Ray Stevenson, a versatile actor known for genre fare such as Punisher: War Zone, the Thor movies, HBO’s Rome and much, much more, has died. He was 58.
Born George Raymond Stevenson on May 25, 1964, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, he harbored acting ambitions from an early age. He enrolled at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, from where he eventually obtained his graduate degree.
From there, he kicked off a career in British and European TV, starting with 1993’s A Woman’s Guide To Adultery, in which he had a small role as a journalist. He racked up credits in a number of TV series well known to audiences, including Peak Practice, Holby City and The Bill.
But on the small screen, his true big break was HBO’s Rome, in which he played the cheery, violent Titus Pollo. It raised his profile, and he began to score bigger parts both on TV and the big screen.
His TV work in the States also includes Black Sails, Dexter and voicing the character of Gar Saxon in both Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He’ll be back on our screens in that galaxy far, far away for Star Wars: Ahsoka, in which he plays a different character, the villainous Baylan Skoll.
On the film front, he made his debut in 1998’s The Theory Of Flight opposite Helena Bonham Carter and would go on to make scene-stealing supporting appearances in a number of movies including King Arthur, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, The Book Of Eli, The Other Guys, the Divergent franchise and, more recently, as the scowling, cruel Governor Scott Buxton in RRR.
Two roles, though, truly mark his cinematic CV: he played the jubilant Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three who stand with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in the first two movies featuring the Marvel hero (his character is unceremoniously killed in Thor: Ragnarok).
And in a rare leading performance, he was chosen by director Lexi Alexander as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone, an underrated adaptation of the Marvel comic book character.
Alexander was among those quick to pay tribute to the actor.
Though he was sometimes seen as tough, brutal villains on screen, Stevenson is remembered as a warm, kind person by colleagues and those who met him. His passion for his work was infectious and he managed to find the human heart beating in the most nefarious character. Other roles, such as Pollo, let him showcase his natural charm.
Stevenson had been at work on Italian movie Cassino In Ischia when he died; that film as well as 1242: Gateway To The West will join Ahsoka as his final projects. He'll be sadly missed.