Ray Stevenson, the Irish actor who appeared in films such as “Punisher: War Zone,” “King Arthur,” the “Thor” movie, and programmes such as HBO’s “Rome” and the impending “Ahsoka” series, died on Sunday in Italy, according to his publicist. He was 58.
There was no information about the cause of death.
Stevenson, who was born on May 25, 1964 in Northern Ireland, started his career on TV series in the 1990s before winning action parts in Hollywood blockbusters in the 2000s. His breakthrough performance came in Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 adventure picture “King Arthur,” in which he portrayed Dagonet, one of the Knights of the Round Table. In the film, his character gives his life in combat to aid Arthur (Clive Owen) and his warrior brotherhood.
Stevenson won a major part in the 2008 Marvel picture “Punisher: War Zone,” playing the titular mercenary, alias Frank Castle. Lionsgate released the picture in North America before Disney purchased the Marvel world and reintroduced the character in the Netflix series “Daredevil.” Stevenson was the Punisher’s third on-screen appearance. In 1989, Dolph Lundgren portrayed the vigilante in a straight-to-video film, followed by Thomas Jane in 2004’s R-rated “Punisher.” “War Zone” was a PG-13 remake of the series that bombed at the box office, with just $10.1 million on a $35 million budget. Later, Jon Bernthal took over the role in Netflix’s “Daredevil” and “The Punisher” programmes.
Stevenson starred in action films such as “The Book of Eli,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” and “The Three Musketeers” in the 2010s, as well as franchises such as Marvel’s “Thor” and Lionsgate’s “Divergent” adaption. Stevenson appeared in his second Marvel film as the Asgardian hero Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three who aided Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. He appeared in all three “Thor” films until being defeated by Cate Blanchett’s villain Hela in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Stevenson portrayed Marcus Eaton, the city council chairman of the Abnegation faction and father of Four (Theo James) in the “Divergent” trilogy.
Stevenson was most recently seen in the Oscar-nominated Tollywood film “RRR” as the wicked Governor Scott Buxton. He will also star in this summer’s Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” as Baylan Skoll, a Jedi who succumbs to the dark side and becomes an ally of the demonic Grand Admiral Thrawn. He previously played Gar Saxon in both “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
Stevenson appeared as Titus Pullo in the HBO historical drama “Rome” from 2005 to 2007. He portrayed a Roman soldier, Lucius Vorenus, alongside Kevin McKidd, who observed numerous major historical events as the Roman Empire started. During its two seasons, the programme won seven Emmys.
Stevenson has previously portrayed Ukrainian gangster Isaak Sirko in Season 7 of Showtime’s “Dexter,” Blackbeard in Starz’s “Black Sails,” and the sailer Othere in Season 6 of “Vikings.”
Aside from “Ahsoka,” Stevenson’s posthumous credits will include “1242: Gateway to the West” and “Cassino in Ischia.”
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