Actor Terence Stamp, who starred as Superman villain, dies aged 87

Terence Stamp, the English actor who played the arch-villain General Zod in the original Superman films, has died at the age of 87.

In a career that spanned six decades, the Oscar-nominated actor starred in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Far From the Madding Crowd and Valkyrie.

Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to Reuters news agency.

"He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and a writer that will continue to touch people for years to come," they said.

Born in Stepney, east London, to working-class parents on 22 July 1938, Stamp attended grammar school before pursuing a career in advertising.

After securing a scholarship for drama school, he shot to fame in the 1960s, making his debut playing the titular role in Billy Budd, a 1962 film about a naive young seaman in the 18th century.

His performance earnt him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe for best newcomer.

He went on to make a name for himself as a villain, with stand-out performances in Superman and Superman II as General Zod, kidnapper Freddie Clegg in The Collector, and Sergeant Troy in Far From the Madding Crowd.

During his heyday in the 1960s, Stamp was known for his good looks, fashion sense and high-profile girlfriends, including actress Julie Christie - who he later starred alongside in Far From the Madding Crowd - and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.

His relationship with Christie only lasted a year but was immortalised by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset with the line "Terry meets Julie", believed to reference the pair.

Stamp with Jean Shrimpton at the British premiere of The Collector in 1965

Stamp was approached to replace Sean Connery when he relinquished his role as James Bond, but said his radical ideas about how he could interpret the character put off producer Harry Saltzman.

"I think my ideas about it put the frighteners on Harry," he said. "I didn't get a second call from him."

He spent some time in Italy, working with directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Federico Fellini, but found his star had faded when he returned to London at the end of the 1960s.

"When the 1960s ended, I think because I'd been so identified with it, I kind of ended as well," he later told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

"I thought if I could be good looking, and I could be successful and I could be famous, everything would be solved. And when it all kind of came to an end, I thought to myself there's been a lot of fun but there hasn't been any real, deep internal satisfaction."

He moved away from acting for a while, buying a round-the-world ticket and ending up in India where he studied yoga and spent time living in a spiritual retreat.

Despite describing the decision as "epic", Stamp admitted he was "distraught".

"I never imagined this would happen," he told Desert Island Discs. "I always thought after six months or so some great part would come up and nothing did."

That opportunity finally arrived in 1976 when he was offered his most high-profile role as General Zod in the first Superman film.

Returning to the silver screen, the following decades saw dozens of appearances in films including Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, A Song for Marion, The Adjustment Bureau and Last Night in Soho.

"My only regrets," he told Desert Island Discs, "are the films that I passed on because I was fearful." Noting Camelot and Romeo and Juliet with Audrey Hepburn, he added that he would "like to have them in my canon".

One of his most celebrated and notable performances came in 1994 when he played a transgender woman in the Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - earning him BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.

Stamp was reportedly onboard to return for a sequel to Priscilla, director Stephan Elliott confirmed last year.

Elliott described the then 85-year-old Stamp as the "fittest man I've ever met in my life" who "has never drunk and basically eats grass".

"It took him a long time to think about it until he got there," he told The Guardian, "but eventually he said to me, 'You know what? You're right. We're not finished yet. The story is untold.'"