Terence Stamp, the British actor whose piercing blue-eyed intensity made him a defining figure of Swinging London and an enduring screen villain, has died at the age of 87. His family said he passed away on Sunday; no cause of death was given. Stamp burst onto the scene with an Academy Award nomination for his debut film “Billy Budd” (1962) and won the Cannes best-actor prize three years later for “The Collector.” He went on to appear in landmark 1960s titles such as “Far From the Madding Crowd,” becoming one of the era’s most recognisable faces. International audiences later knew him best as the Kryptonian rebel General Zod in “Superman” (1978) and its 1980 sequel opposite Christopher Reeve. His eclectic six-decade career ranged from the cult favourite “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” to roles in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” Steven Soderbergh’s “The Limey” and the 2021 thriller “Last Night in Soho.” Born on 22 July 1938 in London’s East End, Stamp rose from modest beginnings, studied acting on scholarship and published a series of memoirs that reflected on his life and craft. He leaves behind a body of work that spans stage, screen and print.