Ray Stevenson was an actor from Northern Ireland who starred in movies and TV shows including “Rome,” “Punisher: War Zone,” “Thor,” and many more.
- Died: May 21, 2023 (Who else died on May 21?)
- Details of death: Died in Italy at the age of 58.
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Ray Stevenson’s legacy
Stevenson portrayed characters in the worlds of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and “Star Wars,” as well as in the “Divergent” and “G.I. Joe” franchises. Yet one of his best known characters was seen on TV, not on the big screen: From 2005 to 2007, Stevenson played Roman soldier Titus Pullo on the HBO series “Rome.” After his success in the historical drama, Stevenson took on his first of two Marvel roles, playing Frank Castle/Punisher in “Punisher: War Zone.” His next Marvel role came in “Thor,” when he played Volstagg, one of Thor’s Warriors Three. Stevenson would return for the “Thor” sequels “The Dark World” and “Ragnarok.”
In 2013, Stevenson joined the “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” cast as mercenary Firefly; the following year, he appeared in the first of three “Divergent” films as faction leader Marcus Eaton. He had roles in three 2022 films: “RRR,” “Memory,” and “Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday.” Stevenson’s other movies include “King Arthur,” “Kill the Irishman,” and “The Three Musketeers.”
After his early TV fame on “Rome,” Stevenson also continued to work regularly on the small screen. In season seven of “Dexter,” he played Koshka Brotherhood member Isaak Sirko. He starred as Blackbeard in “Black Sails” and portrayed Ohthere of Hålogaland in “Vikings.” Stevenson voiced Gar Saxon in two episodes of “Star Wars Rebels” and another two of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” then returned to the world of “Star Wars” to star as Baylan Skoll in the upcoming “Ahsoka.” Stevenson also appeared in British TV shows such as “Band of Gold,” “City Central,” and “At Home with the Brathwaites.”
Stevenson on playing warriors in epic films
“I guess I’m an old warrior at heart. I love humanizing these characters and fleshing them out. I don’t play them as historical characters. I play them as contemporaries in their own times. I delight in bringing that into existence.” —from an interview for the Action Elite
Tributes to Ray Stevenson
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
