Celebrated actor Terence Stamp, who played Zod in the iconic Christopher Reeve Superman movies decades before taking the role of the voice Superman’s Kryptonian father, Jor-El, on Smallville, has passed away. He was 87 years old.
“He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come,” Stamp’s family said in a statement. “We ask for privacy at this sad time.”
First heard on Smallville in Season 2, the looming presence of Jor-El was often random but always delivered with extreme authority thanks to Stamp’s unique vocals. It added gravitas to a role that for the most part was only heard and not seen. According to IMDb, Stamp’s voice could be heard in 23 episodes of Smallville’s 218-episode run.
Of course, Super-things were only a small part of Stamp’s long career. The 1990s film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was iconic in its LGBTQ+ depictions; he also dipped into another genre franchise with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace where he played Chancellor Valorum.
His work will always be enjoyed and he will surely be missed.