"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," his family said in a statement to Reuters.

Actor Terence Stamp, who played the arch-villain General Zod in the Hollywood hits 'Superman' and 'Superman II', died this morning aged 87, his family have revealed.

Stamp’s six decades in the business were peppered with highlights, including his touching portrayal of the transsexual Bernadette in 1994's The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.