"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," the family statement said.

British actor Terence Stamp, who played the arch-villain General Zod in the 'Superman' and 'Superman II' movies, died today aged 87.

His performance as a dashing young sailor hanged for killing one of his crewmates, earned him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best New Actor.