"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.

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.

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.