Edgar Wright, Guy Pearce, Gale Anne Hurd, Stephen Elliott Pay Tribute to “Truly Iconic” Terence Stamp: “The Most Mesmerizing Eyes”
A host of Hollywood luminaries took to social media to pay tribute to British acting icon Terence Stamp, who died Sunday at 87.
Stamp was an enduring cultural icon of the Swinging ’60s who first made his name with films like Billy Budd, Far From the Madding Crowd, Poor Cow and Teorema before finding later mainstream success with roles in Superman II, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Big Eyes and Last Night in Soho.
Filmmaker Edgar Wright, who worked with Stamp on his 2021 feature Last Night in Soho, wrote on X, “Terence was kind, funny, and endlessly fascinating. I loved discussing music with him (his brother managed The Who, and he’s name-checked in The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset) or reminiscing about his films, going back to his debut in Billy Budd. He spoke of his last shot in that film, describing a transcendental moment with the camera — a sense of becoming one with the lens. Decades later, while directing him, I witnessed something similar. The closer the camera moved, the more hypnotic his presence became. In close-up, his unblinking gaze locked in so powerfully that the effect was extraordinary. Terence was a true movie star: the camera loved him, and he loved it right back.”
Legendary Hollywood producer Gale Anne Hurd, who worked with Stamp on 1988’s Alien Nation, tweeted, “Terence Stamp was a brilliant actor. I think he and Peter O’Toole not only had the most mesmerizing eyes…but delivered equally indelible performances.”
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Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, who starred with Stamp in Young Guns, wrote on X, “Terribly saddened to hear this. We were all incredibly privileged to have worked with him on Young Guns. He grounded all of us and truly elevated the filming experience. Such class and artistry. What a kind, beautiful, generous man. RIP”
On X, Stamp’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert co-star Guy Pearce wrote, “Fairwell dear Tel. You were a true inspiration, both in & out of heels. We’ll always have Kings Canyon, Kings road & F’ing ABBA. Wishing you well on your way ‘Ralph’! xxxx💕”
Speaking to the Guardian, Priscilla writer-director Stephen Elliott said, “We talked long and hard about why he’d initially said no [to the role]. It was fear. And fair enough — you have got to remember we were coming out of the HIV/Aids mess. It was a taboo subject. I looked at the work that he’d done all the way through, like the Italian years when he worked with Fellini and Pasolini, and thought: this was a man who took chances. And I think he was at absolutely the right moment in his life where he was ready for another chance. Terence admitted he was absolutely terrified to play Bernadette — he was being voted one of the best-looking men on earth and suddenly in Priscilla he was, and this is a direct quote, ‘dressed up as an old dog.’ But he put the pain of what he was going through into the performance, and that’s what made the film.”
Elliott added, “Terence kept to himself. He was an enigma. And then he’d show up, use the eyes and turn everybody to jelly.”
Below is some of the reaction to Stamp’s death and notable entertainment industry people who have shared their thoughts and memories of the actor.
