Stamp was born in 1939 and lived, in Canal Road, Bow, until German bombers forced his family to move to Plaistow. An icon of the 60s, he dated the likes of Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Shrimpton. After an extremely successful early career, starring in Modesty Blaise, Poor Cow and Far from the Madding Crowd, Stamp withdrew from mainstream films after his girlfriend, supermodel Jean Shrimpton, left him, and he and went on a 10-year sabbatical in India. He returned home in the late 70s to star as the evil General Zod in Superman II, and in 1984 delivered what many consider his finest performance as the supergrass in Stepen Frears' The Hit. A few minor but colourful roles, topped by his performance as the drag artist, Bernadette, in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, have put Stamp back in the British conscious. His role of vengeful gangster in The Limey was created especially for him by its director.


Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#59). [1995] A publicity shot from The Collector (1965) showing Stamp holding a chloroform pad was used for the cover of The Smiths single "What Difference Does It Make." After some copies were printed, Stamp decided he didn't want his photo to be used, and the rest of the copies appeared with Steven Patrick Morrissey in the exact same pose, looking very much like him but holding a glass of milk instead. Later, Stamp relented and his photo was reinstated on the 12-inch single cover. The off-screen romance of Stamp and Julie Christie while they were filming Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) inspired The Kinks' hit, "Waterloo Sunset" - hence the line "Terry met Julie". Trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, whose alumni include Hugh Bonneville, Julia Ormond, Rupert Friend, Angela Lansbury, Matthew Goode, Sue Johnston, Minnie Driver and Julian Fellowes. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film Elektra (2005). However, he failed to receive a nomination.