Ray Stevenson, ‘Thor’ and ‘Punisher: War Zone’ actor, dead at 58
Irish actor Ray Stevenson died on Sunday, actor Ray Stevenson, who appeared in major TV shows such as Rome, Vikings and Dexter, has died aged 58. He was known for roles in the Thor films and the Divergent series, as well as several UK TV shows like Band of Gold, Peak Practice and Murphy’s Law.
Ray Stevenson, a veteran actor of movies like “Punisher: War Zone,” “Thor,” “RRR” and major TV shows like “Vikings” and a Star Wars spinoff, has died at the age of 58, Fox News Digital can confirm.
A rep for Stevenson confirmed that he died on Sunday. No other details have been shared at this time.
Stevenson had been cast for a role alongside Rosario Dawson in Disney+’s upcoming Star Wars show “Ahsoka,” which is a spinoff from the hit show “The Mandalorian.”
Stevenson was born in 1964 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. After attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and years of working in British television, he made his film debut in Paul Greengrass’ 1998 film “The Theory of Flight.” In 2004, he appeared in Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur” as a knight of the Round Table, and several years later, he played the lead in the Marvel adaptation “Punisher: War Zone.”
The Irish actor rose to fame in the United States with his role as soldier Titus Pullo in the HBO series, “Rome,” from 2005 to 2007. Also on the small screen, Stevenson starred in ABC’s “Reef Break,” which was on-air for one season in 2019.
The year after “Rome” went off the air, Stevenson starred in “Punisher: War Zone.” He returned to the Marvel universe to star as Volstagg in “Thor.”
Ray Stevenson was known for roles in “Thor” and “Punisher: War Zone.” (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
He last portrayed his role as a member of Thor’s friends – known as the Warriors Three – in “Thor: Ragnarok.” The movie debuted in 2017.
His other prominent film roles include the “Divergent” trilogy, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “The Transporter: Refueled.”
More recently, Stevenson portrayed Scott Buxton, the villain in “RRR.” The action Netflix film premiered on the streaming platform in 2022.
“Reef Break” starred Ray Stevenson as Jake Elliot. (Craig Sjodin)
Stevenson was cast in “Cassino on Ischia,” which had only begun production, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was also recently cast, replacing Kevin Spacey, in the upcoming “1242: Gateway to the West.”
In an interview with Backstage in 2020, Stevenson said his acting idols were “the likes of Lee Marvin [and] Gene Hackman.”
Ray Stevenson and Elisabetta Caraccia at the premiere of Disney and Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” in 2017. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“Never a bad performance, and brave and fearless within that caliber,” Stevenson said. “It was never the young, hot leading man; it was men who I could identify with.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Stevenson is survived by his three children: Sebastiano, Leonardo and Lodovico. He shares his children with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia. source