Stamp was born in Stepney, London, England, the eldest of five children by parents Tom and Ethel Stamp. His brother, Chris Stamp, is a rock 'n roll impresario credited with bringing The Who to prominence during the 1960s. Because his father was away for long periods with his job in the Merchant Navy, young Terence was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. He grew up wanting to be the film actor Gary Cooper after his mother had taken him to see Beau Geste at the age of three. He identified with the possibility of becoming an actor when he saw James Dean on the screen as someone he could relate to. His motion picture debut was in Peter Ustinov's 1962 film adaptation of Herman Melville's Billy Budd. Stamp's portrayal of the title character brought him not only an Academy Award nomination, but also international attention. Stamp's pale blue eyes and haunting good looks made him a popular leading man, but it was his outstanding acting that got him noticed by some of the most acclaimed directors of the time.
After his success in Billy Budd, Stamp collaborated with some of the cinema's most revered filmmakers. Stamp starred in William Wyler's adaptation of John Fowles' The Collector (1965), opposite Samantha Eggar, and in Modesty Blaise (1966), for director Joseph Losey and producer Joe Janni. Stamp reteamed with producer Janni for two more projects: John Schlesinger's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) starring Julie Christie, and Ken Loach's first feature film Poor Cow (1967).
Stamp then journeyed to Italy to star in Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit, a 50-minute portion of the Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation(s) Histoires extraordinaires (1968, aka Spirits of the Dead). Stamp made Italy his home for several years, during which time his film work included Pier Palo Pasolini's Teorema (1968) opposite Silvana Mangano, and Stagione all'inferno, Una (1970). Terence Stamp was considered for the title role of Alfie but turned it down.
His subsequent film credits included Alan Cooke's The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970), Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie (1978) and Richard Lester's Superman II (1980) (as Kryptonian super-villain General Zod), Peter Brook's Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Stephen Frears' The Hit (1984). Also in 1984, he had the opportunity to play the Devil in a quick cameo in The Company of Wolves. He also starred in Richard Franklin's Link (1986), Ivan Reitman's Legal Eagles (1986), Michael Cimino's The Sicilian (1987), and Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987). The film Beltenebros (1992, aka Prince of Shadows), in which the actor starred for director Pilar Miro, was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Stamp began his fourth decade as an actor wearing some of the choicest of Lizzy Gardiner's Academy Award-winning costumes for the comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) for director Stefan Elliot and starring with Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving.
In 1999, it was Stamp's lead role in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey, which debuted that year to widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, that once again made him popular to a whole new generation of moviegoers. For his performance, Stamp received nominations for Best Male Lead at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards, and for Best British Actor at the London Film Critic Circle (ALFS) Awards. Stamp can also be seen in George Lucas's global blockbuster Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) as Chancellor Finis Valorum; Frank Oz's Bowfinger (1999) opposite Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy; and Red Planet (2000) opposite Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore.
In recent years, Stamp has completed the features Ma femme est une actrice (2001, aka My Wife Is An Actress) for Timothy Burrill Productions; My Boss's Daughter (2003) opposite Ashton Kutcher; Disney's The Haunted Mansion (2003), opposite Eddie Murphy, playing the diabolical butler 'Ramsley'; and Elektra (2005), opposite Jennifer Garner, playing "Stick", Elektra's blind master. Having played Superman's enemy General Zod, Stamp returned to the Superman mythos in a different role, this time as the voice of Clark Kent's disembodied but powerful, insistent and controlling Kryptonian father, Jor-El in the WBCW television series Smallville (2003-present). In a season six premiere, Stamp later lent his likeness to play the spirit of Zod, his original Superman role. Stamp has also made a guest appearance on the popular animated series, South Park.
In addition to his acting career, Stamp is an accomplished writer and author. He has published three volumes of his memoirs, including Stamp Album (written in tribute to his late mother), a novel entitled The Night, and a cookbook co-written with Elizabeth Buxton to provide alternative recipes for those who are wheat and dairy-intolerant.
Stamp's current projects include the video game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in which he plays the villainous Mankar Camoran, head preacher of the Mythic Dawn, an evil cult that worships the Daedra Lord Mehrunes Dagon; and the films Zombie Island and These Foolish Things. Stamp appeared in the music video At the Bottom of Everything by musical phenom Bright Eyes.
I went to see this at the cinema and to be honest it was mainly because i fancy James McAvoy like mad and i like it that he is becoming very famous now.
What i did not expect was to go and see such a powerful film which made me think so much about the ughandan dictator that i wanted to go and do some research on what he was like in real life.
I think Forest truly deserved his best actor oscar and i think this film can be enjoyed by everybody. Plus my man James puts in a truly amazing performance. I would recommend this film to most people who like something a bit deep
Forest Whitaker stars in this blistering thriller about Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Charisma. Ruthlessness. Madness. Forest Whitaker's chilling, charismatic take on Uganda's General Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland stands up there with the great depictions of unhinged dictators like Antony Hopkins' Hitler in The Bunker or Christian Clavier in the 'Napolean' mini-series. It's a powerhouse performance from a lazy-eyed, rotund actor normally relegated to playing cuddly roles. Capturing the central conundrum of Amin - his enticing charm and genocidal violence - Whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has Oscar-winner stamped all over it.
He bounds onto the screen like a grizzly bear on Prozac, a bundle of capricious energy who seduces and amuses us. Then the killing starts. The Scotland-loving dictator slowly reveals his true nature as a power-crazed king who feeds his victims to crocodiles, operates in a demented paranoid fantasy world and eventually murders 300,000 of his own countrymen. It's a terrifying portrait of evil incarnate.
Whitaker's performance alone would be enough to recommend The Last King Of Scotland as an early contender for one of the films of 2007. But there is more. Director Kevin MacDonald (better known for his terrific documentaries Touching The Void and One Day In September) has crafted a first-rate thriller from Giles Foden's best-selling novel, a movie that has much to say about the morality of international politics while never being anything less than breathlessly gripping entertainment.
I too got seriously interested in Irish History after England v Ireland at Croke Park, 2007, scene of the original Bloody Sunday in 1920. My Great Grandfather was there and was also Michael Collins intelligence officer. There are few left in my family who have any history to pass down, so I loved this because it was the life my Great Grandfather lived and provides clever comment on a time when pride, courage and political beliefs led many down a very dark path.
