Terence Stamp - Early Life

Early Life

Stamp, the eldest of five children, was born in Stepney, London in 1938, the son of Ethel Esther (née Perrott) and Thomas Stamp, who was a tugboat captain. His early years were spent in Canal Road, Bow, in the East End of London, but later in his childhood the family moved to Plaistow, West Ham, London. His brother, Chris, was a rock 'n roll impresario credited with helping to bring the Who to prominence during the 1960s. As his father was away for long periods with his job in the Merchant Navy, the young Stamp was mostly brought up by his mother, grandmother and aunts. He grew up idolising the film actor Gary Cooper after his mother had taken him to see Beau Geste at the age of three. He was also inspired by the 1950s avant-garde method actor James Dean.

On leaving school Stamp worked in a variety of advertising agencies in London, working his way up to a very respectable wage. In the mid-1950s he also worked for a time as an assistant to professional golfer Reg Knight at Wanstead Golf Club in East London. He describes this period of his life very positively in his autobiography (Stamp, 1987). Deep down, he wanted to be an actor - a realisation that came when Stamp found he no longer had to serve two years' national service after being rejected for once having had treatment for his feet.