, and won the now-defunct "Best Male Newcomer" category at the Golden Globes.

Billy Budd is available as a streaming rental via Fandango Now.

Stamp's second award win came from his third film, The Collector, where he starred opposite Samantha Eggar as Miranda Grey. Stamp took home the Best Actor Award at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival for his turn as Freddie Clegg, a stalker who is slowly revealed to be a psychopath and then a serial killer in one of the foundational films that spawned a generation of Lifetime movies that You poked fun at.

The Collector is streaming via YouTube Premium.

Ken Loach’s first theatrically released film, 1967’s Poor Cow, is emblematic of what is known as a “kitchen sink” social drama, where disillusioned and disenfranchised characters – traditionally men – lashed out against the prescriptive and limited avenues to success in postwar Britain. Stamp played Dave Fuller, the man Joy (played by Carol White) moves in with after escaping her abusive husband, but their idyll is short-lived when he heads to prison.

Poor Cow is available for streaming rental on Plex.

The original adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, Stamp starred in the 1967 film as Sgt. Frank Troy, the cad whom independent-minded Bathsheba Everdene (Stamp's then-girlfriend, Julie Christie) throws herself at and learns just how low the wrong man can bring her. There have been attempts at recreating the sheer heat from this film, most notably in the 2015 big-screen version. But the original is where it's at.

Far from the Madding Crowd is streaming via Amazon's Prime Video.

While Stamp was taking America by storm in Superman, he was still doing weird one-offs, like the 1984 film The Hit, in which he co-starred with John Hurt and Tim Roth. A British road crime film from director Stephen Frears, Stamp plays Willie Parker, a mafia stooge who has been relocated to Spain to live out his life in relative luxury. His life is upended when he's kidnapped and brought to a professional assassin (Hurt) and his hyper apprentice, Myron (Roth). Roth won "Best Newcomer" from The Evening Standard for his performance, and all three turned the film into a U.K. cult classic that would go on to inspire today's directors, such as Guy Ritchie. 

The Hit is streaming free on Tubi.

Beltenebros, also known as Prince of Shadows, was Stamp's ticket back into the A-list arts crowd after spending the better part of the decade playing British Bad Guys for Box Office Returns. The Spanish crime-thriller mystery film took home the Silver Bear Award at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival with Stamp co-starring with Geraldine James (The Jewel in the Crown). Set two decades after the Spanish Civil War, Stamp portrays an English communist named Darman, who fought in the International Brigades, returning to Spain with the mission to find and kill the mole who betrayed them.

Beltenebros is streaming via YouTube Premium.

Stamp finally broke the mold of playing British villains in American films for the rest of his life with his starring turn as the transgender Bernadette Bassenger in the 1994 Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Co-starring Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce as her two drag queen besties, the three traverse the Australian Outback in a tour bus named Priscilla, having adventures based upon the experiences of real-life trio Cindy Pastel, Strykermyer, and Lady Bump. Stamp was nominated for the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for his performance.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is available to stream for free on Roku.

The Limey brought Stamp under the direction of the great Steven Soderbergh, in a film that once again put him on the awards circuit, including a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Stamp plays Wilson, an English career criminal who travels to the U.S. to investigate the recent suspicious death of his daughter, and winds up in a showdown with an American mafia boss, Terry Valentine, played by Peter Fonda.

The Limey is streaming free on PlutoTV.

Released in the U.S. as Unfinished Song in 2012, the film Song for Marion was Stamp's turn working for director Paul Andrew Williams. The British-German dramedy is an ensemble piece with Stamp sharing the spotlight with Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston, and Vanessa Redgrave. Stamp plays Arthur Harris, the grumpy, terminally ill member of the local seniors' choir, The OAP'Z, who gets left behind when they enter a major competition, but manages to reach them and rally for a triumphant performance.

Song for Marion is streaming free on Tubi.

Stamp remained making offbeat choices until the end. His final on-screen feature film performance came in 2021, in the thriller Last Night in Soho, starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Matt Smith. Stamp plays "The Silver Haired Gentleman," whom Sandie believes is the aged version of the man who killed the reflection in the mirror she keeps exchanging lives with.

Last Night in Soho is streaming on Peacock.