Superman and Star Wars actor Terence Stamp died aged 87 on August 17, 2025, leaving an illustrious legacy of a lifetime of movies behind him. If you’re asking me, the jewel in his crown is undoubtedly The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (known as the latter name for short), following two drag queens and a transgender woman traveling across the Australian desert in a tour bus to take their cabaret show to a remote town. Over 30 years after its release, it still holds a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 94%, and there’s a good reason why.
As Guy Pearce, Stamp’s co-star in Priscilla Queen of Desert, put it in his X/Twitter tribute following the news: "Farewell dear Tel. You were a true inspiration, both in and out of heels. We’ll always have Kings Canyon, Kings Road and F’ing ABBA. Wishing you well on your way ‘Ralph’!” Stamp indeed changed the game with his character Bernadette, still highly regarded as one of the most positive representations of transgender women in LGBTQ+ cinema.
