Terence Stamp: from arthouse icon to Superman villain

Whether starring as a road- tripping transgender woman in “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” an intergalactic supervillain in “Superman” or a mysterious beauty in “Theorem,” Terence Stamp, who died yesterday at 87, captivated audiences in experimental films and Hollywood blockbusters alike.

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His bold, decades-long career swung between big productions like Michael Cimino’s “The Sicilian” to independent films such as Stephen Frears’ “The Hit” or Steven Soderbergh’s “The Limey.”

An emblem of London’s “Swinging Sixties,” he showed off a magnetic screen presence from his earliest roles, immediately gaining awards and fans. He made his breakthrough in 1962 playing an angelic sailor hanged for killing one of his crewmates in Peter Ustinov’s “Billy Budd,” earning an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.

He would also win best male actor at Cannes in 1965 for “The Collector,” a twisted love story based on a John Fowles novel.