Actor, Ray Stevenson, best known for his work in Marvel’s Thor movies, HBO’s Rome, and the upcoming Disney+’s Ahsoka series, has passed away on Sunday. He was 58. Variety reported the news after confirming with his publicist.
No cause of death was available, but he was reportedly hospitalized during filming on the Italian island of Ischia, where he was working on the film Cassino in Ischia.
Born in 1964 in Northern Ireland to a British father and Irish mother, his family moved to England in 1972. While acting was a childhood dream, Stevenson pursued a career in design first before eventually going back to school at the age of 25 to study acting. Stevenson got his start working on British television on shows like Band of Gold and City Central before jumping to the big screen in the 2004 adaptation of King Arthur. He starred alongside the likes of Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Winstone, and Stellan Skarsgard. Stevenson’s rise to fame came in 2005 as part of the cast for HBO’s Rome, playing legionnaire Titus Pullo.
Ray Stevenson starred as Frank Castle in the 2009 Punisher War Zone film. He is probably best known for his role as Vostagg of the Warriors Three in the first three Thor films. Volstagg, along with the rest of the Warriors Three, were quickly dispatched by Hela (Cate Blanchette) in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok Stevenson also appeared in a string of action films in the mid to late 2010s, including G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Three Musketeers, and the Divergent series. Most recently, he appeared in RRR, where he played the villainous governor Scott Buxton.
Ray Stevenson also filmed at least one episode for the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka. Here, he will play Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi, who will be helping Grand Admiral Thrawn. It marks his second role in the Star Wars universe. He also voiced the character Gar Saxton in both Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Our deepest condolences go out to Stevenson’s family, friends, and fans.
