Farewell to 'iconic' movie star Terry

Fulsome tributes have been paid to the British actor following his death at the age of 87. Hannah Roberts and Ellie Crabbe report

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VETERAN British actor Terence Stamp, who starred in the original Superman films, has been remembered as "iconic" and a "true movie star".

The Academy Award-nominated actor, who played Kryptonian villain General Zod in Superman and Superman II, died on Sunday aged 87.

Filmmaker Edgar Wright, who directed Last Night In Soho - the last movie Stamp featured in, paid tribute to the actor in a lengthy social media post.

He said: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Terence Stamp, a British actor who was truly iconic. An East Ender that rose to such fame in Swinging Sixties London, he could rightly be called its epicentre.

"Terence's career spanned seven decades and never stopped surprising. I was fortunate to work with him on what became his final screen role in Last Night in Soho.

"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 closeup, 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.

"If I have a regret, it's that he had to endure a few night shoots - tough for an older actor. Yet this gave rise to an anecdote that lives on in Soho. In one scene, his character exits The Toucan pub via the basement stairs.