Ray Stevenson

George Raymond Stevenson (25 May 196421 May 2023) was a Northern Ireland-born actor, best known for his film and television work. He had a starring role as legionary Titus Pullo on the BBC/HBO television series ''Rome'' (2005–2007), and portrayed two Marvel Comics characters: Frank Castle / The Punisher in '' Punisher: War Zone'' (2008) and ''The Super Hero Squad Show'', and Volstagg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011–2017).

His other notable film roles included Dagonet in ''King Arthur'' (2004), mobster Danny Greene in ''Kill the Irishman'' (2011), Porthos in ''The Three Musketeers'' (also 2011), and the villainous Governor-General Scott Buxton in '' RRR'' (2022). His television roles include Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of ''Dexter'' (2012), for which he received a Saturn Award nomination; Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of '' Black Sails'' (2016–2017), voicing Gar Saxon in ''Star Wars Rebels'' (2016–2017) and '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2020), Othere in 11 episodes of ''Vikings'' (2020), and portraying Baylan Skoll in '' Ahsoka'' (2023).

Stevenson was married to English actress Ruth Gemmell for eight years, and had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.

Early life

George Raymond Stevenson was born in Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on 25 May 1964, the second of three sons born to a British father and an Irish mother. His father was a Royal Air Force pilot. He moved to England with his family at the age of eight, first settling in the Lemington area of Newcastle upon Tyne and later in Seaton Delaval. He attended Bath Lane College (Newcastle upon Tyne) on a design course, then the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.

Career

Film

Stevenson made his film debut in '' The Theory of Flight'' (1998) as a gigolo hired to help Helena Bonham Carter's character lose her virginity. In 2002, he starred in the short film ''No Man's Land'', which was the antipodal picture from actor/director Edward Hicks prior to his graduation from the London Film School. In the 12-minute film, set during World War I, Stevenson portrayed an experienced private who is forced to help a novice officer ( David Birkin) back to safety after they both find themselves trapped and isolated in " No Man's Land" during the Battle of Ypres. In 2004, he starred in ''King Arthur'' as Dagonet, a knight of the round table who sacrifices his life for his comrades. His first leading role in a film was in the Scottish horror picture '' Outpost'' (2008), portraying a mercenary pitted against Nazi zombies in a bunker somewhere in Eastern Europe. That same year, he also starred in '' Punisher: War Zone'', as Frank Castle / The Punisher, a former United States Marine turned vigilante after the murder of his family. In 2010, he played an antagonist in the comedy ''The Other Guys''.

In 2011, Stevenson appeared in the film ''Kill the Irishman'', based on the book ''To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia'', as Danny Greene, the Irish mob boss who took on the Italian-American Cleveland crime family during the 1970s. He starred as Volstagg, one of Thor's trusted comrades, in the 2011 Marvel film ''Thor''. Also that year, he played Porthos in Paul W. S. Anderson's adaptation of ''The Three Musketeers''. He played Firefly in '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', released in 2013. He appeared in the Finnish-American thriller film '' Big Game''. In 2014, he starred in the film '' Divergent'', based on the first book of ''The Divergent Series''. He reprised his role in the sequels, '' The Divergent Series: Insurgent'', released in March 2015, and '' The Divergent Series: Allegiant'', released in March 2016.

In 2019, Stevenson was announced as a lead antagonist in the Telugu film '' RRR'', directed by S. S. Rajamouli and released in 2022. This marked his debut in Indian cinema.

Television

Stevenson played legionary Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series ''Rome''. His other television work included guest appearances in '' Waking the Dead'', ''Murphy's Law'' and lead roles in ''City Central'' and '' At Home with the Braithwaites''. He also appeared in TV films, including '' Some Kind of Life'' in 1995, and ''The Return of the Native''. Some of his earliest parts were in two Catherine Cookson films: ''The Dwelling Place'' (1994) and ''The Tide of Life'' (1996). Stevenson reprised his role as the Punisher as a voice actor in ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' and played the role of Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of ''Dexter'' in 2012.

On 24 March 2015, it was announced by producers that Stevenson would be joining the cast of the Starz series '' Black Sails'' as the character Edward Teach.

Stevenson also appeared in Season 6 of the series Vikings as Othere, which ran from 2013 to 2020. He also appeared in Season 3 of the series ''Das Boot'' as Commander Jack Swinburne in 2022.

At ''Star Wars'' Celebration 2023, Stevenson was announced as playing the Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll in '' Ahsoka'', a miniseries debuting on Disney+. After the series' debut following Stevenson's death, Stevenson's Skoll quickly became a fan favorite. In an interview on Stevenson's part, showrunner Dave Filoni noted that when he was told to play Skoll as a villain, " tevensonwas like, 'I don't think so.' I'm like, 'Okay, I appreciate that you don't think so, and Baylan wouldn't think he's the villain, but you are a villain in this.' And he's like, 'We'll see.' It was kind of perfect." Stevenson also offered input on the design of his character's lightsaber hilt.

Stevenson's performance in ''Ahsoka'' also received considerable praise from critics. '' Metro'' described his work as "one of the highlights of the entire ''Star Wars'' series", while ''Collider'' described Stevenson as having "an inescapable gravitas" and that he "gave a masterclass in character building".

After Stevenson's death, Rory McCann took over the role for the second season.

Stage

Stevenson's stage work included playing the part of Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays in 2000 at York Minster. In 2001, he took the part of Roger in the play ''Mouth to Mouth'' by Kevin Elyot, at the Albery Theatre in London with Lindsay Duncan and Michael Maloney. His best-known part was perhaps that of the Cardinal in ''The Duchess of Malfi'' by John Webster with Janet McTeer at the Royal National Theatre in 2003.

Personal life

In 1997, Stevenson married English actress Ruth Gemmell in London; they had met on the set of '' Band of Gold'' (1995), and later played a married couple in ''Peak Practice'' (1997). They divorced in 2005 after eight years of marriage.

Stevenson had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.

Death

Stevenson died on 21 May 2023, at age 58, four days before his 59th birthday. He was reportedly hospitalised while on set filming ''Cassino in Ischia'' on the Italian island of Ischia. Stevenson's co-stars, including Rosario Dawson, Scott Adkins, and James Purefoy, paid tribute. Stevenson's role in ''Cassino in Ischia'' was taken over by Dominic Purcell.

The first episode of ''Ahsoka'', released on 22 August 2023, just over three months after Stevenson's death, includes a dedication to him: "For our friend, Ray". Ivanna Sakhno, who played Shin Hati, Stevenson's on-screen apprentice in ''Ahsoka'', wrote in commemoration that she would be "forever his Wolf", in tribute to their characters being named after the two wargs who pursued the moon and sun in Norse mythology. Stevenson was succeeded in the role of Skoll by Rory McCann in ''Ahsoka'''s second season. McCann was a good friend of Stevenson.

The film '' Canary Black'' (2024), which features Stevenson, is also dedicated to him.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* No Longer Active
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Ray
1964 births
2023 deaths
Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
British people of Irish descent
British male film actors
People from Cramlington
Male actors from Northumberland
Actors from Lisburn
20th-century British male actors
21st-century British male actors
20th-century male actors from Northern Ireland
21st-century male actors from Northern Ireland
Male stage actors from Northern Ireland
Male film actors from Northern Ireland
Male television actors from Northern Ireland