Terence Stamp, the acclaimed British actor perhaps best known to LGBTQ+ audiences for his role as a transgender woman in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, died Sunday at the age of 87.The actors family confirmed his death, but did not specify a cause, The New York Times reported. Related Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sequel confirmed Stamp, who grew up in Londons East End, made his screen debut playing the title role in the 1962 film adaptation of Moby Dick author Herman Melvilles homoerotic novella Billy Budd. That performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Known for his at times unsettling good looks and arresting blue eyes, Stamp went on to star as the mysterious, sexually omnivorous Visitor in legendary Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolinis Teorema (1968) and as queer poet Arthur Rimbaud in the 1971 biopic A Season in Hell.In 1978, he appeared in a cameo in director Richard Donners Superman playing the villainous General Zod opposite Marlon Brando. He returned to the role two years later, facing off against Christopher Reeves Man of Steel in 1980s Superman II. According to out director Stephen Elliott, Stamp was initially hesitant to take on the role of Bernadette, a trans woman who embarks on a road trip across the Australian outback with two fellow drag performers played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce in Priscilla.The honest truth is, he turned it down at first. But out of nowhere, his agent said to him, Well, youre bored. Youve just done superhero movies. Why dont you do something else? Elliott explained in a remembrance published by The Guardian on Sunday. We talked long and hard about why hed initially said no. 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 hed 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, Elliott added.As Elliott noted, Stamp admitted that his reluctance came from a place of fear.A woman friend of mine just happened to be present when I was getting calls from my agent about the script, and she pointed out to me in a very incisive way that my fear was out of all proportion to the possible consequences, the actor recalled in a 2013 interview with the British Film Institute. Elliott recalled Stamp initially avoiding mirrors and declining to see footage of his performance while filming Priscilla.It wasnt a fun thing, or anything I was looking forward to, Stamp said in 2013. It was, F**k me, this is the last thing in the world I want to do: be in f**king Australia with paparazzi. It was like a nightmare. But it was only when I got there, and got through the fear, that it became one of the great experiences of my whole career. It was probably the most fun thing Ive ever done.Stamps performance as Bernadette earned him a BAFTA and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and Priscilla has gone on to become a cult classic. According to Elliott, in the decades that followed the films release, Stamp occasionally grew frustrated that people were still asking him about his role in Priscilla. But as recently as 2019, Stamp continued to reflect thoughtfully about what it was like to play a transgender woman.I was essentially different from Hugo and Guy; they were playing dressing up queens and I wasnt. [My role] was more about what I felt emotionally, he told Reuters at a 2019 screening of the film at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival. I had to think about what it would be like to be born into the wrong body and born into a body that wasnt the same as ones emotions.Stamp also told the outlet that continuing to have LGBTQ+ fans tell him how much Priscilla meant to them brought light into my life.I cant think of anything thats more attractive than light, he added.Following news of Stamps passing, Priscilla co-star Pearce posted a tribute to the actor on X.You were a true inspiration, both in & out of heels, Pearce wrote. Well always have Kings Canyon, Kings road & Fing ABBA. Fairwell dear Tel. You were a true inspiration, both in & out of heels. Well always have Kings Canyon, Kings road & Fing ABBA. Wishing you well on your way Ralph! xxxx Guy Pearce (@TheGuyPearce) August 17, 2025Last year, Elliott confirmed that a Priscilla sequel was in the works with Stamp, Weaving, and Pearce all on board. On that front, the director said in his Guardian remembrance, lets just say [Stamp] agreed to do the sequel a few years ago and weve been particularly busy over the past year, adding that the late actor was a wonderful man and hes not done yet.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.